Years ago, with the discovery that oxidative molecules are effective in many disease mechanisms, the importance of anti-oxidant molecules for the body began to be understood. Oxidative molecules play a very important role in the aging of cells, especially in rheumatic diseases and pain. Therefore, the anti-oxidant molecules produced by the body also play a healing role in these processes with the opposite effect.
Ozone is a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms (O3). When given to the body, it immediately turns into peroxides, which are oxidizing molecules. Since peroxides are strong oxidant molecules, the body activates all antioxidant systems, which is called "therapeutic shock". It is thought that the antioxidant molecules formed by ozone act by counteracting the harmful oxidant molecules formed in areas of the body where conditions such as vascular occlusion, circulation-oxygenation disorder, rheumatic disease, and nerve compression occur. However, despite all the research done, the mechanisms of action of ozone in the body are not yet fully understood.
Ozone can be administered to the body in almost every way except the lungs. In fact, it is not pure ozone given to the body. Because pure ozone is quite toxic. What is given to the body is actually oxygen with very little ozone in it. Even this low ozone concentration is sufficient to create the desired treatment effect. Although ozone, especially intravenous ozone, is used in many areas from skin rejuvenation to cellulite, from high cholesterol to slimming, none of these treatments have scientific support. However, the effectiveness of ozone in the treatment of herniated discs and vascular occlusions has been scientifically proven.
Although the use of ozone therapy in the treatment of herniated discs is old, scientific research is relatively new. Especially in recent years, research has shown that ozone injections are a reliable and effective method in the treatment of herniated disc. In these studies, the effectiveness of two types of ozone applications in herniated discs has been demonstrated. One of these is the application performed under the guidance of x-ray-computed tomography using long special needles to the area where the herniated disc is located, which we call intra-discal. The other method is the method that we prefer in our own clinic and in which ozone is applied bilaterally to the side muscles of the waist. two y Although the success chances of the methods are similar, they have some advantages and disadvantages against each other. Intra-discal application requires application in the hospital. Since it is an invasive method, there is a rare possibility of damage to nerves and tissues due to complications that may occur during the application. In addition, since it requires scopy or tomography, the patient is exposed to radiation. Additionally, it is a more expensive method. In the ozone application from the paravertebral muscles, which we prefer, there is no possibility of nerve damage, and since imaging is not required, the patient is not exposed to radiation. It is more economical than the intra-discal method. Perhaps the only disadvantage of this method compared to the intradiscal method is that it is applied not once, but 5 to 15 times, at least 1 and at most 3 times a week. This method is extremely safe, especially in terms of complications. Although ozone injections have become popular in the last few years, we have been using this method in our clinic for about 6 years. Since we have performed hundreds of applications during this period and have not seen any complications, we can easily talk about the reliability of the method. The patients who will benefit most from ozone injection treatment at the waist are hernia patients with sudden onset pain, especially in the form of sciatica, radiating to the leg. The success rate of the method decreases in very old patients or patients who have undergone surgery. The patient may feel pain that passes within a few minutes after the ozone injection. This is normal and should not be interpreted as increasing hernia pain. The most important feature of ozone injection is that it acts very quickly. In other words, minutes after the injection, the patient may feel that the pain in his leg and waist has decreased, sometimes completely gone. This early state of well-being generally means that the patient will benefit greatly from treatment. Although this pain relief partially loses its effect in varying periods of time depending on the patient, the patient's pain gradually decreases with continuing injections and can generally result in a significant recovery within 5 to 10 sessions. But it should always be kept in mind that there is no 100% success in medicine. The success rate of ozone injection alone is around 60-70%. We have been applying ozone injections in our clinic for about 6 years and I can say that I am one of the most experienced doctors in our country in this regard. I'm sorry. It should not be forgotten that ozone is only one of the treatment methods for herniated disc, even though it sometimes has results that we cannot believe. It is an extremely effective method, but it is not a miracle.
It should always be kept in mind that the real treatment of a herniated disc is possible by preventing its recurrence after healing.
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