‘Maximum results with minimal treatment’: new disc sealant for chronic back pain

A controversial approach has been found for chronic back pain that doesn’t involve surgery.

Dr. Kevin Pauza, a Naples doctor, looked at the epidemic of chronic back pain. He is worried about the problem and the current popular solution.

“I felt it wasn’t in the best interest of the patients. That’s why I focused on developing the disc seal procedure,” said Pauza.

It helps to understand the structure of the spine. The spine is made up of 24 vertebrae with cushioning discs in between that make the back flexible. The spine runs from the neck to the lower back with potential trouble spots everywhere.

Gregory Paradise was crippled with pain in his cervical spine after breaking his neck years ago.

“I was to the point that I felt like I wanted to die, and that’s why I decided to seek alternative measures to fix my neck,” Paradise said.

He put his pain in Dr. Pauza’s hands, opting to try his disc seal procedure. It’s directed at worn, herniated and ruptured discs.

If they’re squeezed and lose fluid, it impacts the nerves and can lead to debilitating pain.

“The disc is made up of 17 layers, and if those layers tear, it’s going to cause the disc to bulge through that layers,” Pauza said.

When that happens, there’s pain. Lots of it. Surgery is the usual solution: a spinal fusion that spaces and stabilizes the vertebrae.

A better fix, Pauza thinks, is to simply seal the disc, so it doesn’t leak fluid and allow it to heal.

He showed WINK News the two FDA-approved natural biologics he injects while the patient is lightly sedated.

“These are in our body now, but these are the pure forms,” Pauza said, “so when I put the one component in, that’s already in our body, and then it senses a cut, and it comes to that cut, and I put the second one in. It’s almost like a natural epoxy.”

The epoxy stops tears from leaking. It starts congealing on contact.

Dr. Pauza performed the disc seal procedure on Paradise in November 2022.

“They went in through the side of my neck and got into the discs,” Paradise said. “I felt immediately better.”

It also worked on Gregory Paradise’s wife, Betsy, who underwent a three-level fusion.

“I was having a lot of problems. I couldn’t walk very well, actually, for about three years,” Betsy said.

Both said they are now pain free. The disc sealant is applied in minutes with no downtime– maximum results with minimal treatment.