Researchers discover alcohol gel could reduce pain of slipped disc by 80%

Researchers have discovered a gel containing alcohol that could help ease the pain of slipped discs, the Daily Mail reported.

The alcohol in the gel helps reduce the pain by absorbing water leaking from the damaged disc. This water from a disc inflames tissues around the area and aggravates nerves in the spinal cord. Many patients in Europe have used the treatment called Discogel.

24 vertebrae make up the spine. There is a circular pad of tissue known as a disc, which have a hard outer case that surrounds water and a kind of gel type substance to keep it moist.

It is when the outer casing gets damaged that issues arise. Weight gain, sitting for too long, lifting heavy items or bending can cause slipped discs.

The get could reduce pain by 80% in patients who were unable to get better with painkillers and physiotherapy, according to a 2015 study in France published in the Orthopaedics And Traumatology journal.