The Disc That Gave Way

CHART CLUE

Stina’s herniated disc was repaired, her root decompressed — and her pain stayed. Told “the disc is fixed, your pain should be gone,” she was left to wonder what was wrong with her. Read alongside her allodynia, her amplified hurt, and high IL-1β/IL-6, the answer isn’t a failed surgery. It is yet another moment pain becomes its own disease — cytokine-driven central sensitization, not a problem the scalpel could reach.