You may be one of the few patients who have problems from the discogram. During the discogram a thin needle is inserted into the disc. By injecting a numbing agent the surgeon can tell if the disc is the source of your pain. If your pain goes away then the problem disc is found.

A contrast dye can also be injected to show the disc anatomy. If any dye leaks outside the disc the surgeon knows there's a tear in the outer covering of the disc called the annulus.

Sometimes the injection causes a tear to get worse. The pressure from the injected solution can also cause a piece of the disc to be pushed out of the disc space. When either of these things happens, painful symptoms can get worse.

Make sure your doctor knows about the change in your status. You may need to have a follow-up MRI done to see what's going on. Numbness and changes in the foot can indicate pressure on the spinal nerve. Permanent nerve damage can occur if this isn't taken care of quickly.