Dr. Elinor Zhou is a gastroenterologist who provides care for general digestive disorders including colon cancer screening and prevention, GERD, dyspepsia, altered bowel habits and abdominal pain.
Mercy doctors offer a breakthrough treatment for hepatitis C that cures most patients and saves lives. Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus and can lead to permanent liver damage if untreated.
Cardiologists at The Heart Center at Mercy treat patients with heart conditions including heart attack, heart murmur and heart disease.
Mercy offers emergency care on the Downtown Baltimore campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (410-332-9477) with access to a trained emergency medicine team, diagnostic services and consultations with specialists.
In case of an Emergency, Dial 911 and follow the instructions of the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) team.
Mercy Medical Center's downtown campus includes our Main Hospital - The Mary Catherine Bunting Center, McAuley Plaza and The Weinberg Center.
General visiting hours at Mercy are 11:00 am to 8:30 pm. Hours vary by floor, please check with the nursing staff or call 410-332-9555.
Cervical Disc Injury
Lumbar Disc Injuries and Treatment
Herniated disc, also known as disk herniation or disc rupture, may cause mild or severe pain in the lower back and can limit a patient’s daily activities. Our pain medicine experts at The Center for Interventional Pain Medicine at Mercy in Baltimore, Maryland, work closely with patients and members of their care team to diagnose and treat a herniated disc.
(Herniated disc - also spelled - disk herniation. For the purposes of this website Mercy Medical Center will use the spelling disc.)
A herniated disc is a medical condition that affects one of the fibrous rings between the individual bones of the spine. When the tougher, outer portion of a fibrous ring tears, the softer central portion of the ring bulges outward. This may result in pain or weakness of an arm or leg.
The lowest two joints of the spine and the base of the neck are typical locations for a herniated disc. A herniated disc is typically the result of gradual wear and tear due to aging. Trauma will rarely result in a herniated disc. Although a herniated disc is most common in older patients, disc degeneration can occur in young adults as well.
Disc herniation usually causes pain in the low back or base of the neck. If the disc herniation occurs near a spinal nerve root, it may irritate the root. The disc material may press upon the nerve causing more severe pain. In this case, the patient typically feels pain down the arm or leg along the course of the affected nerve. Pain management specialists diagnose a herniated disc by conducting:
Options for treating a herniated disc may include:
The doctors at The Center for Interventional Pain Medicine at Mercy work with individual patients and examine their symptoms to determine what treatment options best fit their needs. They may also collaborate with other Centers of Mercy, including The Spine Center of Maryland, to develop treatment plans for patients with herniated discs.
Rachel’s herniated disc was treated successfully without surgery and she’s back to being a full-time mom again.
A 2020 TOP DOC Dr. David Maine, Director of The Center for Interventional Pain Medicine, helps patients with chronic pain, lower back pain and cancer pain.
A patient gains a new pain-free life after being treated by a team of doctors at Mercy Medical Center.