Methods, devices and systems facilitate diagnosis, and in some cases
treatment, of back pain originating in intervertebral discs. Methods
generally involve introducing one or more substances into one or more
discs using a catheter device. In one embodiments, a patient assumes a
position that causes back pain, and a substance such as an anesthetic or
analgesic is introduced into the disc to determine whether the substance
relieves the pain. Injections into multiple discs may optionally be
performed, to help pinpoint a disc as a sources of the patient's pain. In
some embodiments, the catheter device is left in place, and possibly
coupled with another implantable device, to provide treatment of one or
more discs. A catheter device includes at least one anchoring member for
maintaining a distal portion of the catheter within a disc.