Column Progress Report No. 29: A Patient Who Recovered with The Combined effects of The Cellgel and PODD Methods

May 8, 2023

The patient

A male patient in his 70s

Treated in December 2022. Approximately 5 months have passed since treatment.

Symptoms and treatments to date

The patient showed disc degeneration at L4/5 (as indicated by the red-marked area), along with Foraminal Stenosis at various disc levels. Inflammation was specifically observed at L3/4.

Pre-treatment medical history and treatments to date

December 2020: Underwent surgery for spinal stenosis, after which pain and numbness improved.

Around May 2022: Began experiencing pain in the lower back and groin area while walking. The severity of the pain fluctuated daily.

Pain relievers prescribed by an orthopedic clinic were ineffective, leading the patient to seek treatment at our clinic.

Treatment

A combined approach was used to treat the different pathologies:

PODD Method: Performed on 1 disc: L3/4, where inflammation was observed.

Cellgel Method: Performed on a total of 3 discs: L2/3, L4/5, and L5/S.

Post-treatment progress

Pain intensity was self-evaluated by the patient on a 0–10 scale
(0 = no pain, 10 = maximum imaginable pain):

	Lower back	Lower limbs	Numbness	Buttocks
Before treatment	7	7	2	0
1 week after treatment	3	4	0	0
1 month after treatment	3	4	0	0
3 months after treatment	2	1	0	0

The following is feedback from the patient when contacted for follow-up.

1 Week: Felt that his back had improved.

1 Month: Pain was much better, but the heavy feeling in his lower back, which he had experienced before treatment, remained. His right side was improving steadily.

3 Months: Overall condition improved, and his range of motion expanded. The dullness/heaviness in his back was also significantly better.

Physician’s Note: The combined treatment, using PODD for the inflammatory site (L3/4) and Cellgel for the other sites, yielded a good outcome. We advise against performing the Cellgel Method on an inflamed site, as it may cause pain. Our clinic offers two options in such cases: wait for the inflammation to subside before performing Cellgel, or perform the PODD Method on the inflamed site simultaneously.

* Results vary among individuals. Please be aware that identical outcomes cannot be guaranteed.

* It generally takes 3 weeks to 3 months for treatment effects to appear.

Our Treatment Method

Supplementary Information on the Cellgel Method

Cost of the Cergel Method:
¥1,320,000 / 1 site (tax included)
to ¥1,760,000 / 5 sites (tax included)

Risks and Side Effects:

Temporary pain may occur after treatment.

Nerve injury is theoretically possible due to the nature of the procedure, but no such cases have been reported in our own experience or in published studies.

Extremely rare risk of allergic reaction to local anesthetic.

Symptoms may temporarily worsen for 1–2 weeks after treatment, believed to be due to decompression effects of the implant pulling on surrounding tissue.

If the disc is severely collapsed or nearly gone, treatment may not be possible.

The physician will discuss suitable treatment options with each patient depending on their condition.

For more detailed information, please refer to the following links:

Blog page explaining the Cellgel Method in an easy-to-understand manner

The Cellgel Method on our treatment methods page

This article was written by the administrative Director of our clinic