Column Treatment Progress Report No. 188: A Patient Who Improved Enough to Allow a Return to Light Exercise
November 8, 2025
The patient
A female patient in her 40s.
Treated in March 2024. Approximately 12 months have passed since treatment.
Symptoms and treatments to date
This patient showed degenerative alterations in the intervertebral discs at L3/4 and L4/5, indicated by the red-marked areas on imaging.
Pre-treatment medical history and treatments to date
The patient had been suffering from low back pain and numbness in the left lower limb for over 10 years.
In 2022, she received disc treatment at a different clinic and saw some improvement, but her symptoms deteriorated again around December 2024.
The patient visited our clinic seeking to improve her symptoms.
Post-treatment progress
The table below shows the results of the patient’s own evaluation of the pain in each body site on a scale of 0 to 10.
No pain at all is rated as 0 and 10 as the maximum possible pain.
| Lower back | Lower limbs | Numbness | Buttocks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before treatment | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1 week after treatment | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1 month after treatment | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 months after treatment | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 months after treatment | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
The following is feedback from the patient when contacted for follow-up.
1 Week: Felt better than before treatment, but experienced some pain and tightness in the right lower back.
1 Month: Symptoms worsen when washing her face, but disappear once seated. She began gradually engaging in light exercise.
3 Months: Daily life is manageable without any issues. She is mindful of her posture as she notices symptoms appear with certain positions.
6 Months: Sometimes feels a slight tightness in her back, but the symptoms improve when she does water aerobics or stretching.
This patient had disc degeneration.
Before treatment, she was avoiding exercise due to pain and strain. After her condition improved post-treatment, we encouraged her to start with low-impact exercises like water aerobics.
The combination of treatment and appropriate rehabilitation ultimately enabled her to return to a life free of symptoms.
* 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
