Column Treatment Progress Report No. 199: A Patient from China Who Finally Found Relief From Pain After 15 Years
February 25, 2026
The patient
A male patient in his 60s, of Chinese nationality.
Treated in April 2024. Approximately 12 months have passed since treatment.
Symptoms and treatments to date
This patient had disc degeneration in the areas indicated by the red frame (L3/4, 4/5, 5/s).
Pre-treatment medical history and treatments to date
The patient experienced an episode of acute low back pain (“lumbago”) 15 years ago, which resolved within a few days.
However, he later began to experience dull lower back pain when maintaining the same posture for a long time or when walking.
He visited a local orthopedic clinic and was diagnosed with muscle-related pain.
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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 week after treatment | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 month after treatment | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 months after treatment | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 months after treatment | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The following is feedback from the patient when contacted for follow-up.
1 week after treatment
Symptoms were still present, but overall felt better than before the procedure.
1 month after treatment
Gradual improvement was noticed.
3 months after treatment
Some mild pain remained, but lower back pain had improved significantly.
6 months after treatment
The patient’s condition remains stable without any worsening of the symptoms.
In this case, the primary cause of symptoms was disc degeneration.
The treatment progress was very favorable. Regarding the remaining mild symptoms, the patient believed that muscular factors unrelated to the discs might also contribute. He attributed the final stage of his recovery to the active rehabilitation (focusing on the surrounding muscles) he performed back in China.
At approximately one year after treatment, the patient reported that his symptoms had completely resolved and expressed great satisfaction with the outcome.
* 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 Cellgel 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
