Column Case Report No. 145｜ ILC International Low Back Pain Clinic (Tokyo) Column
April 17, 2024
The patient:
A male patient in his 70s
The patient’s medical history to date
In 2010, he started to feel pain in the lower back. Chronic lower back pain symptoms appeared subsequently.
He visited an orthopedic clinic and underwent rehabilitation, but his symptoms failed to improve.
Symptoms before treatment
・Pain levels before treatment
| Lower back | Lower limbs | Numbness | Buttocks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain level | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
No pain at all is rated as 0, and the maximum possible pain is rated as 10.
Main pain area: lower back
Forward bending: no change
Backward bending: slight lower back pain
Laseguetest: negative
Tenderness: around L2/3
Additional explanations on our clinic’s medical examination
・Daily activities
The pain worsens when getting up and going to bed.
The patient’s walking ability is not impaired in any way.
Images and findings
- L2/3 – inflammation
- L1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 4/5, 5/s – Intervertebral disc degeneration
The above findings were also observed on the imaging.
・L2/3 – Inflammation can be seen in the intervertebral discs and surrounding area, and it overlaps with the tender point of L2/3, which may be the cause of the current symptoms.
Treatment
After consulting with the patient, PODD was performed on L2/3.
The treatment was performed by Dr. Kono.
PODD was performed because the inflammation was strong, and once the inflammation subsided, the procedure was switched to the Cellgel method.
The treatment took about 10 minutes.
After resting in the recovery room, the patient was able to walk home by herself.
Our clinic’s treatment
Some additional information about PODD.
PODD’s cost: 330,000 yen/1 site(including tax) to 550,000 yen/5 sites (including tax)
Epidural ozone cost: 33,000 yen/1 site (including tax) to 165,000 yen/5 sites (including tax)
* Cost for the patient this time: PODD on 1 site: 330,000 yen (including tax)
PODD risks and side effects: There is a possibility of transient pain occurring after treatment. There is a possibility of nerve damage due to the nature of the treatment, but there heve been no reports of damage in either our own treatment cases or in published papers. There is a very small possibility of an allergic reaction to the local anesthetic. In addition, there is a possibility that treatment may not be possible if the intervertebral disc has lost its volume almost completely. When you visit our clinic, please consult with the doctor in order to choose a treatment method that is appropriate for your condition.
For more detailed information, please refer to the page in the link below.
PODD method page of our treatment method
This article was written by the Administrative Director of our clinic
