Column Treatment Progress Report No.96: a Patient Who Has Improved Subsequently After the Treatment and is Still Stable Six Months Later

schedule

02.10.2024

The patient

A male patient in his 40s

Treated in April 2023. About 10 months have passed since the treatment

Symptoms and treatments

The patient had disc herniation in the area indicated by the red frame (L4/5 disc).

Pre-treatment medical history and treatments

2002: The patient developed pain in the left lower limb.

2003: Surgical operation on L4/5 ( abroad). 2012: Good progress until 2012

2016: Symptoms worsened after a car accident.

2018: Symptoms repeatedly alternate between good and worse following block injections.

2022: Symptoms worsened again. The patient refused to undergo surgical operation because of the numerous uncertainties about undergoing a surgical procedure in a foreign country. (i.e. Japan)

Instead, the patient decided to visit our clinic seeking symptoms improvement.　

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
Before treatment	3	8	6
1 week after treatment	2	2	1
1 month after treatment	1	1	0
3 months after treatment	0	0	0
6 months after treatment	1	1	0

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

After one week, the treatment was good at first, but after 4-5 days, the pain came back.

After 1 month, the symptoms remained a little, but they have since eased up and he was able to lead a stable life.

After 3 months, he was very happy that there was no pain everytime he walked or swam.

At 6 months, he caught COVID and felt pain in his lower back whenever he coughed, but other than that, his condition remained stable.

This patient had pain in the left lower extremity due to a left-leaning disc herniation at L4/5.

Since the block injection caused the pain to rise and fall ipreviously, it is thought that the pain returned 4 to 5 days after the treatment. Block injections have an immediate effect, but the effect period is only temporary.

After about a month, the effect of the Cellgel Method began to take effect, and the symptoms in the lower back and lower limbs totally disappeared.

We expect that the symptoms will eventually stabilize and that the patient will be able to lead a better life, bar any major impact such as a traffic accident.

* It takes about 3 weeks to 3 months to see the full effects of the treatment.

* Effects in the treatment may vary according to individual differences. Please be aware that there is a possibility that the exact same effects may not be replicated every time.

Our clinic’s treatment method

Here is some additional information about the Cellgel method that we have presented here.

Cost of the Cellgel method: 1,320,000 yen per site (including tax) to 1,760,000 yen for 5 sites (including tax)

Cost for this patient’s case: Cellgel performed in 2 areas = 1,430,000 yen (including tax)

Risks and side effects of the Cellgel method: Transient pain may occur after treatment. Due to the very nature of the treatment, the possibility of nerve damage is not nonexistent, but so far there have been no reports of damage in either reported cases or publications. There is a very small possibility of allergic reactions to the local anesthetic. Symptoms may temporarily worsen during the first week or two after treatment. This is believed to be due to the decompression effect of the implant, which pulls in the surrounding tissues. Also, if the disc is almost completely worn out, it may not be possible to treat it. The doctor will consult with you during your visit to determine the best treatment option for your condition.