In today’s column, we will talk about the Cellgel Method.
Check the last article out here: Increasing the results of the treatment with rehabilitation
About International Lumbago Clinic Tokyo
Our clinic opened in September 2022 and specializes exclusively on solutions for lumbar pain. We are located in Minato Ward, Tokyo, a 7 minute walk from JR Shinagawa Station.
The Cellgel method is great for treatment and prevention!
As I mentioned at the beginning, the Cellgel method is a treatment for repairing aged intervertebral discs.
To explain in more detail, it works by repairing a leak in the nucleus pulposus in the middle of the intervertebral disc.
When a disc cracks, the nucleus pulposus leaks out.
The leaked part puts pressure on nerves, etc., causing symptoms.
Hmm, the nucleus pulposus is leaking out…Is it like the herniated disc that we talked about in article #③?
Exactly!
This red frame is where the nucleus pulposus leaks out and causes symptoms.
Medications are administered to this intervertebral disc to cause the protruding part to retract and reduce symptoms.
How the Cellgel Treatment Works
With the cellgel method, we insert a thin needle into the intervertebral disc.
As you can see with the video below, the needle is entering the intervertebral disc.
Once the discs to be treated have needles inserted, the DiscoGel is injected.
You can see the white line gradually growing inside of the disc, this is the DiscoGel.
Lastly, you can see that the DiscoGel has completely saturated the disc.
That’s how you do the treatment!
But, once you put the medicine inside the disc, how does it pull in the part that has extruded outside?
First, the medicine will dehydrate the intervertebral disc.
Once the disc has been dehydrated, the portion that is sticking out will slowly get pulled back inside the disc.
I see!
What happens to the medicine that was injected?
The medicine that was injected, will, over time become an implant.
Once it touches water, it will support the degenerated disc.
In other words, does this mean that it will retract the part that is causing the symptoms and strengthen the intervertebral disc?
Yes, that’s it exactly!
Applying the Cellgel method to a deteriorating intervertebral disc may have a preventive effect.
However, the disadvantage of the Cellgel method is that it generally takes time to take effect, so immediate results cannot be expected.
※It depends on the person, but some patients will see improvements in a few weeks time.
I see, the downside is that it takes time to see results.
Are there any other disadvantages?
Basically, the biggest disadvantage is that it takes time, but its weakness is that it cannot cure strong bone degeneration because it is a treatment for intervertebral discs.
Since bones that have been deformed due to scoliosis or spondylolisthesis cannot be healed or restored to their original alignment, treatment will not improve your posture.
That’s right, it is only a treatment for intervertebral discs, so it cannot cure degenerated bones.
Unfortunately, that’s what happens…
If you want immediate results or to correct the alignment of your vertebral bodies, we recommend surgery.
Next time, I would like to compare surgical procedures and the Cellgel method.
Next time: Comparing surgeries and the Cellgel method
