Column Treatment Progress No. 20 | A Patient with Reduced Pain Levels but Residual Numbness Following Treatment
April 13, 2023
The patient
A male patient in his 70s
Treated in November 2022. Approximately 5 months have passed since treatment.
Symptoms and treatments to date
This patient had disc degeneration in the areas indicated by the red frame (L2/3,3/4,4/5).
Pre-treatment medical history and treatments to date
The patient had experienced low back pain for approximately 20 years.
Around September 2022, numbness and pain developed in the right lower limb.
At an orthopedic clinic, only symptomatic treatment with oral medication was provided, without sufficient improvement, prompting the patient to visit our clinic.
Treatment
The CellGel Method was performed at three intervertebral disc levels: L2/3, L3/4, and L4/5.
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 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| 1 week after treatment | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 month after treatment | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 months after treatment | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
The following is feedback from the patient when contacted for follow-up.
After 1 week: The lower limbs and calves felt heavy, with a tingling sensation.
After 1 month: Numbness in the lower limbs persisted.
After 3 months: Numbness remained but had improved when compared with the one-month follow-up.
The Cellgel method is a procedure in which symptom improvement may take time to manifest.
As in this case, although some symptoms may persist initially, the intervertebral discs continue to undergo gradual repair from 1 month to 3 months and further from 3 months to 6 months after treatment.
In addition, our clinic offers rehabilitation services. Patients who continue to experience pain or numbness after treatment are encouraged to make use of these facilities.
* 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
