Column Treatment Progress Report No.182: A Patient who Had Disc Herniation
The patient
A male patient in his 60s
Treated in March 2024. Approximately 12 months have passed since treatment.
Symptoms and treatments to date
This patient was diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation at L4/5 and L5/S (highlighted in red on imaging).
Pre-treatment medical history and treatments to date
Around 2023, the patient began to feel discomfort in his legs and lower back after playing golf and bowling.
He visited a local osteopathic clinic, but it only served to aggravate the symptoms.
He consulted a nearby orthopedic surgeon where he was diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation, and was advised to have surgical treatment.
However, he was introduced to our clinic by a friend and decided to seek treatment here instead.
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 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 1 week after treatment | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 1 month after treatment | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 3 months after treatment | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 months after treatment | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
The following is feedback from the patient when contacted for follow-up.
1 Week Post-Treatment: Symptoms are generally improving, but the lower back feels heavy upon waking.
1 Month Post-Treatment: Sciatica symptoms are present while walking. The numbness is still severe.
3 Months Post-Treatment: Symptoms have improved, but they intensify when maintaining the same posture for a long time.
6 Months Post-Treatment: The patient only feels a slight pain in the right buttock when getting into the car; otherwise, he has no symptoms in daily life and is able to exercise.
This patient was successfully treated for a herniated disc.
The difficulty in walking was likely due to the acute stage of the herniation.
We are very pleased that six months post-treatment, he is living symptom-free and is able to exercise without pain, even on days following physical activity.
* 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 Cergel 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
