A Patient in his 20s who came to Japan from London for a PLDD procedure on an intervertebral disc

Patient Information

Age 20 | Male

Illness and Symptoms

• Herniated Disc

Patient Condition

The patient has been experiencing lower back pain since the age of 14, but in recent years the lower back pain has worsened and hinders daily life. When seeking treatment in the UK, after consulting at The Harley Street Hospital, he was diagnosed as unsuitable for Discogel use but suitable for laser therapy. Because The Harley Street Hospital could not perform laser therapy, he searched for a facility that could provide the treatment and finally consulted at our clinic.
（Medical costs in the European Union are increasing, and a number of people are choosing to undergo treatment in Japan, which has a low yen exchange rate.）

Examination and Results

This is the MRI examination result of the lumbar area. It shows that the intervertebral disc between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae is significantly protruding, and it was diagnosed as a Herniated Disc. In addition, the capacity of the intervertebral disc is maintained, and it is estimated that the intervertebral disc is close to rupturing due to increased internal pressure.

Treatment Details

PLDD (Percutaneous Laser Disc Decompression) Method

The reason why Discogel was considered unsuitable for use at The Harley Street Hospital is that the material in Discogel is ethyl alcohol gel, a chemical substance, so administering a weighty substance can temporarily increase the pressure inside the intervertebral disc, and in the worst case, increase the risk of a Herniated Disc rupture. Therefore, we performed laser therapy at our clinic to purely reduce the pressure inside the intervertebral disc.

Before the intervertebral disc treatment, we administered a sedative. The translation of the sedative explanation is in progress.

The laser therapy process is underway. We are adjusting the output while checking the irradiation sound.

Explanation of laser therapy after treatment. The patient was very grateful that the treatment process went very smoothly.

Demonstration of laser irradiation. We also showed it to the patient. The treatment time was 16 minutes.

Message from the Clinic Director

During today's consultation, a patient who had undergone treatment for 1 year and 2 months came to visit. Although in his 70s, in July last year, he suffered from coccygeal nerve pain that persisted even while sleeping, and was forced to use a wheelchair. After undergoing intervertebral disc therapy at our clinic, the coccygeal nerve pain continued for about 2 months, but when he came today, he came on foot, which was very surprising. Currently, he only experiences dull pain in his right leg when doing housework at home, and the MRI examination results show no problems. We recommend lower back pain rehabilitation at our clinic and promise to continue to help his recovery.