Helping Golfers Beat Sciatica: The Growing Choice for Disc Treatment

Patient Information

50s, Male

Condition & Symptoms

• Herniated Disc
• Sciatica

Current Status

The patient has been playing golf as a single-digit handicap player for 10 years, but has been suffering from sciatica since around August 2025. He visited our clinic after watching a YouTube video featuring Mr. Hirotaka Tsuruhara, a golf instructor who received treatment at our clinic.

Examination

MRI Examination

This is an MRI scan of the lower back. The intervertebral disc is deformed, leading to a diagnosis of a herniated disc. Since the volume of the disc has decreased, we surmise that improvement would be difficult through chiropractic care or rehabilitation alone.

Treatment

Determining that the nerve disorder was progressing due to the loss of disc function and inflammation caused by the hernia, we performed the Discseel® Procedure.

Annulogram (Disc Inspection)

The damaged area of the disc appears in black. If it doesn't show up in black, it is determined that there is no damaged section; we would then confirm high internal pressure and switch to a decompression treatment. However, since it shows up in black here, we are proceeding with the Discseel® Procedure as planned.

Discseel® Procedure

This shows the Discseel® Procedure in progress. We inject the fibrin sealant directly into the damaged area.

Pre- and Post-Treatment X-rays

These are X-ray photos from before and after the treatment. The left side is before, and the right side is after. Since his nerve issues only just appeared last August, I explained to him that he should make a full recovery.

A Word from the Director

You can't tense up

I have a golf game scheduled with Mr. Toritani next week, and apparently, he's a single-digit handicap player. He's younger than me, and I really don't want to lose badly, so I went to the driving range yesterday. I hit about 200 balls, but man, they were slicing everywhere. When I try to use the twist of my lower body to hit, my core strength isn't quite there, so my body opens up and causes a slice. So, I tried changing my approach: not using my lower body as much, relying only on the twist of my upper body, and focusing heavily on the swing trajectory. The distance dropped by about 10 to 20 yards, but wouldn't you know it, the ball flew almost dead straight! I thought to myself, "This is exactly what I was looking for." You just can't tense up. Golf isn't about distance, you know. It's all about consistency. Though who knows what'll happen on the actual day...