Summary
A nurse and horse rider from South Carolina had previously undergone a microdiscectomy and laminectomy at another facility in 2020, only to experience a re-herniation at L4-L5 and L5-S1 within two and a half years. Determined to avoid spinal fusion, she researched her options online, discovered Deuk Spine Institute through a YouTube video, and traveled to have the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® performed by Dr. Ara Deukmedjian. Less than 24 hours after her outpatient procedure, she reported her sciatic leg pain and hip pain were completely gone, she required no narcotic pain medication, and she was eating dinner at a restaurant the same evening as her surgery.
Transcript
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: I’m here with a patient of mine who traveled all the way from South Carolina to come to the Deuk Spine Institute. She’s a healthcare provider herself. She’s had some back issues. She had the Deuk Laser Disc Repair yesterday and she wants to share some of her experience with you. Tell us about your back pain and your leg pain before your surgery yesterday.
Patient: I had surgery on L4-L5, L5-S1, so my symptoms were classic. I had the sciatic pain that ran down my leg. Every once in a while my foot would go numb if it was pretty irritated, and then I had pain along the top side of my hip — so pretty normal type stuff. I was going to the chiropractor. I was getting massage therapy. I was starting on meds once I did imaging and made sure that this was actually a herniation and not just like a muscle pull or something, so I had kind of gone through all the things. I had had back surgery in 2020 at another institute and they did a microdiscectomy slash laminectomy of L4-L5. I was good for what, maybe two years, almost two and a half, before it re-herniated — so not the most fun in the world. You expect whenever you go to have a procedure that it’s fixed and your life will be ongoingly better, but I’m a nurse and I ride horses, so I’m pretty mobile all the time and that kind of pain just really gets you down.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: So why did you travel from South Carolina to Deuk Spine? What do we offer here that you couldn’t find there?
Patient: I was on the great internet search, to find out more information — to read more about spine surgeries, about how many times people relapse, you know, like all what’s involved. I surely didn’t want to go up to a fusion because that’s absolutely ridiculous. So I happened to find one of your videos on YouTube. You offered the laser therapy. I was just sold, like almost as soon as I saw it, because it made sense to me.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Yeah, having the perspective of being a nurse and a healthcare provider, it makes sense. You’re fixing the problem, debriding the disc tear, allowing it to heal naturally into a pain-free state. You had your surgery just yesterday.
Patient: Just yesterday. Not even 24 hours ago.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Were you in the hospital for your surgery?
Patient: I was here in your surgery site. I got here around one o’clock-ish. Did all my pre-op stuff, rolled in probably around 1:35. I think our procedure lasted not quite an hour. I was out and eating dinner with my dad at five o’clock at a restaurant that your anesthesiologist recommended. Dr. B — he’s great.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: So no hospitalization.
Patient: No.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: No morphine pump after surgery because you’re in so much pain from the surgery. No narcotic painkillers after surgery, right?
Patient: No.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: What did you take for pain that we gave you? What new medicine did you take after surgery?
Patient: So I haven’t taken any new medicine after surgery. I was on Robaxin and gabapentin prior to. Of course, I have to wean off gabapentin, so I did take my gabapentin this morning, but I didn’t wake up in any pain. Unfortunately, that med you have to wean off of, so it’s not like I can stop it cold turkey.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Yeah, so basically we did a small incision. We went in with the laser and debrided your tear, and at the end we had a tiny seven, eight millimeter incision. And there’s really no pain after the surgery, so there’s no need for narcotics. After your prior microdiscectomy, you probably needed to take some.
Patient: Oh, that was — I mean, just to roll out of bed, just to get up off the couch after that surgery. It’s painful. It’s absolutely painful.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And the difference — people ask me, what’s the difference between Deuk Laser Disc Repair and a microdiscectomy? The difference is a microdiscectomy goes straight into your spine. The surgeon has to pull all the muscles off your spine, then they have to drill a hole in the bone to get to the disc, and they have to remove ligaments, and they have to take your facet joint partially out. There’s so much destruction that goes on under the skin. The surgeons don’t talk to the patients about it because everybody does it — they think there’s no better way. But there is a better way. It was developed by an Iranian orthopedic surgeon to come from the side, and I’m a student of one of his students — a second-generation endoscopic surgeon, transforaminal. And it’s a better surgery because it doesn’t cause any damage to your spine or your body.
Patient: It’s wonderful. I’d have to say.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And how do you feel today? Is your preoperative pain gone?
Patient: Oh yes, all of that’s gone. The only thing that I feel is like right in mid-spine where you basically stabbed me — and that’s, you know… yeah, you know about that. You watch the videos. Brought a tear to my eye there for one little second.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: I see. I forgive you.
Patient: Thank you. Thank you.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Well, I’m glad you’re doing well. Is there anything you want to say to your fans and friends out there? Because we know you have friends.
Patient: I did some shout outs. Oh yeah — to my nurse friends, which I appreciate, you know. And my husband has just been wonderful through all of this. He just wants me pain-free and I love him for it. He was a major contributor.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: What’s his name?
Patient: Ted. Even though he’s not here with me, he’s here in spirit. Hi, Ted. Thanks for being so supportive.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Yeah, you’re lucky you have a supportive family. It’s hard for people to do this alone.
Patient: Yeah, my dad drove me down so he’s been here with me — he’s retired so he can come down. And then my husband, we have a farm, so he stayed to take care of the animals.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Well, congratulations. Safe travels.
Patient: Thank you so much. I appreciate you. You’re welcome. All right.
The Better Way: Deuk Laser Disc Repair®
This patient underwent the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® at Deuk Spine Institute for re-herniated discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1 following a prior microdiscectomy and laminectomy performed elsewhere. The Deuk Laser Disc Repair® (DLDR) is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure using a transforaminal endoscopic approach and laser to debride the disc tear — preserving surrounding muscle, bone, and ligament, eliminating the need for hospitalization, and allowing patients to recover with little to no narcotic pain medication.