Summary
A military veteran from San Diego, California had been suffering from chronic lower back pain since 2010, including a prior microdiscectomy, before re-aggravating his injury 14 months prior to finding Deuk Spine Institute. After researching Dr. Deukmedjian online and studying his videos, he traveled across the country for the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® (DLDR). From the moment he woke up from the outpatient procedure, he reported zero pain and needed no narcotic painkillers — a dramatic contrast to his prior surgical experience. That same night, he emailed the surgical video to his military friends and co-workers, encouraging anyone suffering from back pain to reach out to Deuk Spine Institute.
Transcript
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: I’m here with a patient who traveled from San Diego, California — my old university, where I did my undergraduate — and he’s here because he had problems with his lower back. We fixed it yesterday with the Deuk Laser Disc Repair. How are you feeling today?
Patient: I’m feeling outstanding. On a pain scale of 0 to 10, when I came in here, it was 10 out of 10. Been suffering from back pain since 2010. Had a microdiscectomy, kind of re-aggravated the injury about 14 months ago. That’s when I reached out and found Dr. Deuk online, started studying his videos, and doing my research, and I’m extremely pleased with the outcome.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: So are you having any of that pain today that you came here with?
Patient: No pain, zero. From the time I woke up from the surgery, I had zero pain. I had a little soreness, but no pain. I didn’t have to take any painkillers. I’ve been on hydrocodone — you name it, all the big stuff, Flexeril. I didn’t take none of that stuff. I recommend Dr. Deuk to everybody I know. I stayed up last night late because I’m still on San Diego time, and I emailed the video of the surgery to everybody I know — all my military friends, co-workers — to let them know: if you’re suffering from back pain, please reach out to Dr. Deuk. He’s a godsend.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: I appreciate you saying that. Yeah, Deuk Spine Institute. Well, I mean, what else is there to say after that? So you didn’t go to the hospital — we sent you home right away, right? It’s outpatient.
Patient: Yes.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: What are you going to do now that that pain is gone?
Patient: So I’m going to get a better quality of life. I’m going to take it easy for a while to make sure I don’t re-herniate the disc. Dr. Deuk got me on a strict schedule of things I can’t do, but it’s going to feel good to be walking in the evening around my neighborhood and not in pain, and getting a little physical therapy, and just trying to get well over this next year.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And you can see in the video of the surgery, we went in with the laser. We found some tears in your disc — the annular tears. There was lots of inflammatory tissue in your case.
Patient: Yes — with the pink stuff.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: We used the laser to debride that away. Without the laser, we wouldn’t be able to do the surgery. So people ask, is the laser necessary? Absolutely necessary. It’s what gets rid of the back and neck pain. Well, congratulations, sir. I’m very happy for you. Go enjoy your life. Go back to San Diego — I’m a little jealous because I missed that place.
Patient: Oh, good deal. We’ll miss you there, Dr. Deuk. When I found out you had roots to the University of San Diego, I knew it was fate. It was God’s plan for me to meet you.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Absolutely. You take care of yourself — it’s great to meet you and your father. Let’s get you out of here.
Patient: Okay. Thank you. All right.
The Better Way: Deuk Laser Disc Repair®
This patient underwent the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® at Deuk Spine Institute for chronic lower back pain caused by annular disc tears with significant inflammatory tissue — a condition that had persisted since 2010 and worsened following a prior microdiscectomy. The Deuk Laser Disc Repair® is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure in which a laser is used to precisely debride damaged disc tissue and remove inflammation, eliminating the need for hospitalization, narcotic pain medication, or destructive spinal surgery.