How much does the Discseel procedure cost?

The Discseel procedure typically costs between $15,000 and $30,000, and is usually paid entirely out-of-pocket as insurance companies rarely cover this procedure.

Is Discseel FDA approved?

Yes, Discseel is FDA approved. However, FDA approval primarily addresses safety, not necessarily effectiveness. A procedure can be safe but still ineffective at treating the underlying condition.

What are alternatives to Discseel?

Proven alternatives to Discseel include endoscopic laser disc repair, discectomy, laminectomy, and in some cases, fusion surgery. Patients should consult with qualified spine surgeons about evidence-based treatment options.

Discseel Truth: What Happens Inside Treated Discs?

Why promising treatments don't always deliver promised results

As a board-certified neurosurgeon with three decades of experience and founder of the Deuk Spine Institute, I've witnessed countless trends in spine care come and go. But few have concerned me as much as the growing popularity of the Discseel procedure—a treatment that, despite FDA approval and aggressive marketing, has consistently failed to deliver results for the patients I've treated.

The Promise vs. The Reality

On paper, Discseel sounds revolutionary. The procedure involves inserting a needle into the affected disc and injecting a proprietary product designed to seal annular tears and disc bulges, theoretically eliminating back pain. It's minimally invasive, sounds scientifically plausible, and offers hope to desperate patients suffering from chronic disc problems.

But here's the uncomfortable truth: in my extensive experience, it simply doesn't work.

The Hidden Costs of Ineffective Treatment

The financial burden alone should give patients pause. Discseel procedures typically cost between $15,000 and $30,000—paid entirely out-of-pocket since insurance companies rarely cover it. That's a significant investment for a procedure with questionable outcomes.

But the real cost isn't just financial. Time after time, I see patients who have undergone Discseel only to experience the same debilitating pain afterward. They then face the prospect of additional procedures—fusion, discectomy, laminectomy, or endoscopic laser disc repair—procedures they likely needed in the first place.

What I Saw Inside the Disc

Recently, we treated a patient from Georgia who had previously undergone the Discseel procedure. During his endoscopic Duke Laser Disc Repair surgery, I had the opportunity to see firsthand what the inside of a Discseel-treated disc actually looks like.

It was, without exaggeration, one of the worst-looking disc interiors I've encountered in 30 years of practice.

The disc was filled with scar tissue, hemorrhaging, and brown, necrotic, dead disc material. The tissue appeared to have undergone a severe adverse reaction to the injected product. Both discs this patient had treated with Discseel showed the same disturbing characteristics—hemorrhagic and necrotic material that suggested the procedure had done more harm than good.

After we removed this damaged tissue during our laser disc repair procedure, the patient achieved complete pain relief and returned home to Georgia symptom-free.

The Larger Question

This raises an important question for the medical community and patients alike: Why are we rushing to adopt treatments without sufficient long-term outcome data?

FDA approval doesn't guarantee effectiveness—it primarily addresses safety. A procedure can be "safe" in the sense that it doesn't immediately harm patients, but still be completely ineffective at treating the underlying condition.

What Patients Should Know

If you're considering Discseel, I urge you to:

1. Ask hard questions about long-term success rates from independent sources, not just from providers who profit from the procedure

2. Get multiple opinions from surgeons who don't perform Discseel and have no financial stake in your decision

3. Understand the evidence—or lack thereof—supporting the procedure's effectiveness

4. Consider the opportunity cost of delaying proven treatments while pursuing experimental ones

Moving Forward

I'm not opposed to innovation in spine care. Quite the opposite—advancement in our field has improved countless lives. But we must distinguish between genuine breakthroughs and procedures that offer more hope than help.

Patients deserve transparency. They deserve to know when a treatment is experimental, when outcomes are uncertain, and when their hard-earned money might be better spent on proven alternatives.

The patient from Georgia is now pain-free, but only after spending thousands of dollars on a procedure that didn't work, enduring continued suffering, and ultimately requiring the surgery he likely needed from the start.

How many other patients are out there with similar stories?

The Better Way: Deuk Laser Disc Repair (DLDR)

For patients suffering from debilitating pain or severe instability, the benefits of spinal surgery might seem to outweigh the risks significantly. However, as you can see, they are not procedures without consequences. There is one procedure that has none of these consequences. My revolutionary procedure, Deuk Laser Disc Repair (DLDR), provides a safer alternative for alleviating neck or back pain, minimizing the risk of collateral damage by targeting the muscles, nerves, ligaments, tendons, and joints.

MAKE YOUR FIRST PAIN-FREE MOVE

If you are seeking relief from lumbar or cervical pain, have been recommended for spinal fusion, or are still dealing with chronic pain after a failed fusion surgery, we can help improve your quality of life and enable you to live pain-free.

Upload your latest MRI for a free review and a personal consultation with myself, Ara Deukmedjian, M.D., founder of Deuk Spine Institute and creator of the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® procedure.

*The views expressed in this article represent the clinical observations and professional opinion of the author based on his experience treating patients who have undergone the Discseel procedure. Patients should always consult with qualified medical professionals and consider multiple expert opinions before making treatment decisions.*