California Patient Finds Relief After 30 Years of Pain

In this heartfelt patient testimonial, Dr. Deukmedjian speaks with a woman who traveled from California after suffering from severe back and neck pain for more than 30 years. After failed surgeries—including a laminectomy that left her in the same pain—she discovered the Deuk Spine Institute through daily surgery videos and research into minimally invasive options. Following her Deuk Laser Disc Repair^® and facet treatment, she now experiences major relief, improved neck mobility, and renewed hope for her future. She shares how traditional surgeons couldn’t help her, why she chose Deuk Spine Institute, and the life-changing results she’s already feeling.

Transcript:

Dr. Deukmedjian: Good morning. I'm Dr. Deukmedjian at the Deuk Spine Institute. I'm here with one of my lovely patients from California. She came here because she's had back pain and neck pain for over 30 years. It turned out that her back pain was coming from several things, not just one problem, but multiple, and we went in and fixed all those problems in her lower back and also her neck. How do you feel?

Patient: I feel great. I really do. As I told you earlier, like in the middle of the night, I woke up and I thought, I have turned a corner. I really feel so much different than I have in years. It's wonderful.

Dr. Deukmedjian: Yeah. When I first saw her, one of her problems was facet pain. She couldn't even turn her neck because it hurt so bad. And now you're turning it more.

Patient: Yeah. Turning. And I think I'm probably not turning it because I'm so used to not doing that. But when I want to look, it doesn't, it's not really that painful to look over.

Dr. Deukmedjian: What brought you to Deuk Spine Institute? Why did you choose to come to Deuk Spine all the way from California?

Patient: After having over 50 major surgeries in my life, I wanted something that was more minimal if I could. And that's how I started researching and I found you.

Dr. Deukmedjian: And what convinced you that Deuk Spine Institute was the place to go for your problems with your back and neck?

Patient: I started listening to your cases, watching your videos almost daily, all the surgeries that you're doing, it convinced me that this was the place I needed to come, that you were doing the top edge of the spectrum for giving people pain relief and getting their lives back.

Dr. Deukmedjian: Did you see doctors in California? Did they offer you treatments?

Patient: They did. One in particular, before you, that had advertised minimal surgery did absolutely nothing for me. I went in and had some surgery done on my lower back. I came out with as much pain as I went in with. It didn't help me at all.

Dr. Deukmedjian: That was a laminectomy, right?

Patient: Yeah, it was a laminectomy of my lower back.

Dr. Deukmedjian: It's unfortunate because laminectomy always makes people worse and doctors recommend it. People get worse afterwards and then they end up having to get a fusion done. But in your case, you don't need a fusion because we fixed everything.

Patient: And that's what was so helpful because a girlfriend I met had fusion in her neck and I watched her deteriorate. She was 20 years younger than I was, a 44-year-old. She passed away from it. I was so sad. I thought, "No, I need to research this and find someone that got much better numbers in their favor." And you were so different in the way that you described your surgery, and then I watched your surgeries, as I said, and I knew this is where I needed to come. I'm so happy, just so happy I came. The primary doctor that I was seeing right before coming here was from UC Davis and he said, "I can't do anything for you." We found that if we do anything, within a year the patient is actually worse. So, they wouldn't touch me.

Dr. Deukmedjian: Will you go back to that doctor at UC Davis and you tell them Deuk Spine Institute fixed you and that he can send his patients to us.

Patient: I will, most definitely, no problem.

Dr. Deukmedjian: God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your life. You've got a long road to recovery to get those muscles strong again. But you will recover.

Patient: Yes, I will do it.

Dr. Deukmedjian: Congratulations.

Patient: Thank you, doctor.

Dr. Deukmedjian: You're welcome.

This California patient underwent Deuk Laser Disc Repair® (DLDR) to address multiple sources of chronic neck and back pain that had persisted for over 30 years. After a failed laminectomy and being told by UC Davis physicians that nothing more could be done, she found relief through DLDR^®—a revolutionary minimally invasive procedure that repairs damaged discs without cutting muscle, damaging bone, or requiring spinal fusion hardware.

The Better Way: Deuk Laser Disc Repair® (DLDR)

Deuk Spine Institute's proprietary DLDR^® is performed without cutting or damaging healthy muscle, fascia, or bone, without using risky hardware, and without post-operative pain. Unlike traditional fusion surgery or laminectomy, there are no complications. None. Best of all, the DLDR^® procedure takes less than an hour, and recovery takes less than three days. Our success rate is 99.5%, and we have treated thousands of patients who are now living pain-free.