From Couch-Bound to Pain-Free: 6 Weeks of Agony Ends
Summary
A patient from California shares his emotional first-day recovery after undergoing Deuk Laser Disc Repair® and Deuk Piriformis Release® for severe lower back pain, sciatica, leg weakness, and numbness that left him couch-bound for weeks. After failed pain management and daily limitations, he describes immediate relief without narcotics, restored strength in his leg, and the ability to stand on his toes again for the first time in over six weeks. He reflects on watching live surgeries, the professionalism of the Deuk Spine Institute team, and how addressing all sources of pain—not just one—resulted in a truly life-changing outcome.
Transcript
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: I'm Dr. Ara Deukmedjian. I'm here with my patient from California. He traveled from California to come to the Deuk Spine Institute because he had herniated discs in his back that were causing some back pain, but mostly leg symptoms, so sciatic type pain. He also had a piriformis muscle tear that wouldn't heal. And how do you feel today after your surgery?
Patient: Much better. Yeah, absolutely. It's noticeable already, even with the little incision and whatnot. I feel a little emotional. It already feels like it's life-changing.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: What was life like for you before your surgery?
Patient: For the last 6 weeks, I've basically been couch bound or bedbound. I get up and walk around for about 15 to 20 minutes and then I had to get incapacitated completely.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And where was this pain?
Patient: Basically, from my L5, like high butt, down to my toes with numbness and tingling in my toes. Awful sensation.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: You still have that pain today?
Patient: No, it's gone. It's gone.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Congratulations. And is it gone because we have you on pain meds or?
Patient: No, I haven't had any pain meds. I took two Tylenol this morning and that's, that's it.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: So, normally you'd be in pain.
Patient: Yes. By this point in the day, I was already, you know, smoking weed, taking edibles to try and manage it to get through the day.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: That's tough.
Patient: Yeah, it was. Yeah, it's incredibly noticeable to be here with you guys right now.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: So, yesterday you had your surgery. We found that you had tears in the back of two discs, L4-5, L5-S1. I used the laser to clean the tears, and you had a gigantic herniation of L5-S1 that was pinching the nerves going down your leg. That's why you were having so much weakness, which your weakness is gone today.
Patient: Yeah, I was already able to stand up on my toes, which I haven't been able to do in at least 6 weeks.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: If you watch the video, you can see like we took out around 30 pieces of herniation that made up your big herniation. It went very well. We also fixed your piriformis muscle by releasing it. That's why you don't have that buttock pain.
Patient: Yeah, it's much better.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Anything you want to tell your friends and family out there?
Patient: It feels like a new me. I actually want to say something to the people that are considering it because I watched some of the reviews and some of the negative reviews had me a little concerned and then I watched a lot of the videos and that provided me some confidence and getting to watch the actual procedures was very reassuring. And then, when I got here and got to meet all the staff and how professional. I just I was blown away and my wife who is a nurse and has incredibly high standards pulled me aside yesterday before the surgery and said, "Hey, listen to that. You hear that? Everybody that's talking is either talking about a patient, talking to a patient, or they're doing their job. There's no gossip.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Just so impressed. Thank you. Yeah, we have a few negative reviews, but they're by people who either didn't have surgery and are upset because they have to pay out of pocket, which is understandable. You know, I'd be upset with my insurance company, too.
Patient: I'd pay out of pocket in a second for this.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Thank you. And the other ones are ones who did not do everything we recommended. So, sometimes people have four, five, six causes of back pain. You had three and you did all three. So, but some people have six and they only do two. So, of course they're going to have pain afterwards. We tell them that we don't like the fact that people have to pay out of pocket when they do. We want their insurance to pay, but some insurance is refused. So, what can you do? Well, I'm glad you guys came and I know you're going to do fantastic.
Patient: I appreciate it. Thank you for taking the time and getting us in and just you've changed my life in a direction that I was questioning would be possible.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: It is possible at Deuk Spine.
Patient: Yeah, it sure is.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And go and enjoy the rest of your life.
Patient: I'm going to.
Ultra Minimally Invasive Deuk Laser Disc Repair®
This patient underwent Deuk Laser Disc Repair® (DLDR) on two lumbar discs (L4-5 and L5-S1) where Dr. Deukmedjian removed approximately 30 pieces of herniation using a precision laser and cleaned disc tears through a minimally invasive endoscopic approach. He also received a Deuk Piriformis Muscle Release® (DPR) to address buttock pain. The procedures are performed through tiny incisions without cutting or damaging healthy muscle, fascia, or bone, and without using risky hardware. After surgery, patients wake up to immediate relief—this patient regained the ability to stand on his toes within 24 hours and eliminated six weeks of debilitating pain without narcotic medications. Recovery takes less than three days, and our patient reported success rate is 99.6%.