Pain-Free After Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy
Summary
A patient chose the Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy® performed by Dr. Ara Deukmedjian to avoid a total knee replacement after years of debilitating joint pain that limited daily activities like walking the dog, yard work, and sports. Following the procedure, he experienced 100% pain relief, no downtime, and was walking the same day. Compared to his long and difficult recovery from a past hip replacement, the Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy provided life-changing, immediate results, allowing him to regain mobility and return to normal activities within hours.
Transcript
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: I'm here with a patient of Dr. Davis who underwent the Deuk plasma rhizotomy for your knee and you can still see some of the little scars. You had some tiny three-millimeter incisions done. When was your surgery on your knee, sir?
Patient: Last Friday.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And why did you get this Deuk plasma rhizotomy for your knee?
Patient: During a consultation with Dr. Davis, we looked at the X-rays for my knee and there were basically two options. It was either a full knee replacement. Which I did not want, considering the interruption to your life for such a period of time and he explained this to me and I said that sounds like the right way to go.
Patient: Thoroughly convinced it certainly has been.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: So you're having pain in your knee?
Patient: Yes, a good deal.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And that was limiting the function—like what you could do?
Patient: A lot. Just the general things—walking the dog, yard work, housework, anything. You're always compensating for the pain in that joint when you're moving around.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And it probably limited what you could do as well. I'm sure there are things you wanted to do that you couldn't do because your knee would hurt.
Patient: Absolutely, yeah certainly.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: So these orthopedic pains in your knees, hips, it sort of robs your quality of life because to avoid the exacerbation of the pain you kind of take it easy—you don't do very much.
Patient: Absolutely. As a matter of fact, we were discussing just a few minutes ago the muscular atrophy that had happened here because you're reducing activities over time. And now that I'm going to have some pain-free mobility I'm looking forward to getting some of that muscular strength back in that leg.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Well you said it, and that's where I was going. Are you pain-free in the knee now?
Patient: Yes, 100%.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Pain's gone?
Patient: Pain is gone.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And you didn't have a knee replacement?
Patient: No.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: You had the Deuk plasma rhizotomy. It took us 15 minutes to do. It was outpatient. Took longer to drive here.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And you went home the same day?
Patient: Absolutely, I was walking the dogs that evening.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: That evening. So if you had had a knee replacement you probably would have been laid up for weeks, I imagine?
Patient: Probably comparable to the hip, I'm guessing Dr. Davis.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Right, so tell us about your hip. How long were you out of commission for your hip replacement?
Patient: Denial was a big part of it, so waiting for it to just get to the point where it hurt so bad I couldn't stand it anymore. It affected my life a lot for close to probably three years. I had given up golf for almost a year before the surgery finally happened.
Patient: As a matter of fact, I think my right leg because of deterioration had gotten about an inch and a half shorter than my left leg. So having that repaired was another life-changing event. When I had the consultation with Dr. Davis, I said I didn't realize how bad the knee was until you fixed my hip and it all came together.
Patient: So now I'm just excited about what's going to be happening in the next few months and going forward—getting back into activities again.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Understood. Now how long were you in the hospital for your hip replacement?
Patient: Well, that was again day surgery, but there were three weeks of in-home therapy and then well over a month of outpatient therapy and then there was comeback time after that. So it affected my activities substantially for close to four months.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And how is the Deuk plasma rhizotomy for your knee different in terms of recovery than your hip?
Patient: There's zero recovery. Zero recovery. I mean literally I felt no pain on the day of the surgery. I felt no pain post—not even incision discomfort. Nothing. As a matter of fact, I waited 24 hours before saying anything to my family because I was waiting for it to start hurting. And it never did.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: That's right. The pain is gone.
Patient: Yeah.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And how long ago did you have your knee surgery or Deuk plasma rhizotomy of the right knee?
Patient: Well, it was just last Friday—less than a week ago.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Anything else you want to say to your fans out there?
Patient: Don't get a new total knee replacement. Go for this. I'm truly amazed and I'll be an advocate to everyone I talk to about it.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Can you show us some of that movement you've got?
Patient: Absolutely.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Look at that.
Patient: So amazing. I have not crossed my legs until my hip was fixed and I haven't done anything like that in I don't know how long.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: And how do you feel about Dr. Davis? You've known him for a while. Good surgeon?
Patient: No, I'm absolutely 100% confident. I've recommended him several times before. I hope some folks have come in and seen him. You guys are wonderful. I appreciate it.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Well thank you, sir.
Patient: Pleasure's mine.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Good deal.
Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy®
The patient received a Deuk Plasma Rhizotomy, a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that eliminates chronic joint pain by targeting and deactivating painful sensory nerves in the knee. This advanced treatment requires only small 3mm incisions, provides immediate pain relief, and avoids the long recovery and risks of total knee replacement surgery.
