Summary
A Tesla mechanic from Maryland had been suffering from a herniated disc at C6 causing neck pain and radiating right arm pain for nearly two years, eventually spending close to $15,000 on three rounds of stem cell injections that provided only five to six months of temporary relief before everything came back. Unable to perform heavy physical work and relying on daily NSAIDs just to function, he searched specifically for his condition online, discovered Deuk Spine Institute, completed a Zoom consultation within days, and flew to Florida for the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® a procedure done through a four-millimeter incision with no hospitalization. The day after surgery he kept waiting for his usual arm pain to return and it never did, describing the feeling as surreal and saying he finally had another shot at life and his career.
Transcript
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Good morning. I’m Dr. Deukmedjian. I’m here with a patient who traveled from Maryland because he had herniated discs in his neck. He underwent the endoscopic Deuk Laser Disc Repair®. It was done with a four-millimeter incision on his neck right there. He came to us with neck pain that went down his right arm. He had discomfort in the right arm. He told me he put all those tattoos on his arm because that’s how he dealt with the pain he was getting in his arm. And how do you feel today?
Patient: Like night and day. After surgery, I kept waiting for the usual arm pain to come back yesterday afternoon and it was gone. It just wouldn’t come back. It’s kind of a disbelief, surreal feeling.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: You did it.
Patient: Yeah. I only wish I found your website earlier. Could have saved me money on stem cells and all the other back and forth of doctors.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: You mentioned stem cells. You had stem cell treatment for your cervical disc herniation. Did they work?
Patient: It bought me some time — temporary. After the second injection; it was three rounds of injections the second injection, that’s when I started noticing better. But basically, that was last fall and it bought me maybe five, six months. And then everything kind of came back.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: The reason why stem cells — people don’t know this, you’ve got to know the truth the doctors are putting steroids in the stem cells. So they’re actually giving you a steroid shot, which costs 150 bucks. But then they say they’re doing stem cells. Stem cells don’t do anything, but you pay thousands and thousands for the stem cells.
Patient: It was all in all about almost 15 grand for everything I did. $15,000 for stem cells that didn’t even work.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: We see this all the time. People, please stop falling for these scams. Stem cells in the spine for spine problems. But you chose Deuk Spine Institute. Now, we met first on Zoom. Is that right?
Patient: Yeah.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Because you live up in Maryland. So how was the Zoom call you had with me?
Patient: Super easy, quick. We had it all scheduled within a few days. I just happened to do that last internet search with my exact condition C6 pinching right and the website popped up and I was like, why didn’t I see that before? Then I was.. What a month or two later, I was down here.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Now, you have an interesting job. You work for a great company. You work for Tesla. You’re a mechanic on Tesla cars, right?
Patient: Yeah.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: So how did your neck problem with your herniated disc affect your ability to do your job?
Patient: I had to start doing work that was less and less physical. Basically all the heavy-duty stuff I could not do, and I got through each day eating way too many NSAIDs just to function and non-stop arm pain basically. And it’s just what my pain plan was for that day. Some days it would be better, some days it would be worse. But it’s been going on almost two years from when the very first symptoms started. It wasn’t sustainable. I knew it wasn’t sustainable. It wears on you physically, mentally. Something had to be done.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: You have a lot of pride in your job, and having pain in your neck going down your arm. Radiculopathy, pinched nerve symptoms must have had a negative effect on your life and your job. So why did you end up choosing Deuk Spine Institute to fix your neck with your herniated disc and spinal stenosis?
Patient: Less invasive. The risks were so low. All the horror stories of fusions that I had heard led me to believe this was without question the best choice. And it’s a quick in and out. I fly down to Florida and I’m back in a few days. The turnaround is kind of crazy. I’m not in the hospital a day.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Anything else you want to say to your friends, family, and fans out there?
Patient: If you are suffering from any neck or back pain, I highly recommend this option consultation, see what they can do for you. There’s a lot of bad information out there, and this was by far the best solution I could have come across. Thankfully, I finally did — it just took almost two years to get to this point. But yeah, I’m happy. I have another shot at life, my job.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Congratulations.
Patient: Thank you.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: All right. Enjoy life.
The Deuk Laser Disc Repair® Difference
This patient underwent the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® for cervical disc herniation at C6 at Deuk Spine Institute. Treating neck pain and right arm radiculopathy that had persisted for nearly two years and failed to respond to three rounds of stem cell injections totaling nearly $15,000. As Dr. Deukmedjian explains, stem cell spine injections typically contain steroids that provide temporary relief masking as a more sophisticated treatment, without addressing the underlying disc herniation. The Deuk Laser Disc Repair® uses a minimally invasive endoscopic laser approach through a four-millimeter incision to permanently repair the annular tear and remove the herniation: with no fusion, no hospitalization, no narcotic pain medication, and complete arm pain relief achieved within 24 hours of the outpatient procedure. Patients who have spent money on stem cell injections, epidurals, or other temporary treatments for cervical disc herniations are encouraged to submit their MRI for a complimentary free MRI review and virtual Zoom consultation with Dr. Deukmedjian at Deuk Spine Institute.