Benefits of Lumbar Deuk Laser Disc Repair®

Most Effective Treatment for Back Pain

Chronic back pain lasting or recurring more than six weeks has several causes, but disc injuries are the most common. Research shows that 85% of all chronic back pain stems from inflammation within tears found in the back walls of injured spinal discs.

Deuk Laser Disc Repair® is the world’s most effective laser spine surgery for this exact problem. The procedure directly targets and treats painful annular tears — found in herniated, slipped, ruptured, bulging, protruding, extruded, and degenerated discs — using precision laser energy to eliminate discogenic back pain completely and immediately.

The critical role inflammation plays in disc pain was discovered endoscopically by founding neurosurgeon Dr. Ara Deukmedjian, MD in 2007, and remains the scientific foundation of the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® treatment.

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Permanent Relief

Chronic back pain can be cured when the exact source of pain is identified and properly treated. Thirty distinct sources of chronic back pain are now known. Most patients with chronic back pain have more than one source. The actual source of a patient’s pain is referred to as the “pain generator”. The most common “pain generator” for chronic back pain is injured discs in the lumbar spine. Injured discs such as disc herniation, disc bulge, slipped disc, disc protrusion, disc extrusion, disc degeneration, and spondylosis account for 85% of all chronic back pain. Disc injuries are by far the most common cause of back pain. Damaged facet joints are the second most common cause of chronic back pain accounting for 10%. Finally, 5% of chronic back pain is due to less common pain generators including the sacroiliac joints, vertebral body fracture, piriformis muscle and the coccygeal ligament.

Deuk Spine Institute is the first medical facility in the world to achieve 99% diagnostic accuracy identifying lower back pain generators through its use of advanced medical imaging combined with the proprietary Deuk Spine Exam®. Deuk Spine Institute’s lead researcher and founder Dr. Ara Deukmedjian MD were the first to discover that most (85%) chronic back pain originates from a microscopic tear in the posterior annulus fibrosus (wall) of the disc. While unable to heal on its own, the annular tear can be seen and repaired during endoscopic spine surgery — peer reviewed and published as the Deuk Laser Disc Repair®.

Deuk Laser Disc Repair® is the first fully FDA compliant spine surgery in the world to specifically target the most common cause of chronic back pain. With one 30-minute laser treatment, the painful disc becomes permanently painless as natural healing begins. Pain relief is typically immediate and lasts a lifetime.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.

Motion Preserving

Spinal discs are normally painless joints made for movement, giving the back its flexibility needed for regular daily activities. The ideal treatment for a painful disc would successfully eliminate back pain while preserving the natural movement of the disc. Invasive spine surgeries such as laminectomy, discectomy, spinal fusion, microdiscectomy, interspinous devices and the artificial discs permanently interfere with the natural movement of the spine because these treatments intentionally remove or destroy normal bones, ligaments, muscles, and joints.

Invasive spine surgery damages not only the spinal disc and surrounding ligaments, bones and muscles but also permanently alters the patient’s natural posture, gait, station, and balance — leading to a lifetime of agonizing joint and muscle issues from postsurgical spinal instability. Fusion of the spine becomes necessary to treat this postoperative instability. Spinal fusion itself always results in permanent loss of movement. The best way to avoid spinal fusion is to avoid invasive spine surgery in the first place.

Deuk Laser Disc Repair® is different because there is no collateral damage or instability from the procedure. It uses a small ¼ inch skin incision and natural openings already present in the spine to access and treat painful injured discs. Since bone, muscle, ligament and joint are unharmed during the procedure, natural movement and stability of the spine are maintained. The entire surgery is completed endoscopically under light sedation with same-day discharge.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.

Repair Injured Discs

All painful disc injuries begin with a traumatic tear of the annulus fibrosus ring around the disc. An annular tear occurs when the traumatic forces on a disc exceed its elastic property limits, causing instantaneous structural failure of both the annulus fibrosus (tear) and adjacent nucleus pulposus (fragmentation). At the precise moment of structural failure, linear annular tears occur in the wall of the disc while the adjacent nucleus pulposus is crushed into multiple fragments.

Disc herniations occur when fragments of damaged nucleus pulposus push out through the annular tear during normal physical activities such as bending, lifting, twisting, sports, and work. Once a fragment enters into the annular tear, the tear can no longer heal itself closed and inflammation begins. Those inflammatory chemicals not only cause severe pain but also weaken the wall further making it more susceptible to additional tears. When inflammation spreads to nearby nerve roots it causes sciatica (radiculitis). If left untreated, the annular tear remains open and vulnerable to additional herniation, inflammation and pain occurring in cycles over a lifetime.

Deuk Laser Disc Repair® was the first and currently is the only procedure in the world to selectively target and repair inflamed posterior annular tears known to cause chronic lower back pain. Using a minimally invasive, endoscopic technique through a 7mm skin incision, the painful annular tear is located and treated using an FDA approved Holmium YAG laser. The surgeon precisely removes herniated disc, inflammatory tissue, bone spurs, calcium deposits and scar tissue. The now painless annular tear begins healing naturally — taking 9-12 months to completely heal. At Deuk Spine Institute we say “save your discs”.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.

Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a common finding on MRI scans done for back pain or sciatica. It is an abnormal narrowing of the natural channels or holes in the spine through which nerves run. If the narrowing is severe enough, a “pinched nerve” will occur, causing leg weakness, numbness, tingling or shooting pain down the leg (sciatica). Importantly, spinal stenosis or pinched nerves do NOT cause back pain — only leg pain. Back pain usually comes from disc injuries such as herniated or bulging discs. The most frequent cause of spinal stenosis is a herniated or bulging disc, which is why back pain and spinal stenosis are commonly found together.

There are 4 zones in the spine where stenosis can occur: central, lateral recess, neural foramen and extra-foraminal. Deuk Spine Institute independently discovered that 98% of problematic spinal stenosis occurs in the lateral recess and neuro-foramen — a fact most doctors are unaware of. Failure to diagnose and treat the actual source of a pinched nerve is the most common cause of “failed back surgery syndrome” where patients have spine surgery that doesn’t work and they are in more pain after surgery.

Spinal stenosis and its associated symptoms are completely curable with the safe and effective treatments available at Deuk Spine Institute. Since the most common cause of spinal stenosis is a bulging disc in the lateral recess or neuroforamen, Deuk Laser Disc Repair® is the preferred treatment. After the procedure, leg symptoms such as pain, weakness, heaviness, numbness and tingling usually go away permanently. Leg pain often resolves first within 1-2 days of treatment while numbness and weakness may take up to 12 months after surgery.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.

Eliminate Leg Pain and Sciatica

Leg pain or sciatica is most commonly caused by a herniated or bulging disc within the lateral recess or neuroforamen of the lumbar spine. Nerve root chemical irritation from inflammation within the posterior annular tear of a nearby injured disc is the primary cause in 90% of cases of sciatica. Occasionally, a far less common cause (5%) is spinal stenosis exerting a mechanical “pinching” of the nerve root within the lumbar spine’s lateral recess or neuroforamen. Piriformis syndrome is a third cause of leg pain (less than 5%), numbness and tingling due to a torn piriformis muscle in the butt cheek. Overall, disc injuries account for 95% of leg pain sciatica by either irritating or compressing the nerve root within the neuroforamen or lateral recess.

There is only one procedure in the world that directly treats both spine-related causes of sciatic leg pain: disc inflammation or compression of the nerve root. That procedure is the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® which goes directly to the source of pain located within the neuroforamen and lateral recess using minimally invasive transforaminal technology. A laser so precise it can safely target 1/10th of a millimeter is controlled endoscopically by the surgeon to remove only the part of the torn disc causing leg symptoms while leaving the rest of the disc alone. In 30 minutes, leg pain sciatica is gone for good with only a band-aid incision to show for it.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.

Avoid Opioid Narcotic Painkillers

Spine surgery without post-operative opioid narcotic painkillers is possible with Deuk Laser Disc Repair®. Invasive spine surgery such as laminectomy, discectomy, interspinous devices, spinal fusion and disc replacement always require dangerous post-operative opioid narcotic painkillers because these surgeries cause tremendous internal damage to your body. The internal damage cannot be seen under the incision but it is felt by patients as post-surgical pain for months. Most invasive spine surgery patients stay in the hospital overnight taking powerful opioid narcotic painkillers and continue taking them for months after surgery.

The actual source of post-operative pain is dying muscles, bones and ligaments ripped out of your spine while you are under anesthesia. The invasive surgery destroys muscles along the back of the spine, causing them to “melt” away for months and eventually become hard scar tissue. Liquification of muscles, tendons, bone and ligaments happens in ALL invasive spine surgery — which is why all patients undergoing invasive spine surgery are at high risk of becoming dependent on painkillers.

Deuk Laser Disc Repair® is truly minimally invasive and causes no known internal damage. Patients have no surgical pain the day after their surgery and no post-operative painkillers are needed. Most of our patients take one Tylenol the night after surgery and nothing else. Patients can return to work or driving a car the day after their surgery.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.

Restore Spinal Stability

Spinal instability was originally defined in 1978 by Dr. White MD and Dr. Panjabi PhD as the inability of the spine under normal physiological loads to prevent deformation causing back pain or neurological compromise. Spinal disc injuries including herniated and bulging discs are the most common cause of spinal instability. Procedures that eliminate back pain or nerve root symptoms by definition enhance spinal stability. Many procedures have the capacity to improve symptoms of spinal instability, but few provide lasting results. Invasive spine surgery always permanently damages soft tissues, joints and bone around the spine leading to long-term instability and the need for additional spine surgery.

The Deuk Laser Disc Repair® is the only procedure capable of stabilizing the spine without causing collateral damage to spinal muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons. A small ¼ inch incision is made in the skin and the rest of the surgery is performed endoscopically without internal damage or scar tissue. Pain relief is immediate and most patients experience neurological improvement within 24 hours. Deuk Laser Disc Repair® is capable of restoring spinal stability.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.

Bloodless Spine Surgery

Unlike invasive spine surgery, Deuk Laser Disc Repair® does not cut or tear soft tissues and blood vessels. The average blood loss for a Deuk Laser Disc Repair® is 1.5 milliliters — or about 30 drops. The average blood loss for invasive spine surgery is 100 times more. While blood transfusions are uncommon in surgery, excessive blood loss is not uncommon with invasive spine surgery such as laminectomy, discectomy, spinal fusion, disc replacement and spinal devices. Blood loss over 1,500 milliliters has been reported with invasive spine surgery leading to cardiovascular collapse and death.

Peace of mind before surgery is important and no spine surgery affords greater safety and reliability than Deuk Laser Disc Repair®. Treat yourself to the best spine surgery available.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.

Outpatient

Outpatient surgery is performed outside the hospital with the patient returning home the same day. Most spine surgery is invasive and high risk so surgeons must keep the patient in the hospital for days or weeks and on powerful painkillers to properly treat the after-effects of surgery. Hospitals can be dangerous places, teeming with hostile bacteria — after all, sick patients with bad infections are admitted to the hospital for medical care. Why put yourself in that environment?

Deuk Laser Disc Repair® and all Deuk Spine Institute’s minimally invasive procedures are performed in the safety of our state-of-the-art spine facilities, free of infection. Patients are always discharged home the same day as their procedure with minimal discomfort and a band-aid size incision. Our patients can enjoy a walk on the beach or dinner in a fine restaurant nearby only hours after their surgery.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.

Immediate Recovery

Most patients fully recover one hour after Deuk Laser Disc Repair® surgery. Some take a Tylenol or muscle relaxer the evening of surgery. 50% of our patients are completely pain free the evening of their surgery. By the morning after surgery, 90% of patients are pain free and off all pain medication. Only 10% of patients take a few weeks or longer to become pain free.

Many patients choose to return to work the day after surgery while others take a week off. Driving, walking and other normal activities may be resumed the day after surgery. Lifting and bending restrictions are common but time-limited.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.

Safest Spine Surgery

Deuk Laser Disc Repair® has the safest spine surgery profile with documented fewer than 1 complication per 1,000 surgeries. Rigorous testing and years of development under the tightest safety controls has made the Deuk Laser Disc Repair® the safest spine surgery available anywhere in the world. Complication-free spine surgery is now possible. With the highest quality control measures in place at all of our facilities, our surgeries have produced exceptional results with virtually no surgical complications to date.

Invasive spine surgery is known to have serious complications associated with bad outcomes. The invasive nature of laminectomy, discectomy, spinal fusion, disc replacement and spinal implants predispose patients to major serious complications including death from blood clots, infection, stroke, myocardial infarction (heart attack), pneumonia and shock multisystem organ failure. Less serious but more common complications include implant misplacement, migration, loosening, breakage or failure, wound infection and non-healing, nerve root injuries and scarring, muscle damage, scarring and atrophy, residual stenosis or instability, and blood vessel injury — just to name a few of the common complications seen with invasive spine surgery but not with Deuk Laser Disc Repair®.

Deuk Spine Institute firmly believes in patient safety as our top priority and it shows in how we have cared for our patients over the years, offering only the finest spine care. Our passion for giving our patients the best care shows in our exceptional surgical results, every day of the week.

To see if you are a candidate please complete our Free MRI Review.