A Constant Pain In The Neck!

“I want to maximize the time I have left on this planet.”

That’s what Doc Finley wrote in his first online consultation note. It gave me a good laugh to start the day, so I joined the call with our patient coordinator.

At 71, the retired successful surgeon had already undergone four major back surgeries, including a fusion extending from T9 to his pelvis. Now, persistent neck pain was affecting his sleep and daily life, and he wanted to explore his options before considering another fusion.

His pain ranged from 5 to 7 out of 10. It followed him throughout the day, interrupted his nights, and was still there when he woke up.

As Robert put it, “I was on the spine train.”

Fusing vertebrae limits movement at those levels and can place additional stress on the discs and joints above and below the fusion. When those neighboring levels develop changes that cause symptoms, surgeons call it adjacent segment disease.

He also made a practical point. Once you have a spinal fusion, there’s no going back. He felt that if he underwent a cervical fusion, life would never be the same. Having already been through so much, he wanted to explore a minimally invasive approach first, knowing that if it didn’t provide the relief he hoped for, he could still consider fusion later.

For someone who had spent his entire career caring for others, we now get the privilege of caring for him.

Dr. Juan Saucedo, MD, FIPP, is our Chief of Interventional Pain Medicine.

Robert’s evaluation showed advanced cervical disc degeneration and multiple disc protrusions. We personalized his treatment based on his imaging, symptoms, and medical history.

Robert’s Procedure Experience

His minimally invasive procedure incorporated cervical COOLIEF® radiofrequency treatment, pulsed radiofrequency, foraminoplasty, and epidural neuronavigation, together with targeted stem cells, exosomes, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) delivered to selected areas around affected discs and nerve roots.

His care also included multiple sessions of IV stem cell, exosome, peptide, and nutraceutical therapies, twice-daily hyperbaric oxygen, and the Longevity Recharge Station.

Several days after his procedure, Robert reported that he was already feeling better than before treatment.

That was an encouraging early report. I will share his longer-term progress on how his symptoms, function, and recovery develop over the weeks and months ahead.

Meet Dr. Juan Saucedo, MD, FIPP

The physician evaluating a complex spinal condition matters as much as the technology being used.

Dr. Juan Saucedo serves as Chief of Interventional Pain Medicine at Longevity Medical Institute, bringing more than two decades of medical experience and over 2,000 interventional procedures to his work.

He specializes in chronic cervical and lumbar pain, degenerative disc disease, nerve compression, foraminal stenosis, and complex spinal conditions. His experience includes disc biacuplasty, cervical and lumbar foraminoplasty, radiofrequency ablation, pulsed radiofrequency, and spinal neuromodulation, as well as regenerative approaches using stem cells, exosomes, and PRP.

Dr. Saucedo earned his medical degree from the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez, completed anesthesiology training at the University of Monterrey, and pursued advanced training in Pain Medicine and Interventional Pain Management at Cervantes University and Virgen del Rocío Hospital.

He holds the Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice certification from the World Institute of Pain. His achievements also include the 2021–2022 Health Sciences Award for leadership in research, recognition from the World Institute of Regenerative Medicine, and a Diploma in Regenerative Orthopedics.

He contributes to scientific publications, physician education, and research, and serves as Vice President of the Academy of Pain and Palliative Care of Chihuahua and Academic Secretary of AMETD.

At Longevity Medical Institute, that experience informs an individual approach to each patient’s symptoms, treatment history, and goals.

Explore our Regenerative Disc Therapy Program

For Robert, the goal was to explore another way forward after years of spinal problems. For you, it might be sleeping more comfortably, returning to exercise, or getting through the day with less pain.

25 Days Later: Jason Shares His Progress  

In my last newsletter, I shared Jason Borkland’s journey, which began with a life-threatening episode of high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) and rhabdomyolysis at 20,000 feet in the Everest region of Nepal. He survived, but the ordeal left him with stage 3b chronic kidney disease (CKD), bordering on stage 4. There is currently no known cure for CKD.

Here is what Jason is sharing 25 days after treatment.

For the first time in three years, he is consistently working out three days a week. He says his gout symptoms are gone, his blood pressure remains fairly stable, and he is now completely off Lasix. His daily weight swings of more than 10 pounds have settled to around 2–3 pounds.

He also says he feels mentally sharp again. His clarity and ability to communicate feel closer to where they were before the mountain, something people he works with have noticed too.

His investigational treatment with us included targeted delivery of 10 billion exosomes into the left renal cortex, IV stem cells and exosomes, peptides, nutraceutical support, and twice-daily hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

His latest labs from this past Monday are encouraging.  His creatinine has decreased from 1.89 to 1.29, a 32% reduction, while his eGFR has increased from 34 to 68, effectively doubling, with his latest combined creatinine/cystatin C eGFR even higher at 77. His urine albumin levels are also normal, with no significant protein leakage, which is a positive sign about his kidney health. Uric acid was only slightly above the lab’s reference range. These early changes are encouraging, and we will continue to monitor them.

Jason is already planning to return to diving in 2027 to finish what he started three years ago and complete his underwater documentary.

If you or someone you love is living with persistent neck or low back pain, chronic kidney disease, or another serious kidney condition, we invite you to schedule a free online consultation or reach out directly to Ivanna or Sheridan.

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