Aggressive, Conservative Low Back Alternative

Saturday, April 26, 2003 | 0

Lower back pain is one of the major medical problems plaguing individuals, sports enthusiasts and members of the work place. 85% of Americans will suffer from some sort of lower back injury in their lifetime. A percentage of these individuals will be diagnosed with conditions that, in today's medical society, will require surgery and lifetime disability.

Back injuries are one of the most costly, elusive and painful types of injuries. Individuals, often seeing little to no results through expensive surgical treatment, are seeking alternative treatment to handle debilitating low back pain and injuries. An informal survey taken on patients who have debilitating lower back pain says that they are willing to do anything to avoid surgery, which even the medical profession sees as inadequate as a long-term solution.

One of the most common causes of posterior pain is a herniated disk, also known as a slipped or ruptured disk. Disks are the soft, rubbery cushions of cartilage nestled between the bones in the spinal column, and they allow the back to flex and bend. As we age, disks, like most other body parts, begin to shrink and lose their flexibility. When a disk degenerates, its outer capsule may tear, allowing the core (or nucleus pulposa) to squeeze outward and put pressure on the surrounding nerves. The disk has now slipped, and the pain can range from dull to excruciating.

One conservative, but aggressive, approach to low back patients who qualify according to strict protocol is a method that focuses on relieving pressure in the discs of the lower back, isolating mechanical pre-dispositions and rehabilitating muscles, joints and ligaments. The protocol is currently in practice at Total Lowback Care Medical Group, Inc. (TLC).

The first part of the procedure uses an FDA approved, Class II medical device known as the VAX-D table as a key component. VAX-D is an acronym for Vertebral Axial Decompression. It is the only device proven to create a vacuum in the discs of the lower back, accomplishing a variety of structural changes that have never been documented in medicine prior to this procedure.

VAX-D, developed by Canada's former deputy minister of health, relieves chronic back pain by decompressing the spine. After a patient is strapped onto the VAX-D table, the table separates and the ends draw apart to stretch the spine, allowing fluid to circulate, which helps rebuild the damaged tissues surrounding the disks. The table is controlled by a computer that integrates various algorithms that were developed to attain the optimum level of vertebral stretch.

The protocol calls for the integration of VAX-D with functional restoration rehabilitation techniques, which includes Isometric Exercises, MacKenzie Postural Mechanics and an innovative computerized diagnostic and rehabilitative tool called MedX that helps determine precise points of weakness.

Steven Danchik, RPT and Rehabilitation Specialist, who recently added Vax-D to his arsenal of treatment modalities, links the TLC protocol with techniques proven to restore function from a rehabilitation perspective. He integrates the MedX equipment as a part of the rehabilitation regimen.

The MedX equipment was developed by Arthur Jones, founder and inventor of the Nautilus weight-training system. The MedX machine isolates and strengthens weakened muscles supporting the lumbar (lower) and cervical (upper) spine.

"Insurance companies love MedX because it can detect fraud, by offering quantifiable data of a patient's true functional capacity," say Danchik.

Patients typically are seen twice a week for 12 weeks and achieve MMI with improved Functional Capacity. "Patients leave in far better physical condition than when they begin. We seldom see reinjury or reoccurrence," Danchik says.

For patients with surgery as their only option, the expected rate of improvement with this protocol is over 90% with 70% achieving full remission of symptoms, eliminating seven out of ten surgeries. In 1999, a two year follow-up study of 60 patients with a surgical diagnosis reflected that only two went on to have surgery after MedX Rehabilitation (Nelson B, Carpenter D. Can spinal surgery be prevented by aggressive strengthening exercises? A prospective study of cervical and lumbar patients. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 80 (Jan 1999): 20-25.)

Dr. Stephen D. Price founded Total Lowback Care Medical Group, Inc. in 1995 for the purpose of treating a wide variety of lower back injuries and pain. The company is based on Dr. Price's experience, research and effective multi-disciplinary protocols for total lower back care treatment.

Dr. Steven Price can be reached at 1-800-LOWBACK or on the web at . Steven Danchik, RPT can be reached at 1-213-384-5502, or by e-mail at sdpt@worldnet.att.net.