Archive for the ‘Back Pain’ Category

Prolotherapy NOT Surgery for Pain Relief

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

I want to tell you about a nonsurgical treatment for the permanent relief of joint and disc problems. Prolotherapy (the Latin word for “growth therapy,” also known as sclerotherapy and reconstructive therapy) has been around since the 1920s. It is unique in that it relieves pain by stabilizing the structures that support the joints and vertebrae, realigning them, and thus decreasing stress and pain.

Here is How it Works. Prolo targets the ligaments, the bands of connective tissue that hold the joints and vertebrae in proper position. When these ligaments are weak or lax, the affected joint or area of the spine becomes misaligned, triggering muscle spasms, compression and irritation of nerves, and pressure on the cartilage that may lead to degeneration. During a typical prolotherapy session, dextrose or another slightly irritating solution is injected into the weakened ligaments, initiating a healing response that repairs and strengthens them. Once these supporting structures are strong and taut, symptoms disappear—not for weeks but for years.

Prolotherapy is remarkably effective. Studies suggest it relieves pain in more than 80 percent of patients with chronic pain, even in those who have been unsuccessful with other types of treatment.

You Can Have Permanent Pain Relief with Prolotherapy. Joe had tried every therapy imaginable for his unrelenting lower back pain, including over-the-counter drugs and months of chiropractic treatments, with minimal results. He saw an orthopedic surgeon who ordered X-rays and an MRI, and gave him steroid injections that provided some relief, but the pain quickly returned. Then he learned about prolotherapy and figured it was worth a try. Results were remarkable and enduring. Two years after treatment, Joe is more active than ever, hiking and trekking—without pain.

There are some aches and pains that just don’t respond to standard therapies. That’s when you’re usually sent to a specialist who tells you your only option is surgery. Now you know it isn’t!

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A New, Innovative Therapy for Pain Relief

Friday, June 24th, 2011

As promised, whenever I come across a new therapy that’s safe and effective, I will share it with you. And my latest discovery is the best “painkiller” I’ve run across to date. It is called high-intensity laser therapy and it’s providing remarkable benefits—for me and my patients.

I know it works because I’ve had back pain for close to 15 years and I’ve tried just about every treatment out there. Almost all of them provided relief, but the pain always came back—until I tried high-intensity laser. After a short treatment course, I was completely pain free.

Unlike most “low level” lasers used for pain, this particular therapy delivers very high-energy wavelengths of light that penetrate the skin and tissues by as much as four inches. This is very important because it reaches deep into the affected areas where therapeutic effects are most needed. As injured and ailing cells absorb this light, their energy production and metabolism increase, and this stimulates tissue repair.

Though “high-intensity laser beams” may sound a little intimidating, this therapy is completely safe. Because the light is pulsed in microseconds rather than in a continuous stream, there’s no danger of burning or tissue damage.

High-intensity laser therapy is helpful for a number of chronic and acute pain syndromes. At the clinic, we’ve successfully used this treatment to alleviate discomfort from all manners of musculoskeletal pain including, but not limited to: back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, knee pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis, sciatica, shoulder pain, sports injuries, and many more.

I can’t guarantee that everyone will respond as well as I and many of our patients have, nor can I say with certainty how long benefits will last. However, this therapy is certainly worth checking out if you are suffering with acute or chronic pain.

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Serious Pain Relief—Without Pills

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

In a study published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine, researchers from the University at Buffalo (State University of New York) revealed that prescription opioid painkillers such as Oxycontin, morphine, and codeine are potential gateway drugs. An alarming number of people who were legitimately prescribed these medications after surgeries or injuries turned to street drugs such as heroin once prescriptions ran out because the illicit drugs were easier to get a hold of and more effective.

Folks, extended use of oral drugs to relieve pain just doesn’t make sense. Chronic use of aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause gastrointestinal ulceration and bleeding, and are responsible for as many as 16,500 deaths per year in this country alone. “Safer” COX-2 inhibitors are somewhat easier on the GI tract, but they are linked to increased risk of heart attack and death from cardiovascular causes. Tylenol (acetaminophen) can damage the liver, especially when used in conjunction with excess alcohol. And as this study illustrates, opiates are addictive with a significant potential for abuse.

Topical drug application, however, is another story. This delivery system has two major advantages over the oral route. First, you’re able to target the affected area, so you get faster relief. And second, systemic absorption is minimal, so you don’t have to worry about these dangerous side effects. The topical drugs we’ve had the most success with at the Whitaker Wellness Institute are ketamine, an anesthetic that curbs pain, and ketoprofen, an NSAID that reduces inflammation. They’re mixed into creams that patients simply rub into the painful area several times a day. I also like to throw in a little dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to help with absorption. (This certainly isn’t a requirement, but in my experience, DMSO just seems to make the topical drugs work better. I recommend a 70 percent concentration for topical use.)

I’ve personally used this therapy successfully for low back pain, and we’ve had positive reports from patients suffering with sciatica, arthritis, fibromyalgia, sprains, and strains. The best-studied application, however, is for relief of neuropathic pain—deep, often intense pain caused by damage to or dysfunction of the central or peripheral nervous system.

I’m not suggesting that topical pain relievers are a slam-dunk for all difficult pain syndromes, but I can tell you that we’ve had good results at the clinic. Furthermore, the relative safety of this therapy warrants a trial for most everyone with neuropathic or musculoskeletal pain. Most physicians are unfamiliar with the topical use of ketamine and other painkillers. If you’re suffering with acute or chronic pain, I recommend that you talk to your doctor about the benefits of this safe, effective therapy. If he’s not open to prescribing these topical medications, find a doctor who is.

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Prolo Your Pain Away

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Two weeks of hunkering over a computer for hours each day left Laura with severe low back pain shooting into her right leg. Josh had such intense pain in his neck after a surfing accident that he could barely get out of bed. Fred had another in a long line of recurring back spasms, this one caused by carrying in the groceries. And Marie—well, she’s been told she just has to learn to live with the pain in her lower back and legs.

Chances are that you have a neck or back pain horror story of your own. These very common flare-ups are like the villain in a scary movie, lurking about and attacking at random moments—or, in some cases, haunting you continuously.

Most people look to the medicine cabinet for pain relief, opting for ibuprofen, aspirin, or prescription painkillers to knock out discomfort. Others try chiropractic care, massage, or acupuncture for relief. In the short term, most of these solutions are okay. But the real goal is to get to the bottom of the pain and stop recurrent attacks before they start. And that’s where prolotherapy comes in. Prolotherapy relieves pain by addressing it at the source: weakness in the ligaments and tendons. The obvious solution is to strengthen these weakened areas, and that is precisely what prolotherapy does.

A slightly irritating solution (dextrose is the most common) along with a mild anesthetic is injected into the region where the ligaments attach to the bones. This causes the body to mount a healing response, and inflammatory chemicals and growth factors begin repairing and reconstructing the affected area. The end result is strong, tight new connective tissue that restores proper alignment. Pressure is removed from the nerves and discs, and pain resolves. Because prolotherapy tackles the underlying cause of chronic pain, its effects are in most cases permanent.

If you have neck, back, sciatic, or knee pain, you should consider a course of prolotherapy. But don’t expect to hear about it from your conventional doctor. Most physicians are far too entrenched in the drug and surgery paradigm to even consider this treatment. Instead, do your own research. You can start by reading prolotherapy testimonials from real Whitaker Wellness patients who are living pain-free lives thanks to this remarkable treatment.

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