SUBLUXATION DEGENERATION
Chiropractic manipulation along with Spinal decompression therapy can allow patients to heal naturally from bulging, herniated, or degenerating spinal discs without the need for surgery or prescription drugs.
I had just returned from lecturing in California and South Carolina, and I was talking with my partner, Dr. Perry Bard, and my son, Dr. Jason Kaplan. We discussed how chiropractic manipulation to remove the vertebral subluxation complex goes hand in hand with Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression (NSSD). We know from basic charts that there is progression of the subluxation complex. Part of this progression can lead to spinal fusion as the disc leaks out. This is often the cause of patient’s chronic pain and why they resort to drugs and surgery. Yet, we have the answer. Chiropractic care, accompanied with NSSD, is changing the face of chiropractic and Dr. Bard and I are proud to be major flag bearers. We believe we are helping to change the world one patient, one disc, at a time.
Looking at the accompanying chart, you can easily see that the disc spaces get smaller and smaller until the vertebrae fuse. Therefore with a subluxation, with kinesiopathology, you can see that degenerative disc disease is a progression of degenerative joint disease. Dr Bard and I teach that a subluxation can progress to a bulge, which can progress to a herniation. But the question for doctors is, do you treat them all the same? What if science and hundreds of research studies clearly show that non-surgical spinal decompression can help degenerative disc disease. At Disc Centers of America (DCOA), we try to make our doctors better. We demand that they study the science, that they get nationally certified from a major university that provides not only chiropractic care but also decompression equipment. We know at Life University that they get nationally certified from a major university that provides not only chiropractic care, but also has decompression equipment, which is why we teach our National Certification program through that prestigious university.
To understand the progression of disc disease you have to complete a thorough exam and develop a specific diagnosis and treatment plan specific to their condition. When leg pain accompanies low back trauma, chronic pain, or an injury it is not a good sign and could mean a disc or discs may be in trouble. Meaning, often, low back and leg pain are associated with disc disease and even neuropathy. I was taught we don’t treat the symptoms but we treat the cause. With disc disease sacral subluxations are often associated. Dr. Norman Shealy M.D. PhD, said to us “often in low back disc cases, disc cases, always examine the pelvis and sacrum and when needed adjust the sacrum. ”
Many medical doctors and their prospective studies are now celebrating both decompression and spinal manipulation.
One of the most common associated symptoms seen in lower back injuries is leg pain. Leg pain can occur in different patterns depending on its site of origin in the lower back. Generally, pain radiated to the leg is divided into two main categories.
The first category is called radicular pain and is the direct result of compression of a spinal nerve that supplies the leg. Radicular pain is well understood and is the category that testing such as MRI’s and CAT scans detect. Here we get to see the disc in detail. If it’s bulged or herniated the patient must be treated appropriately. One size usually does not fit all.
The second category is referred joint pain. Referred leg pain follows less specific patterns than does radicular or nerve pain. It is overwhelmingly however, the most common type of leg pain that accompanies back injuries. Thomas N. Bernard and William H. Kirkaldy-Willis, M.D. Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Saskatoon, Canada studied 1293 cases of low back pain.1
This is one of the largest studies to date. These doctors found that referred leg pain was twice as common as nerve pain.
DCOA doctors are trained in the treatment and diagnosis of back and leg pain, which is commonly called sciatica. With the help of X-rays and MRIs a doctor can pinpoint the areas where treatment is necessary. According to Dr. Norman Shealy, this is why a fixed tower decompression machine is germane.
Referred pain to the leg occurs secondary to joint pain in the lower back. Interestingly, Drs. Bernard and Kirkaldy-Willis also found that spinal manipulation or chiropractic treatment was most effective for low back and referred leg pain. Of their patients, 452 had a good treatment result with spinal manipulation, more than with any other basic treatment tested in a group of 1293 patients. Other treatments in their study included injections, conservative medical treatment, and even surgery.
Dr. Kirkaldy-Willis, in another large study, found chiropractic manipulation to be successful with low back and referred leg pain.2 u In that study he suggests that few medical doctors will have the time or inclination to master the art of spinal manipulation and that they should refer them to a practitioner skilled in this treatment, such as a chiropractor. He goes on to say, “The physician who makes use of this resource will provide relief for many patients. ” Doctors, it is now our time to dominate the back pain, neck pain, joint pain industry. We offer a nonsurgical solution versus drugs and invasive procedures like epidurals and surgery. With research showing that the majority of low-back injuries are joint injuries with referred pain syndromes, and that spinal manipulation and when needed, NSSD, decompression is the most appropriate treatment; chiropractors will be more frequent participants in work and accident-related low-back and neck pain cases.
Disc Centers of America doctors work with disc cases worldwide. Only DCOA doctors are certified to utilize TDC Therapy protocols. DCOA doctors receive ongoing training and research and are acknowledged by the International Medical Advisory Board on Non Surgical Spinal Decompression. All are recommended to become nationally certified through a university, which is open to all doctors and recommended by both Dr. Nonnan Shealy and expert witnesses that protect doctors in malpractice cases. I was told disc cases are one of the most common causes of malpractice claims. Opposing attorneys will ask who wrote and who taught you the protocols you utilize in your office. They also commonly ask where were you trained. If you are university and nationally certified, it will help you bulletproof your practice.
Let’s continue. Guehring T, et al.: states, “Disc distraction shows evidence of regenerative potential in degenerated intervertebral discs as evaluated by protein expression, magnetic resonance imaging, and messenger ribonucleic acid expression analysis. ”
Spine. 2006 Jul 1;31(15): 1658-65
Komari,
“Distraction results in disc rehydration, stimulated extracellular matrix gene expression, and increased numbers of protein-expressing cells. ”
Komari H, et al.: The Natural History of Herniated Nucleus with Radiculopathy. Spine 21: 225—229, 1996
Shealy,
“In our study Serial MRI of 20 patients treated with the decompression table shows up to 90% reduction of subligamentous nucleus herniation in 10 of 14. Some rehydration occurs detected by T2 and proton density signal increase. Torn annulus repair is seen in all. ”
Shealy, N. et al.: Decompression, Reduction, and Stabilization of the Lumbar Spine: A Cost-Effective Treatment for Lumbosacral Pain American Journal of Pain Management Vol. 7 No. 2 April 1997
The Cost of Treating Back Pain.
Brook Martin MPH, Master of Public Health, who did a study with Dr. Rich Deyo MD, MPH tells WebMD that the 65% inflation-adjusted increase in total costs among adults with spine problems was higher than the increase in health costs overall.
“We are spending as much on spine problems as we do for cancer and arthritis, ” he says. “The only disease category that dwarfs these is heart disease and stroke. If we are spending more on diagnosis and treatment, we should expect to see health status changes that are commensurate with that investment. But that is not what we are seeing. ” “We are spending as much on spine problems as we do for cancer and arthritis, ” he says. “The only disease category that dwarfs these is heart disease and stroke. If we are spending more on diagnosis and treatment, we should expect to see health status changes that are commensurate with that investment. But that is not what we are seeing. ”
Low-back pain is one of the most common reasons for doctor visits, with one in four adults in one survey reporting low back pain within the previous three months. Neck pain is also a common reason for doctor visits.
Over the past decade, diagnostic imaging has become common for patients with back and neck pain, and the use of narcotics, injections, and surgery has also increased dramatically.
In an effort to better understand the medical costs and benefits associated with these interventions, Martin and colleagues analyzed data from the nationally representative survey of medical
Bulqmq Disc Before
Decompression
Therapy
expenditures from 1997 through 2005. After adjusting for inflation, they estimated individual yearly medical expenditures among adults with back ‘and neck problems were $4,695 in 1997 and $6,096 in 2005, compared with $2,731 and $3,516, respectively, for people without back and neck problems.
JAMA Richard A. Deyo, MD, MPH; Sohail K. Mirza, MD, MPH; Brook I. Martin, MPH; et al.
Some of the largest increases have been in expenditures related to drug treatments. Martin says, “Overall, pharmaceutical expenditures related to back and neck pain increased by 188% between 1997 and 2005, but cost associated with prescription narcotics rose by a whopping 423%.” University of Washington Medical Center clinician Richard Deyo, MD, MPH, tells WebMD that increasing the use of the newer narcotics such as the drugs Vicodin and OxyContin is largely responsible for the increase, even though their use for chronic pain is controversial. He says patients need to recognize that the drugs have many potential side effects, including drowsiness, persistent constipation, and sexual dysfunction. Dr. Rich Deyo co-directs the University of Washington Center for Cost and Outcomes Research, and he was a co-author of the study. “We still don’t know much about their long-term efficacy and safety for chronic back pain, ” he says. “Patients need to understand that if they take these (opioid) medications long term, after a few months it will be difficult to stop. And there is pretty good evidence that long-term use may actually increase sensitivity to pain. ”3
Steep Rise in Drug Costs
Some of the largest increases have been in expenditures related to drug treatments, Martin says. “Overall, pharmaceutical expenditures related to back and neck pain increased by 188% between 1997 and 2005, but cost associated with prescription narcotics rose by a whopping 423%.” University of Washington Medical Center clinician Richard Deyo, MD, MPH, tells WebMD that increasing the use of the newer narcotics such as the drugs Vicodin and OxyContin is largely responsible for the increase, even though their use for chronic pain is controversial.
He says patients need to recognize that the drugs have many potential side effects, including drowsiness, persistent constipation, and sexual dysfunction.
Deyo codirects the University of Washington Center for Cost and Outcomes Research, and he was a coauthor of the study.
“We still don’t know much about their long-term efficacy and safety for chronic back pain, ” he says. “Patients need to understand that if they take these (opioid) medications long term, after a few months it will be difficult to stop. And there is pretty good evidence that long-term use may actually increase sensitivity to pain. ”
Now is our Time
Now is our time to educate patients and consumers about back pain and the advantages of chiropractic care in conjunction with nonsurgical spinal decompression. Often the average person doesn’t think or know about how much our spine does for us; not only is it the support system of our body, it helps ensure that all of our processes work properly by helping cycle through the blood proper nerve supply while taking messages throughout the body. When our back is out of whack, it throws our entire life into a mess, and it affects much more than just your spine. That’s why it’s so important for patients to take care of it and our job to educate the masses.
Chiropractic care along with spinal decompression is one of the best ways to take care of a patient’s back; not only is it a preventative treatment for potential back pain and herniated discs, it also helps treat those issues that have already happened. In general, spinal adjustments along with spinal decompression treatments can press the reset button on a person’s spine and set those bones into alignment; when they’re aligned, it helps keeps those discs pumped with fluid and relieves that pressure off of back muscles, which could be struggling to keep the spine from bending in an unnatural way. In closing, the spine has a large impact on overall health and can wreak havoc on the body if it is improperly aligned. Spinal decompression focuses on making space within the spine for healthy, proper vertebral alignment. In closing, chiropractic manipulation along with spinal decompression therapy can allow patients to heal naturally from bulging, herniated, or degenerating spinal discs without the need for surgery or prescription drugs. Spinal decompression encourages repositioning the spinal discs to their natural position. Spinal decompression is a great treatment for patients that experience pain, tingling, numbness, or discomfort in their back, neck, or legs associated with spinal nerve irritation or improper alignment and function of spinal discs.
It’s our responsibility to not only educate our patients but to educate ourselves to be the best doctors we can be to provide the patients with the best treatment and the best diagnosis.
To learn more about the national certification program taking place this October 21. Go now to Decompression certified, org, sold out last three years. Be the best you can be.
During 34-plus years as business partners, Dr. Eric Kaplan and Dr. Perry Bard have developed Disc Centers of America, Concierge Coaches, and the first national certification program for non-surgical spinal decompression a 12 CEU credit event. Being held for the 10th anniversary on November 5,6. This event has been sold out for two years running.
Dr. Jason Kaplan is a Parker University graduate practicing in Wellington, Florida with his wife, Dr. Stephanie Kaplan. Jason also is an Instructor for Disc Centers of America and teaches techniques for the National Certification Program at Life University. To learn more, call 888-990-9660 visit thechiroevent.com or decompressioncertified.org.
References
1. Bernard TN, Kirkaldy-Willis WK. RECOGNIZING SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS OF NONSPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN. Clinical Orthopedics And Related Research, 1987;217:266-280.
2. Kirkaldy-Willis WH, Cassidy JD. SPINAL MANIPULATION IN THE TREATMENT OF LOW-BACK PAIN. Canadian Family Physician, 1985;31:535-540. 3. Web MD
