Introducing Spinal Decompression Therapy

Solutions to Back & Neck Pain Presented by: St. Tereiza Physical Therapy & Rehab

Our Purpose Our purpose is to help as many people as possible in their quest for health, and to educate our patients so that they may make educated decisions about their health and the health of their family. Our purpose for being here tonight is to show you how we help people who suffer with back & neck pain.

Back Pain Statistics • 31 million Americans experience low-back pain at any given time. • One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year. • Back pain is the 2nd most common reason for missed work and visits to the doctor’s office, (Up Resp Inf #1) • Most cases of back pain are mechanical or nonorganic—meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer. • Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain—and that’s just for the more easily identified costs. • Experts estimate that as many as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in our lives.

Are We On the Right Track? Why Are Incidents of Back Pain Increasing Despite all the New Drugs and Surgery Options Available? Looking at those statistics, is it possible we are not doing the right thing?

Section I

The Discs

The Disc…The Spine’s Shock Absorber Like a Shock Absorber for a Car, The Disc is The Shock Absorber for The Spine.

A Jelly Doughnut When Too Much Pressure is Placed on The Disc, It Bulges or Herniates. Think of It Like a Jelly Doughnut… Squeeze it Too Hard and the Jelly Comes Out.

Did You Know? That The Blood Supply To A Disc Atrophies (Dies off)? • Studies show that around 12-14 years of age, the blood supply to a disc atrophies. That means there is no direct circulation going through a disc. • There is blood supply outside the disc on people of all ages. This blood supply must be forced into the disc through specific movements to prevent disc, maintain the health of the disc, and allow healing if injury occurs.

Regenerating the Disc Since there is no direct blood supply into the disc, the only way to get nutrition and oxygen into the disc is by “imbibition.” Imbibition is where motion moves the blood flow into the disc and forces waste products out.

Section II

What Causes

Back Pain

Where Does Back Pain Come From? Disc related problems are the #1 Cause of low back pain. The Two Main Causes of Disc Problems are:

1. Herniations 2. Degeneration

Arthritis

Disc Herniations Injury, poor lifting, and poor posture can cause the disc to bulge or herniate…like squishing the jelly out of a doughnut. A Disc Herniation Can Pinch Nerves that Run Down Your Arms or Legs.

Disc Degeneration The Four (4) Most Common Reasons for Disc Degeneration are:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Age Genetics Injury Poor Lifestyle Choices

Where Does Back Pain Come From?...continued… Loss of Disc Height Transfers 75% of the Weight Bearing Load off of the Discs and onto the Posterior Joints. This Causes Bone Spurs Around the Facet Joints in the Spinal Cord Canal and Where the Nerves Come Out. Losing the Vertical Height of Your Spine Is One of the Most Dangerous Conditions to Your Spine and Nervous System.

Disc Degeneration + Bone Spurs=Arthritis

Arthritic Degeneration Thick, Hydrated

Thinner(degenerated)

Nerve Problems Irritation to the Sciatic Nerve Caused by A Herniation or Degeneration Can Cause the Following Symptoms in Your Back and Leg: • Pain • Numbness • Tingling Down Your Leg

Nerves of the Arm Irritation to one of the Nerves in the Neck by a Herniation or Degeneration Can Lead to the Following Symptoms in the Neck and Down the Arm: • Pain • Weakness • Numbness and Tingling

How Do We Find the Cause? • Symptom History • Specialized Exam Checking the Nerves, Muscles and Discs • X-Ray • MRI

Section III

How Back Pain Has Been Treated

Treatment Options Drugs & Surgery -

Pain Killers Muscle Relaxers Anti-Inflammatories Surgery

Non-Drug - Exercise - Chiropractic - Therapy/Rehab - Massage

Drugs & Surgery Drugs and Surgery Can Help Back Pain. However, they Can Have Daunting Side Effects.

Pain Killers Vicodin/Hydrocodone side effects include: • • • • • •

Habit forming Seizures Constipation Weak breathing Unconsciousness Unusual fatigue, bleeding, bruising • Decreased sex drive

Anti-Inflammatories “There’s an epidemic of adverse drug reactions to NSAIDs. The Food and Drug Administration believes anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 deaths each year are the result of severe bleeding caused by NSAIDs. It’s a big problem.” Quoted from Dr James F. Fries, one of the country’s leading arthritis experts and a professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Anti-Inflammatories NSAID’s or “non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs” include: • Ibuprofen • Naproxen • Cox-2 Inhibitors Side Effects Include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, decreased appetite, rash, dizziness, headache, and drowsiness. NSAIDs may also cause fluid retention, leading to edema. The most serious side effects are kidney failure, liver failure, ulcers and prolonged bleeding after an injury or surgery.

Muscle Relaxers Muscle Relaxers, such as Soma and Flexeril, for example, have the following side effects: • • • • •

Possible addiction or dependence Drowsiness or dizziness Changes in vision and headache Clumsiness Nausea and vomiting

Spinal Surgery WARNING: The following picture shows what Spinal Surgery looks like… (Not for the Faint of Heart!)

Spinal Surgery

X-Ray

Consent Form If you can read this you have great vision. It is not by accident that the wording on here is so small and so long and so complicated that people won’t really spend the time that is needed to fully understand it. By making this very long and very difficult to understand, most people will just go ahead and sign the form and don’t have the fainted clue what is on here. What this form basically says is anything in the world could go wrong with spinal surgery and if it does, oh well, you signed this form that says it was okay that we were allowed to screw up. If we cut off the wrong thing, tough luck. If you end up feeling worse than you did before we started, not our problem. Basically we just don’t want to take any responsibility for anything that may go wrong. So are you okay with all these things? If so, sign below.

X ______________________________ Sign Here

Spinal Surgery Statistics • Surgery: How many horrible stories have you heard about someone having spinal surgery? The statistics are not very favorable to the patient. • For example, Eugene Carragee MD, of Stanford University performs spinal surgery only on a select group of patients who he carefully screens. His conclusions:
Less than 25% will be completely successful. (even after carefully screening them)
For the majority of the patients, the surgery does not have a dramatic impact on their pain or mobility
A patient’s prospect for a future free from back pain is “fairly poor”.

More Spinal Surgery Statistics “If you have a screwdriver, everything looks like a screw. There will be a lot of people doing the wrong thing for back pain for a long time until we get it figured out. I just hope we don’t hurt too many people in the process”. Spine, December 2001 Issue Dr. Seth Waldman – Sees patients of failed surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery

Another Spinal Surgery Statistic The April 8, 2002 Issue of New Yorker Online Magazine Found that of Patients Who Had Spinal Surgery….

72% Needed Further Surgery!

A Bold Statement! “No operation in any field of surgery leaves in its wake more human wreckage than surgery on the lumbar discs. Many of these patients are subjected to numerous operations and after each operation the patient is worse.” Anthony DePalma M.D. and Richard Rothman M.D. (Professors of Orthopedic Surgery)

Medical and Alternative Procedures The one common thing many patients have experienced with medical and alternative procedures is they don’t feel like the improvement is permanent. In other words, patients have received benefit from treatment, only to find the problem comes back again.

Are We On The Right Track? Looking at those statistics, is it possible we are not doing the right thing?

Section IV

How Back Pain Is Now Being Treated

Spinal Decompression… THE Back Pain Solution! Until Now, Drugs & Surgery Were the ONLY Options for Back Pain… Today, Spinal Decompression is Emerging as a Leading Solution for Your Back & Neck Pain!

Spinal Decompression Therapy So, Let Us Answer: • How Spinal Decompression Emerged? • How it Works? • What It Treats? • How Effective it is? • And more…

Pressure on the Discs Everyday Pressures in the Disc Range from 200-300 mm hg Depending on Whether You are Standing or Sitting.

Disc Pressure Chart

Spinal Decompression Produces a Negative Pressure In a Study Published by The Journal of Neurosurgery, Researchers Placed a Pressure-Sensor in a Disc While the Patient Was on Decompression and Found that the Disc Pressure Dropped to -100 mm hg.

Who Needs Spinal Decompression? People Suffering From: • • • • • • •

Herniated or Bulging Discs Acute or Chronic Back Pain Sciatica Facet Syndrome Neck Pain & Headaches Degenerative Disc Disease Leg Pain

Contraindications of Spinal Decompression 1. Pregnancy 2.Cancer in the Bones 3.Prior Low Back Fusion

Decompression & Disc Herniations The Negative Pressure Created by Spinal Decompression Sucks in the Herniated Material Back into the Middle. This Takes the Pressure Off of Nerves and Discs Alleviating Pain, Numbness, and Tingling.

Decompression Effects on Degeneration This Negative Pressure: • Improves Disc Nutrition • Rehydrates the Disc • Regenerates the Disc

Does Decompression Work? A Study in 22 Medical Centers by The Journal of Neurological Research (April 1998) Showed: • • • •

778 Patient Cases 40 Month Avg. Time of Symptoms Avg. Pain was 4.2 out of 5 Success Was Considered a 0-1 out of 5 (little or no pain whatsoever). • Overall, Treatment was Successful with 71% of the Patients

An 86% Success Rate A Study Reported by The Orthopedic Technology Review (Nov. 2003) Showed: • 219 Patients with Herniated and Degenerated Disc • 86% Showed Immediate Improvement • 92% Improved Overall • Only 2% relapsed within 90 Days

Permanent Results of Spinal Decompression The Anesthesiology News (2003) • 4 Year Study • 91% of People Resumed Normal, Daily Activities • Over 80% showed 50% or Better Pain Reduction at the End of the 4 Year study. • Greater than 50% Still Had a Pain Level of Zero!

Why Choose Us? ?

What Sets (Clinic Name)

Apart from everybody else???

The 3 Step Approach Correcting Back and Neck Pain Involves the Following Three Steps: 1. Spinal Decompression

2. Nutrition

3. Physical Rehab

Nutrition Proper nutrition alleviates pain, decreases inflammation, and provides the necessary nutrients for the discs to regenerate and the spine to heal. We offer a nutrition pack scientifically designed for Spinal Decompression patients.

Physical Therapy Just because the pain is gone does not mean you are healed. We have our own physical therapy regimen and provide each patient with a booklet outlining the exercises they need to perform to see the greatest results from their Spinal Decompression treatments.

Comprehensive Care (Clinic Name) Offers All Three Facets of Non-Surgical Back Pain Treatment At Approximately 10% of the Cost of Surgery

Spinal Decompression vs. Drugs & Surgery Decompression vs. Drugs • No Side Effects • Long-Term Results • Fixes the Problem rather than Masking It

Decompression vs. Surgery • 71-86% vs. 25-50% Success Rate • 10% of the Cost of an Avg. Surgery • Little Risk of Making Your Condition Worse

“I am Near 100% Pain Free…” “My quality of life has completely changed since starting this treatment. I had almost zero mobility; everything I did caused pain. Today, I am near 100% pain free, and resumed to nearly all my normal activities.” – Luis D. “Four years of pain pills and doctors telling me there was nothing else they could do besides surgery. I cancelled my surgery two days before. After a free consultation and 24 visits later, no more pain pills. This was the best decision I ever made!” – Kathy B.

“20 Yrs. Of Back Pain…Gone!” “Having had 20 plus years of back/spinal problems, herniated discs and degenerated disc disease I have tried everything from chiropractic, physical therapy, and Cortisone injection outpatient procedures, I was extremely skeptical of the whole DRX9000 decompression therapy. But, having spinal surgery as my next step for relief, I was willing to give it a try. Needless to say, I am overjoyed that I made this decision.” – Carri Laufle (Mesa, AZ)

What Others are Saying… “The DRX9000 has been a Godsend.” – Nina B. “The DRX9000 has given me my life back.” – Judi T. “Would I recommend it for others? Absolutely!” – Jan N.

Decompression After Failed Surgery? “After having surgery for a herniated disc, I still suffered with debilitating lower back pain, which left me unable to walk at times…It wasn’t until I began Spinal Decompression that I finally had hope of actually curing my back problems and not treating the symptoms. It has helped me get back to a more active life and I am very grateful for the results”. – Kay B.

Or…Do Nothing & Hope It Goes Away A Study in the British Medical Journal (1998) Found that Only ¼ of Patients’ Back Pain Resolved On Its Own over the Course of 12 Months. If You Have Disc Degeneration, the Only Guarantee is Death, Taxes, and that You are Going to Get Worse because of the Degenerative Nature of this Condition.

In Closing…

Thank you! Our Gift to You…

$500 OFF Care & 3 FREE Treatments!