Lumbar Spinal Fusion
Dr. Filice was on staff from 2003 until 2007
Lumbar spinal fusion operations fuse together several segments of the vertebrae. Such an operation is commonly performed for spondylolisthesis, a condition where one vertebral segment slips forward on another. This causes back pain, especially when bending. By definition, spinal fusion causes permanent bonding or fusing of several vertebral segments. Mobility is decreased, causing increased stress on the areas above and below the fused segment. Over time, this stress may create weakened ligaments. The weakened ligaments lead to a degenerated disc, which eventually leads to a degenerated spine resulting in a painfully stiff back.
Prolotherapy Can Be an effective alternative to a laminectomy, a discectomy, or a lumbar spinal fusion. Prolotherapy initiates the repair process of the loose ligaments in spondylolisthesis and degenerated and herniated discs. For these reasons, Prolotherapy should be performed before a patient considers a surgical procedure to alleviate pain.
In her article, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1992, entitled Patient outcomes after lumbar spinal fusions,” Judith A. Turner, Ph.D., noted that there has never been a randomized or double-blind study comparing lumbar spinal fusion with any other technique. In some cases, only 16 percent of the people experienced satisfactory results after the operation. On average, 14 percent of the people experience incomplete healing of the surgical site. The most frequent symptom persisting after the operation is low back pain, which is often the reason for the operation in the first place. Turner concluded her article by saying that the wide variability in reported success rates is bothersome and should be carefully considered by patients and their physicians when contemplating this procedure. Costovertebral ligament laxity often refers pain from the mid-upper back to the chest. This is one of the causes for chronic chest discomfort.
Researchers say
Medium Firm Mattress Better for Back Pain
Spanish researchers reporting in the Medical Journal Lancet, say that while many doctors recommend a firm mattress for support of lower back pain, a softer (medium firm) matress may be better for back pain.
Dr. Filice's comment: This debate has been going on for years. Air, water, hard, or soft? My feeling is that patients with chronic back pain should not be paying as much attention to their mattress, as to the cause of the pain. For about the price of a high quality mattress, patients can get three low back prolo treatments and eliminate permanently in many cases as much as 50 to 85% of the pain. Most chronic back pain is due to overstreched ligaments. Prolotherapy repairs and restores ligaments, thus eliminating the source of the pain.
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My Story as a Prolotherapist, Ross Hauser, M.D.
I became fascinated with pain during my Physical Medicine residency. I began accumulating articles on bizarre pain syndromes and obtained quite a collection. What struck me most was the magnitude of the pain problem. It seemed as though everyone either had pain themselves or knew someone who was suffering from chronic pain. I also saw the lack of significant pain relief by modern treatments such as surgery, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory drugs.
It appeared that the longer people had pain, the less likely such treatments were going to help cure their chronic pain. Pain clinics and pain programs do help some people, but have a poor cure rate. Pain programs teach people to live with their pain. The psychological aspect of the pain is addressed, but in many cases the cause is not determined.
When I began seeing pain patients during my residency training program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, I thought they were a very difficult group of people to treat. They often appeared depressed, and traditional approaches to pain management did not seem to help. Then I said to myself, How would I feel if I had pain day after day and no one could find a cure?” The families of many who suffer from pain often begin doubting the reality of their loved ones’ pain. Many chronic pain patients who frequent pain clinics experience broken homes and lose their jobs because of the pain. It became evident to me that these patients’ pain was indeed real and that pain pills and support groups did not cure the pain.
In April 1992, I contacted Prolotherapy pioneer Dr. Gustav Hemwall and he allowed me to observe him in his clinic. I was astonished to see him perform 30, 50, or 100 injections on a patient at one time! He called his treatment Prolotherapy. The only other time I had come across the term was when a fellow resident showed me a book on the treatment. I later discovered that Dr. Hemwall was one of the authors of that book!
During the next few months, I spent a considerable amount of time in Dr. Hemwall’s office. People traveled from all over the world to be treated by this 84-year-old man. I have nothing against age, but to think that someone would travel from places like England, Mexico, Florida, and California to receive pain management was incredible. I learned that if someone suffers from pain and someone else has a technique that will help alleviate the pain, time and expense are minor considerations.
It was clear that Dr. Hemwall was helping those whom traditional medicine had not helped. His average patient had been in pain for years and had tried it all: surgery, pain pills, anti-inflammatory medication, exercise, therapy, acupuncture, and hypnotism. Most patients had seen more than five physicians before consulting Dr. Hemwall. Almost all the patients I observed improved after one or two Prolotherapy treatments. People found relief from pain that had plagued them for years. Many said they wished they had known about Prolotherapy years ago.
Three months later, I began utilizing Prolotherapy in my medical practice as a treatment for chronic pain. I have effectively used Prolotherapy in nearly every joint of the body. In January 1993, I began working alongside Dr. Hemwall in his Prolotherapy practice. Since then, my wife and I have opened Caring Medical and Rehabilitation Services, a Natural Medicine clinic that cares for people with chronic diseases using natural methods, including Prolotherapy.
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