Back Pain Relief Without Surgery

BOCA RATON, Fla. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Back pain is a huge problem in the United States, and there aren't a lot of successful treatments. One promising technique, called spinal mobilization, has been around since the 1920s, but it's a difficult procedure for therapists to perform. They're often left with arthritis and crippled hands. Now, a new device used in Britain is here in the United States to help.

Running his own tire company keeps Lindsey Clark busy, but severe back pain after a recent car accident kept him from doing his job. "I couldn't walk, couldn't come to work, couldn't find any place comfortable to sit," he says.

Clark tried everything -- pain killers, surgery, physical therapy, even acupuncture, but nothing relieved the pain. Then he found help from an unlikely source ... a device long used in Europe to relieve back pain that was just recently introduced to the United States. It's called powered spinal mobilization.

"We didn't invent mobilization. We're just bringing a device to the practitioners to help them do a better job at it," Jeffrey Perelman, M.D., a back pain specialist at Advanced Spinal Technologies in Boca Raton, Fla., tells Ivanhoe.

Dr. Perelman says when back pain happens, the spine stiffens to protect itself. Therapists used to mobilize the spine by applying pressure with their hands, but now a device does all the work by gently rocking opposing vertebrae.

"We really give patients their life back," he says. "That's the most thrilling thing as a physician that I could possibly have the opportunity to be involved with." In one 30 minute session, the device can do what therapists used to do in 20 visits.

Powered spinal mobilization can be used on patients with all types of back pain except those who are susceptible to fractures. Patients typically start with treatment sessions two to three times a week for four weeks. Then, they'll need maintenance sessions every couple of weeks. Most insurance companies will cover the cost of spinal mobilization. The Advanced Spine Mobilization Instrument is FDA approved in the United States and is being used at select clinics around the country.

At first, Clark was skeptical, but after the first five treatments, he was a believer. "I walked out of there at 4:30 one afternoon, and I was just totally pain-free," he says. "My attitude is fantastic. My whole quality of life has changed tremendously."

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Advanced Spinal Technologies
433 Plaza Real, Ste. 255
Boca Raton, FL 33432
(877) 312-2225
[email protected]