Happy New Year!

What happened to 2006?  One minute it was the Fourth of July and the next thing I know, I'm singing Auld Ang Syn.  I need to get out more!

To bring in the New Year, I thought that I would focus on an important Chiropractic topic...Low Back Pain!  Low back pain has plagued men an women for thousands of years.  There are fossil remains, which show that cavemen and women suffered from debilitating arthritic and degenerative conditions of the body.  In those days, if you couldn't keep up....well, you know likely happened.

There are some misconceptions in our current society of how to successfully treat back and joint pain.  I think that it is human nature to want to find the fountain of youth and believe that the 'prophet from afar' is right, but unfortunately, the body has some very concrete rules that never change!

Trends today include insurance incentives to exercise at clubs, massage being covered by insurance companies, and let's not forget about Yoga, magnet therapy or false promises made by vitamin and supplement vendors.

Ineffective trends come and go, but the rules of body recovery after trauma are set in stone and they are as rock solid as your own DNA.  Treating the body according to its own rules provides an injured patient the BEST chance at a full recovery.  To do otherwise, may put money in someone else's pocket, but it won't put health in yours!

One trend that is finally getting its due measure is the heavily marketed traction therapy.  The Minnesota Chiropractic Board of Examiners is finally beginning to take notice of what's happening in the field, following a major court action in California.  I think that the party is just getting started.  They should have closed their tents and left town sooner!

Eileen brings us a simple, but 'take notice' treat.  You will want to hide some of these meatballs in the freezer for later, they are that good!

I am also bringing you an actual case of arthritis that resorbed with care.  There is research that reports this very same thing, but few people ever have the opportunity to see arthritis 'go away'.  I hope that you enjoy the case study.  

 Have a great start to your New Year!

Dr. Frisch

You Really Can't Exercise a Problem Away!

"Go home, exercise and your back pain will go away."  I wish I had a nickel for every time a patient reported that line to me.  They usually heard it from their Medical Doctor, PT,  or Therapist.  By the time they reach my office, most patients know that line to be false.  So why do the health care specialists make such claims?  I suspect that the doctor or therapist was not sure what they were looking at.  Since nothing on the blood tests appeared out of line, their strength appeared to be good, and they continued to work, there was nothing more that they could do for the patient.  The safest thing to do was to send the patient home and put the burden of relief on the shoulders of the patient.  How unfair!

Those of you who are patients at my clinic are well aware of my direction for care and my attitude about exercise and injury.  For those of you reading this who do not....here it comes:

"You Can't Exercise a Problem Away!"

( You can't rub it away either!)

Muscles have three main functions:

1. Muscles support us so that we can stand and sit without falling over.

2. Muscles provide us with mobility.

3. Muscles spasm to protect us when instability or injury exists.

When you have an injury, acute or chronic, that results in joint instability, muscles will become hypertonic (too much tone) or they will simply spasm to protect the area.  This is a natural and normal function of the body and it is totally out of your conscious control!  The muscles are doing what they are supposed to do.  

The localized or regional muscle spasming will remain in place until the brain determines that the process is no longer needed.  This means the joint became stable on its own (minor stressor) or the joint was stabilized through another mechanical measure, like chiropractic care, or the joint remained malpositioned long enough to become arthritic.

Remember, arthritis is merely the body's way of stabilizing an unstable area!  The brain could care less about proper joint structure or function, it only wants stability.  The arthritic process satisfies the brain in that regard.  The brain believes arthritis to be a good thing!  Injuries that remain unstable over time will all become arthritic, everyone one of them!

So, now that I've created a nice, bleak picture of rampant arthritis, what are we supposed to do after we hurt ourselves?  First, find yourself a good Chiropractor.  I am not just saying that because I am one and I want to treat you, but rather, Chiropractic offers one of the few treatments that actually stops the arthritic process!  There is more to Chiropractic than just moving bones around.  Chiropractic is a neurological treatment as well.

I have written many articles on the structural and neurological benefits of learning and using the Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique.  The Activator instrument delivers a specific 14-18 pound per square inch thrust at .1 ms (that's fast.).  The vibrational frequency of the instrument stimulates (lights up) 75% of all neuroreceptors that hold joints in place during motion and at rest.  It teaches the brain and nervous system at the same time that it treats the mechanical injury! The Activator treatment has no equal in joint recovery after trauma.  The Instrument, however, has to be used properly and the analysis has to be performed right or it's effectiveness drops considerably.  That is why training and testing are needed to use the Activator instrument.

Here is the biggest secret of treating trauma and joint instability, joint receptors are SPEED-DEPENDENT. Using a heavy, slow force (exercise, hand adjusting) or a slow rub (massage) does little to recover the neurological stability or function of a joint.  The receptors need stimulation by speed with a weighted, vibrational thrust to regain stability!  Once there is a degree of joint stability regained, exercises can be implemented to begin the strengthening process.  Stability and mobility first, exercise second!

Research is teaching us to be better Chiropractors, but we as doctors also need to use science, rather than opinion, to better serve our patients.

Minnesota Board of Chiropractic      Examiners Alert!

"If you have been following my ENewsletters for the past year, you will remember me discussing a dishonest and dangerous health trend, regarding 'traction' of the spine using 'high-tech' looking machines.  Well, I was right in my assumption that their claims were false and that their research is flawed.  When you see the TV and newspaper ads, which you will, remember.....If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! The following article is the actual mailing that I received from my own licensing board regarding this disturbing trend.  They are concerned too!"

"The Superior Court in the State of California fined a doctor of chiropractic $25,000 dollars for false advertising related to the decompression therapy applied by the DRX9000 machine, and permanently prohibited this doctor from utilizing such advertising in the future. The decision referenced the placing of "anonymous advertisements" in newspapers, offering a "free report" stating "an accidental NASA discovery has lead to the most promising sciatica and herniated disc treatment today." The decision also stated that the defendant "did fail to verify the various representations and assertions of fact made by Axiom Worldwide, Inc., Ben Altadonna and/or Altadonna Communications Inc. prior to disseminating that advertising and marketing materials received from those entities with respect to the DRX9000." The decision said the defendant was unable to substantiate or produce the following:

•  Reliable, scientific studies or fact-based evidence demonstrating 86% success rate for non-surgical spinal decompression with patients suffering from herniated discs or degenerative joint disease; 

•  Reliable, scientific studies or fact-based evidence demonstrating 90% reduction in disc herniation in 71.4% of patients;

• Reliable, scientific studies or fact-based evidence regarding therapeutic effect of space travel on astronauts; 

• Reliable, scientific studies or fact-based evidence documenting that therapeutic effect of the DRX9000 in the "most severe cases" when "NOTHING else has worked" (sic); 

• Reliable, scientific studies or fact-based evidence regarding the representation that "pre- and post-treatment MRIs have shown greater than 50% reduction in the size and extent of herniations after four weeks of treatments with the DRX 9000"; 

• Reliable, scientific studies or fact-based evidence regarding the representation that the DRX9000 treatment is an alternative to surgery or drugs and has no "documented side effects"; and, 

• Reliable, scientific studies or fact-based evidence regarding the representation that the DRX 9000 is either a "new" or a "space-age technology."

The Board has not yet taken a position with regard to decompression therapy...however, the Board will be investigating complaints, which allege the same or similar false advertising. The Board merely wishes to inform you that if you are engaging in similar false advertising, you may be placing yourself at great risk."

NOTE:

"What they really just said was... 'If you are doing this type of marketing, pull your head out of your butt' and stop deceiving the public, before you force us to get involved."  I don't think that we have heard the last on this topic!

Low Back Pain Research

A recent (2006) Swedish study¹ echoed my earlier thoughts on exercise and joint stability.  In 2001, 790 people who had sought care for low back pain were evaluated.  Their levels of pain and disability were measured and their exercise levels were recorded. 

To determine if exercise alone would be of benefit in getting rid of low back pain and disability, this group of patients was tracked over a 5-year period.  They were contacted on 3 separate occasions for assessment of the initially, reported low back pain.

The results of the study showed that pain intensity and disability scores did improve over the 5-year period.  The greatest degree of improvement occurred within the first 6 months of the reporting pain and beginning exercises.  There was no real improvement with low back pain after the 6-month point in time.  There were also no differences reported between men and women with intensity of pain, types of exercise used or their levels of disability.

The researchers came to the conclusion that after 5 years of reporting low back pain:

• Exercise was of little benefit in reducing or eliminating long-term back pain.

• Exercise did not lessen the physical impairment or disability that the pain had caused in their daily lives.

• Low, medium or high-intensity exercise had no influence on low back pain or recovery.

• There were no differences between men or women in this study.  that means that exercise was not gender-specific in lessening long-term low back pain.

I do feel that exercise is of great benefit to longevity and overall health.  Exercise is also the great forgiver of a poor, overall lifestyle, but exercise is not able to overcome injury.

Proper physical intervention is needed to regain health after trauma.  There is no magic wand to wish a problem away; only good medical care!

1. Mortimer, M., Pernold, G., Wiktorin, C. (2006) Low back pain in a general population. Natural course and influence of physical exercise-a 5-year follow-up of the Musculoskeletal Intervention Center-Norrtalje Study. Spine. Dec 15; 31(26): 3045-51.

Eileen's Corner

Happy New Year!

This month I am bringing you a fabulous little treat.  I made these for a recent Holiday party and I had 4 phone calls for the recipe the next morning!  I hope that these become one of your fun Holiday traditions.  These would be great for a Super Bowl Party too!

Arthritis is Treatable

I have discussed why arthritis enters a joint and I have also stated how to stabilize an injured joint to prevent the onset of arthritis, but to this point, I have not talked about what happens when arthritis is already present.  For this discussion, I will describe a specific case of successful arthritic stabilization.

A woman in her mid 60's presented in 2002 with lower neck pain as the result of an automobile accident.  X-rays were taken at that time, which did reveal the injuries, but also noted was a significant amount of arthritic degeneration in the middle and lower neck.  The vertebra were actually trying to fuse.  This can be visualized in the front of the vertebra as the bony 'arching' is beginning to fuse the vertebra. (First Picture)

I was successful at treating her injuries and stabilizing her neck.  She was discharged from active care and I did not see her until 2006 after she was, unfortunately, involved in another motor vehicle crash.  In that crash, she injured her upper neck and her injuries required new imaging to determine the extent of trauma.  The updated x-rays revealed two things.  First, her injuries were new and higher than the old, stable, trauma.  Second, the extensive arthritic arching and attempted vertebral fusion found in 2002 had resorbed and was no longer present in 2006!  (Second Picture)

By stabilizing her lower neck, the brain no longer responded with arthritis production and she was able to regain her health.  Is that cool or what!!!!

I will begin the New Year with this successful case and resolve to have many more!

Take Care,

Dr. Frisch

* Films used with permission.