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Press Releases:
For Immediate Release
January 29, 2007
Contact: Dr. Brad Gilden/Connie Scholl
CScholl@elitehealthservices.com
Phone: 203-983-5748
Recent Danish Study Supports: See a Physical Therapist for Lower Back Pain
Does insufficient muscle strength or lack of muscular control contribute to low back pain (LBP)? According to a recently published article in the professional journal BMC-Medicine (Bio-Med Central Medicine), muscle strength and lower back pain are directly related, and the study supports the fact that when you experience lower back pain, you need to see a Physical Therapist.
“Masking pain with drugs will not strengthen your back,” according to Dr, Timothy W. Flynn, physical therapist and President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT). “This Danish study suggests that when low back pain occurs, you should go see your physical therapist. We will work to rapidly alleviate the pain, and guide you in a program to prevent the pain from returning by improving the function of your low back muscles.”
The study published January 25, 2007, notes that because training of the lumbar muscles is a commonly recommended intervention LBP, it is important to clarify whether lumbar muscle atrophy is related to LBP. “Fat infiltration seems to be a late stage of muscular degeneration, and can be measured in a non-invasive manner using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).”
The purpose of this study was to investigate if fat infiltration in the lumbar multifidus muscles (LMM) is associated with LBP. A total of 412 adults (40-year-olds) and 442 adolescents (13-year-olds) from the general Danish population participated in this study.
People with LBP were identified through questionnaires. Using MRI, fat infiltration of the LMM was visually graded as none, slight or severe. Results showed that fat infiltration was noted in 81% of the adults but only 14% of the adolescents. In the adults, severe fat infiltration was strongly associated with ever having had LBP.
The results of this study provide the first convincing evidence from a large population sample that fat infiltration in the lumbar multifidus muscles (LMM) is strongly associated with LBP in adults. “What that means,” said Flynn, “is that a physical therapist can not only help alleviate lower back pain with appropriate care, but we can help prevent the pain from coming back by developing a strength training program targeted at these muscles. In this way we collaborate with the patient in a comprehensive manner which deals with the problem instead of masking it with drugs, or being forced into costly and often unnecessary surgery.”
To view a copy of the article, go to: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/5/2. If you'd like more information on physical therapy and how it can help you with LBP, contact Dr. Brad Gilden at http://www.EliteHealthServices.com or go to the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy web site at http://www.aaompt.org.
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For Immediate Release
February 12, 2007
CONTACT: Dr. Brad Gilden/Connie Scholl
CScholl@elitehealthservices.com
Phone: 203-983-5748
STUDY SHOWS SPINAL FUSION SURGERY FAILS ONE IN FIVE TIMES!
Spine fusion (surgery) is commonly viewed as a stabilizing treatment that may reduce the need for additional surgery. However, according to a recent study published in the medical journal, Spine, “the indications for fusion surgery in degenerative spine disorders remain controversial, and the effects of fusion on reoperation rates are unclear.”
The study, is titled “Reoperation rates following lumbar spine surgery and the influence of spinal fusion procedures”. According to the authors, BI Martin and associates from the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, the objective of the study was to “determine the cumulative incidence of reoperation following lumbar surgery for degenerative disease and, for specific diagnoses, to compare the frequency of reoperation following fusion with that following decompression alone.”
The study found a rate of nearly 20% reoperation following the first spinal surgery. “In other words,” said Dr. Timothy Flynn from Regis University, Denver, and President of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT), “one in five people who have their spines fused in surgery, must suffer through additional surgery because it failed the first time. That's an alarming rate. In the vast majority of cases, patients would have benefited from physical therapy first.”
The conclusion from this study is clear, according to the AAOMPT: Patients should be informed that the likelihood of re-operation following a lumbar spine operation is substantial. The group suggests considering alternatives to lumbar surgery proposed by the Association of Ethical Spine Surgeons, who understand that lumbar surgery rates in the U.S. are preposterously over-utilized. The number one alternative to lumbar surgery, according to the surgeons themselves, is to first visit a physical therapist.
“That is the mantra of AAOMPT”, noted Dr. Flynn, “Go see your physical therapist first. We will not prescribe drugs or perform invasive procedures that may well cause more harm than good. We can alleviate the pain in your back, and show you how to prevent it from reoccurring.”
For more information about the benefits of physical therapy and how it can help you alleviate back pain, eliminate your use of prescription drugs, and prevent costly and painful surgery, go to: http://www.aaompt.org, or contact Dr. Brad Gildent at (203) 983-5748 or visit http://elitehealthservices.com .
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Elite Health Services, LLC
76 Valley Road
Cos Cob, CT 06807
(203) 983-5748 local
(800) 920-5787 toll free
cscholl@EliteHealthServices.com
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