Vanessa Robinson with her Accu SPINA“There are some patients who just need something more for their pain. IDD Therapy fits the principles of Osteopathy by helping the body the body to heal itself. The Accu SPINA machine we have gives our clinic far greater scope to do more for patients who previously we wouldn’t have been able to help.” Berkhamsted Osteopath’s Tim Hanwell is a big fan of IDD Therapy. Having undergone spinal injections and being told by his consultant that surgery was the next step, Tim researched and found IDD Therapy. Hear Tim talk about why he uses IDD Therapy and how it helped him. Dan Smith has been providing IDD Therapy for many years, here he explains who it is for and why he uses it “I am passionate about osteopathy and IDD fits with my overall philosophy of how I want to treat my patients. When I first heard about IDD, the treatment held appeal because of some of the work I have done with horses where a degree of controlled physicality needed to help with spine issues. Since starting, we have seen some excellent improvements in both pain and mobility of patients who we would usually consider referring elsewhere.” We are seeing more and more patients at the clinic with back pain and sciatica. Most respond well to manual therapy and exercise but it has been frustrating not to have been able to help certain patients with longer term issues, particularly disc-related conditions. Having used traction in my career over the years, the IDD Therapy spinal decompression gives us a far more precise, yet powerful tool to treat targeted spinal segments in a way which manual therapy cannot replicate. The IDD Therapy programme gives patients a real opportunity to resolve their back and neck problems, before they get to a stage of considering injections or surgery. Whilst we can get most of our patients back on their feet with manual therapy, exercise, clinical pilates, accupuncture etc, there is a group who need something more to take pressure off their discs. IDD Therapy spinal decompression helps fill a void. There are such good results at IDD Therapy clinics and having had treatment myself, we have a treatment tool which offers non-invasive solutions for patients who need something more for their pain. We feel we have something to offer all patients before they make a step towards invasive treatments such as injections and surgery. My original interest in IDD Therapy came about through frustration with some types of prolapsed disc which would not respond to normal physiotherapy and manipulative treatment. No matter what you tried they just did not respond. Many of these patients had to be referred on for surgery and I began to wonder if this was the case in other countries. After seeing the SPINA machine up close I decided to buy one. We find it most helpful for the prolapsed disc cases which have not responded to a range of treatments and where surgery might be the usual next step. Patients enjoy it; because it’s computer-controlled, it’s a very gentle, even pull. As the treatment programme progresses we introduce core stability exercises as this is important for pain relief in the long-term. We bought a second Accu Spina machine –I guess you don’t buy a second one if you don’t think the first one is doing its job. IDD Therapy is able to do so much more for my chronic back and neck pain patients as it targets specific spinal segments where discs are herniated (‘slipped’) – in a manner not possible with manual therapy and exercise or traditional traction. In the past, this type of chronic back pain patient would probably resort to invasive procedures – even surgery in some cases. Now, IDD Therapy is there as an effective non-invasive option for them. I was first introduced to IDD Therapy by a female patient of mine who presented to me with three bulging discs in her neck, radiations into her arms, severe back pain and weakness in the hands. In the 20 years since her symptoms had first started she had tried many forms of conservative treatment without success. Osteopathy had helped her a little but in her desperation she decided to fly to the US to receive a course of IDD Therapy with a chiropractor. The results were spectacular: her pain was 90% better and she started to live her life again. She came back to me demanding that I buy a machine! I distinctly remember the feel of her muscles before the IDD; they were tight and knotty from the top of her back to her neck. The change was dramatic: her muscles were now soft, healthy and yielding. Best of all, she was pain-free and able to enjoy a normal life after being in pain for 20 years! Overall my sense is that, combined with good osteopathic and rehab treatments, the results with IDD have been better than good. I would say more than 75% of all cases have shown moderate to dramatic improvement. It is good to be able to offer patients a genuine alternative and the technology fits nicely into an osteopathic model. I am still very impressed and excited by the technology. As skilled clinicians, we can treat most back and neck pain with manual therapies but for some conditions – particularly those which are disc-related – our patients need something more to help their condition improve. IDD Therapy provides a safe, non-invasive alternative to surgery or spinal injections. IDD Therapy expands our options for patients with the most difficult back pain and neck pain conditions, which have not responded to standard manual therapy and exercise techniques. As osteopaths we work with our hands primarily to assist the body so that the natural healing mechanisms can operate efficiently. As a mechanical treatment tool, IDD Therapy helps us do more to treat difficult disc problems in a way that is not possible with our hands alone, all in keeping with our philosophy of supporting the body’s natural self-healing mechanisms. |
