Is IDD the best non-surgical treatment for prolapsed and herniated disc?
IDD observational study, outcomes for pain and disability index measures. Sharon Mumford MCSP, Dan Smith MCSP (2015) Introduction Low back pain is a significant problem in today’s society and persistent low back pain can result in many costly invasive interventions. Intervertebral Differential Dynamics (IDD) therapy is a non-surgical spinal decompression for back pain, neck pain and sciatica. IDD was developed in the late 1990s to overcome the failings of traditional traction and manual therapy. Cholewicki et al (2009) investigated the effect of traction on muscle activity and flexibility pre and post traction in healthy volunteers. They found muscle activity to be minimal and fluid exchange in the disc provides the biomechanical effect in traction. Shealy and Borgmeyer (1997) reported it was possible to distract isolated lumbar segments by angling the distraction force and thus decompress a specific disc. The...
Read More300 Different Types of Headache… Are There 300 Different Causes Too?
Over 300 types of headache have been described – but are there really 300 different causes of headache? Maybe the different forms of headache are not separate conditions simply different presentations of the same disorder. In the same way that people experience lumbar disc problems in different ways (back ache, buttock ache, tingling in feet, calf pain, groin pain etc…) maybe headache is the same. The diagram above is a small example of how the neck segments/joints can cause a variety of pains in the head . Our belief is that all headache sufferers share a common problem; a sensitized lower brain stem. The upper neck has the ability to sensitize this area leading to the amplification and in addition convergence of normal sensory information from the cranium (head) with nocioceptive information (warnings signs) from the upper neck, in...
Read MoreDevastated by Back Pain
My life was devastated by back pain but now I’m playing football with my kids again…thanks to IDD Therapy Scott Bryan from Chingford thought his days as a scaffolder were numbered when the back pain he’d suffered with for years finally took its toll. “I suffered on and off with lower back pain and grinding sciatica in my leg for a few years but last year the episodes became more severe and sometimes my leg would actually go numb when I stood for too long.” Scott’s condition became progressively worse and soon the intermittent pain became constant – eventually he couldn’t sleep and the manual nature of his job as a scaffolder became impossible, forcing him to take time off work. “I was in so much pain I could hardly walk and was only sleeping for a couple of...
Read MoreUncontrolled Movement – Pain, Injury and Treatment
The Concept of Relative Flexibility and Stiffness The term relative flexibility refers to the theory that during movement the body and in particular our joints and soft tissues will take the path of least resistance, that is movement will always occur at a joint or region that is more flexible than a stiffer neighbouring one (Sahrmann 2002). This can occur in tissue and joints next to each other as well as ones that are opposite. For example the fourth lumbar vertebra (the second from last bone in your lower back) might develop increased movement during backward bending to compensate for a stiff upper back or stiff hip flexors. Once a joint or soft tissue has increased in its range of movement to compensate for the adjacent stiffness the supporting structures (ligaments, capsule and muscle) become insufficient at resisting movement...
Read MoreIDD Therapy – Spinal Decompression – New treatment for bulging herniated and slipped discs
Well it’s here! Our IDD Therapy Spinal Decompression machine arrived two weeks ago. We feel very excited to be in the position to bring this fantastic new treatment for sciatica, back and neck pain to Brentwood and the surrounding areas. We are one of only 16 clinics offering this service in the UK. IDD Therapy Intervertebral Differential Dynamics (IDD) Therapy is the successful and trusted non-surgical spinal decompression treatment for back pain, neck pain and related conditions such as sciatica. We will become the 16th clinic in the UK to offer this exciting new treatment and we are very excited! Most spinal problems are as a result of a problem at a specific level, for example L5/S1 in the lower back. IDD Therapy can target the specific level and gently distract (draw apart) the segments of the spine by...
Read MoreJean’s Neck Pain
Jean’s Neck pain Jean attended the clinic a few months back with right sided neck pain. Jean’s story is all too familiar, a 3 year history of intermittent neck and upper shoulder pain which hurts when working at the PC, driving her car (especially reversing) and whilst out socialising with friends. An MRI had shown wear and tear in the lower neck discs with a slight bulge in the C5 disc which was bulging more to the right. She had tried ant-inflammatories which gave her some relief. Examination of Jean identified the following: A forward head position – head is carried forwards on neck The right shoulder blade was rotated downwards (imagine turning a clock on a wall in a clockwise direction) The right shoulder blade was additionally lower than the left Neck rotation to the right...
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