CHRONIC BACK PAIN AND FASCIAL ADHESIONS OF THE THORACOLUMBAR SPINE
MIGHT THERE BE A SOLUTION FOR YOU?
“The thoracolumbar fascia is thought to act as an internal ectoskeletal corset that transmits force between the arms and legs while protecting the static and contractile elements within the spine by minimizing friction.” From the study being discussed today Two months ago the journal CUREUS ran a case study titled Resolution of a Greater Than 50-year History of Severe, Chronic Low Back Pain Following an Ultrasound-guided Platelet-rich Plasma Infiltration of the Thoracolumbar Fascia, which stated……
“The diagnosis of chronic low back pain is a scourge of society that does not take into account the pathoanatomical cause of pain. Low back pain is one of the most challenging conditions to treat, as it is a symptom of an underlying disorder. Low back pain is incredibly frustrating for clinicians to treat, as over 100 conditions can result in back pain. It is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders in developed countries, affecting up to 85% of the adult chronic pain population. Also, a precise pathoanatomical diagnosis cannot be determined in up to 85% of patients with low back pain, so treatment is based on the classic step-wise approach. For those unfortunate patients who do not respond, chronic pain management is advised to mitigate the effects of the pain on patient function with an attempt to approximate as close to a normal lifestyle as possible.”
Think about what’s being said for a moment because it flies in the face of everything the average person is led to believe about back pain. First, despite what you’ve been told (and just as I’ve shown you before — HERE), it’s virtually impossible to look at an orthopedic test — any orthopedic test, including MRI — and determine with any degree of certainty whether or not the findings on said test are in any way related to your pain. Secondly, whether we are talking about MRI or modern digital x-rays, telling people their pain is due to “degeneration” (arthritis, osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis, DJD, DDD, etc, etc, etc) is USUALLY LESS THAN ACCURATE, with the same being true of most visible disc herniations as well (HERE). Thirdly, when the authors say that over 100 conditions are related back pain, they are grossly UNDER-EMPHASIZING THIS ASPECT. And lastly, we’ve known for years that chronic low back pain is the single biggest cause of disability in the developed world (HERE).
The patient in this case study was a geriatric male (age 65), with a history of spinal fracture from a football injury over fifty years prior, which was followed a few years later by a rugby injury. He ended up in a rigid, full-torso brace for three months, eventually having his lower back FUSED several years later. This individual had all the usual signs and symptoms associated with his injury and subsequent treatment; severe degeneration, disc herniations, SCIATIC-LIKE SYMPTOMS, as well as a shuffling gait (see ‘under-emphasizing’ link above). He had tried therapy (THIS WAS HIS RESULT), TRIGGER POINT INJECTIONS (they did not work either), and was not interested in a life lived on “THE BIG FIVE“. Eventually, a PRP INJECTION was tried.
Although I am certainly not against Platelet-Rich Plasma injections (they are unarguably much safer than CORTICOSTEROIDS), I’m biased because even though I have seen numerous patients get incredible results from stem cell injections, I have yet to see a patient who had good results from PRP. What I really want you to listen to, however, is the cherry-picked description of what PRP does, according to the study’s author.
“Platelet-rich plasma is thought to work through the release of growth factors in areas of tissue damage. The alpha-granules in platelets contain many growth factors that are responsible for the initiation and maintenance of the healing response. The growth factors that are released include platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). The fibrin matrix that forms also has an additional stimulatory effect on healing by trapping platelets and providing an initial matrix for fibroblast migration.”
Forget PRP for a moment. What I want you to grasp here is that if you look at two of my past posts on what it takes to stimulate fibroblastic activity (HERE and HERE), you’ll find each and every one of the features from the paragraph above, as well as many others. How is it being done without drugs, stem cells, or PRP? It’s being done via intense body work (HERE & HERE).
And while it’s true that “intense” means that my patients occasionally look like THIS (emphasis on “occasionally“), my goal is always to use the MINIMALLY EFFECTIVE DOSE when treating. What’s kind of cool for my patients here in the OZARKS OF RURAL SOUTHERN MISSOURI is that I’ve been talking about this relationship — the relationship between BRUISING and healing (fibroblastic activity) — for the BETTER PART OF TWO DECADES! What’s doubly cool is that we haven’t even gotten to the best part of this case history yet — CS. The authors went on to talk about CENTRAL SENSITIZATION, saying……..
“Central sensitization is the amplification of neural signaling within the central nervous system that causes pain hypersensitivity not only at the site of pain but in the spinal cord and brain as well. It is thought to be the primary reason chronic back pain is virtually impossible to treat. It is possible that there is bi-directional neurological input that is responsible for the development and maintenance of central sensitization. In this case, it is possible that nociceptive input in the periphery resulted in the development of central sensitization. Once this nociceptive input was removed, the phenomenon of central sensitization also resolved. This suggests that the identification of the original pain generator remains important in patients with a long history of chronic low back pain and that additional attention should be focused towards the thoracolumbar fascia, as full resolution of their pain complaint may still be possible.”
I must admit that when I read this, I almost fell out of my chair. Why? Because mainstream medicine’s concept of Central Sensitization is that chronic nociceptive inputs (PAIN, INFLAMMATION, etc) in the periphery can create abnormal brain activity that can cause pain to play on a loop in the brain, even though the original injury is ‘healed’. In regards to what THIS AUTHOR is saying, one of two things must be true. Either, contrary to popular belief, these abnormal brain loops can be broken (FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGISTS know this is often possible), or, even though people are being told they are ‘healed’ (such as insurance companies do all the time with WHIPLASH PATIENTS), the reality is that they could very well be carrying the same CHRONIC INJURY they’ve carried for decades —- the point of my post titled CENTRAL SENSITIZATION AND TISSUE REMODELING!
Not only have I shown my readers many studies related to the thoracolumbar fascia (HERE, HERE, and HERE are a few), but I’ve shown you what it takes to start addressing it in the earlier-mentioned manner (HERE). I’ve also shown you how thoracolumbar adhesions are responsible for sciatica (HERE) as well as the technology that this doctor used to image his patient’s thoracolumbar fascia (HERE). I’ve even shown you how research continues to show how spinal surgery frequently fouls up the function of the thoracolumbar fascia (HERE). On top of it all, I’m constantly providing you ideas to help you start addressing your own back problems (HERE and HERE are two examples of many).
Although I would never for a moment try and convince you that fasical adhesions of the thoracolumbar spine are the only cause of back pain, they are a major reason for all the reasons I’ve listed HERE. What about CASE HISTORIES / TESTIMONIALS from patients with problems of the thoracolumbar fascia that were treated without PRP? Allow me to show you two unsolicited emails (HERE and HERE) as well as an amazing one-minute video of a patient from California who suffered with low back pain for over two decades before finding a solution in tiny Mountain View, Missouri (HERE). And because fascia is found all over the body (HERE ARE ALL MY POSTS ON FASCIA), the exact same concepts frequently work for people with chronic neck pain as well (HERE).
As an extra boon for many of you, remember that tissue remodeling is only a small part of my protocol for helping people start the process of taking their lives back, albeit an important one. While it certainly won’t provide the solution for everyone; on this first day of 2019, my generic protocol is yours, completely free of charge (HERE). Just remember to like, share or follow on FACEBOOK since it’s a good way to reach a lot of people, most particularly the people you love and care about most.
