10 Minute Treatment Could Cure Back Pain

20 Dec 10 Minute Treatment Could Cure Back Pain

Back pain is one of, if not the, most common health problem facing Americans today. Around 80% of people will have some kind of short term or long term back pain in their lives. You might think that the vast majority of these are acute (aka short-term) problems but taking a closer look at the data we find that between one third and two-thirds of the population suffers from chronic pain (of which back pain makes up the largest proportion). But new hope has been offered by a revolutionary treatment that takes just one 10 minute procedure.

Current treatment options

Current treatment options are the cumbersome and long term. If you see your Doctor and are diagnosed with a bulging disc, you will often get the following bulging disc treatment regime that escalates as follows:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – first the doctor will prescribe something simple like Ibuprofen whilst recommending you keep active and don’t rest up in bed too much!
• Therapy – Next they often send you to a physical therapist to try massage techniques that can be helpful – but often don’t treat the root of the problem
• Steroid injections – If this doesn’t work, steroids can be injected into the site of pain that work to reduce inflammatory markers that heighten the sensitivity of nerves sending pain signals to your brain. Reducing these nerves sensitivity can reduce pain in the back. However again this does not address the cause of the problem and is simply a pain relief therapy
• Surgery – If nothing works, or if they think there’s a risk the disc may burst and compress the spinal cord a costly surgery known as a discectomy can be performed.

Radiofrequency to the rescue

A new technique has been developed by Dr. Alessandro Napoli in Italy. In it, a needle is inserted into the spine and radiofrequency energy is pulsed into the area. In a recent study of 80 people, 81% were pain-free a year after the single ten-minute treatment. In an interview with ScienceDaily Dr. Napoli said:

“Following this treatment, inflammation and pain go away. With relaxation of the muscles, the distance between the vertebrae returns”

On the incredible pain relief he noted:

“The results have been extraordinary. Patients have been relieved of pain and resumed their normal activities within a day.”

Dr. Napoli also notes the gap in current therapy that this treatment could occupy. There is a huge disparity between the conservative treatments like therapy or painkillers with the risky and expensive surgeries like discectomies. Hopefully, in the future, this treatment will be ideal for bulging disc treatment in patients who do not respond to initial therapies.