|
Rest is an
Ineffective Treatment for Acute Lumbar Disc Herniation
Robert Filice, M.D. Former staff physician
Here at CMRS we often find ourselves going against conventional
wisdom in our therapeutic recommendations. Our explanation for
this is that we really care for patients and dig diligently for
the right answers, and we are not bound by establishment
blinders and the need for conformity to an established but
arbitrary and often ineffective standard of orthodox care. One
example of this difference is our long standing recommendation
that acute injured limbs NOT be immobilized. I wrote an article
in this e-newsletter some months ago that informed our readers
that an establishment study had validated our view and had found
that immobilization was counter-productive. I want to tell
you about a review article on lumbar disk injuries that appeared
in the April 2005 issue of
The
Physician and Sports Medicine.
Once again the “standard of care” in the non-operative
management of acute lumbar disc herniation has been complete bed
rest for two to 14 days. Instead, a study that compared bed rest
to early activity in these patients showed that bed rest of any
duration is not effective and may actually be detrimental to
recovery. Although less abundant, the data on
sciatica caused by
disk compression also show bed rest to be an ineffective
treatment. Therefore the correct initial non-operative approach
to a patient with a
disc herniation should be to discourage bed
rest and encourage early activity, usually a progressive walking
program as tolerated.
Once again, we discover that following the conventional wisdom
may be hazardous to your health. Conventional wisdom also
doesn’t know enough to recommend
Prolotherapy, or it downplays
its efficacy. So be aware, and know that what you are often told
to do or not do in conventional medicine isn’t necessarily the
right advice. I just wanted you to know that a lot of what we
recommend may sound different, but it’s all based on a lot of
clinical experience and real concern for our patients. So
although we are not afraid to be out by ourselves on the cutting
edge of medicine, it does makes us feel good when some of our
ideas get scientifically validated (if not implemented) by
orthodox medicine.
|
Ross
Hauser, M.D.
Our
Prolotherapy Books - 
The Journal of Prolotherapy
is unique in that it has a
target audience of both physicians and patients. The purpose of this
journal is to provide the readers with new cutting-edge information
on Prolotherapy, as well as provide a forum for physicians and
patients alike to tell their stories.
POWER
OVER PAIN