Four years ago I was left completely crippled and told I’d never walk again. All the doctors gave up on me. I refused to accept this and knew that there was something out there that could help me. Some new technology [ using a robotic ] device has gotten me back on my feet and I’m now looking to get back to work.
After I was able to walk again, I contacted Walter Reed Army hospital in Washington to see if they would be interested in trying out the therapy. Unfortunately they never got back to me. After a lot of work, a US Congressman [ Bill Young ] became interested and has helped set up a pilot program getting injured US Servicemen to try the therapy. The pilot program has gone very well and many US servicemen from Afghanistan and Iraq have been helped.
One of the most wonderful things is the ability of the robot to stretch burned skin. If you go to the end of the following video, you can see a young chap who was terribly burned in a car accident. His face had a large number of thick scars. The robot has managed to smooth them down to the point where he no longer wears a hood in public. His story is towards the end of the video.
http://meilus.com/Videos/Search/TabId/4 ... itary.aspx
When scars form, the muscle fibers are no longer parallel to each other, but are instead “jumbled up” and in knots. By applying computer controlled pressure, the robot causes the fibers to “become untangled” and restored to their normal state.
Many amputees have been helped. If you look about 19:30 into the video you can see Ken Peck,a double amputee, a great guy who has also been able to get back on with his life. The device can break up scar tissue from many different causes [ injuries, operations etc ].
The young Marine whom you can see me with in the following video has been greatly helped by the therapy. He appears about 13 minutes in. Mike was shot in the shoulder with a fragmentation round. It broke up and pieces ended up in his lungs and spine.
http://meilus.com/Videos/VideoPlayer/Ta ... nders.aspx
I hope that this technology may be able to help some of our UK servicemen.
I’ll do my best to answer any questions people may have.
If any doctors or medical personnel have questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. I have no formal medical training, but was forced to learn how the back and muscles work in order to diagnose what was wrong with me.
God Bless
Dave
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New Technology Helps Back Pain/Burn Victims and Amputees
Hi Tom
They’ve begun the paperwork process of getting these machines put in the VA hospitals. Even though the project was federally funded by NASA and and grants came from Lockheed Martin, the paperwork that is required to get something new put in those hospitals is staggering. Most of the SEALS and Green Berets who have been injured and have gone to the clinic are just paying for it themselves [ SOCOM is close to the clinic ].
Over the last four years I have undergone a bunch of different therapies as I was in a very bad way physically.
Two of the disks in my lower back had become badly degenerated. One had collapsed completely. Using a method called the Pettibon system, I managed to get the worst one increased in height so that you could see the difference on an x-ray.
http://www.pettibonsystem.com/
Unfortunately it didn’t continue getting any any bigger. Just now I’m three quarters of the way through a new treatment to try and increase the disk height. The chap who is working on me is a neighbour of Nick Faldo the golfer, and he manged to fix his back quite well.
http://www.discforce.com/aboutdiscforce.html
If you look at the animations, they are quite interesting.
I’ll let everyone know how it turns out.
When I had my herniated disk, I used a spinal decompression machine. They’re trying to get them into the UK, but the red-tape is taking forever. In Ireland, however, there are a few machines. It doesn’t work on everyone, but many people have had good results:
http://www.decompressionireland.com/
Have been communicating by mail with a young chap in the UK who did a great job with a friend of mine who had been suffering from scoliosis [ bending of the spine ]. Just have some more questions to ask him, and when that’s done, I’ll put his name up here.
Also, these folk do some amazing things with non-surgical treatemnt of scoliosis:
http://www.scoliosissos.com./
Take a look at the before and after photos.
The Australians have come up with a new device that has been receiving good reviews in some of the journals for treating back pain. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but once I get back to work, I’ll try it out and let people know how it went.
http://nubax.com.au/
Dave
They’ve begun the paperwork process of getting these machines put in the VA hospitals. Even though the project was federally funded by NASA and and grants came from Lockheed Martin, the paperwork that is required to get something new put in those hospitals is staggering. Most of the SEALS and Green Berets who have been injured and have gone to the clinic are just paying for it themselves [ SOCOM is close to the clinic ].
Over the last four years I have undergone a bunch of different therapies as I was in a very bad way physically.
Two of the disks in my lower back had become badly degenerated. One had collapsed completely. Using a method called the Pettibon system, I managed to get the worst one increased in height so that you could see the difference on an x-ray.
http://www.pettibonsystem.com/
Unfortunately it didn’t continue getting any any bigger. Just now I’m three quarters of the way through a new treatment to try and increase the disk height. The chap who is working on me is a neighbour of Nick Faldo the golfer, and he manged to fix his back quite well.
http://www.discforce.com/aboutdiscforce.html
If you look at the animations, they are quite interesting.
I’ll let everyone know how it turns out.
When I had my herniated disk, I used a spinal decompression machine. They’re trying to get them into the UK, but the red-tape is taking forever. In Ireland, however, there are a few machines. It doesn’t work on everyone, but many people have had good results:
http://www.decompressionireland.com/
Have been communicating by mail with a young chap in the UK who did a great job with a friend of mine who had been suffering from scoliosis [ bending of the spine ]. Just have some more questions to ask him, and when that’s done, I’ll put his name up here.
Also, these folk do some amazing things with non-surgical treatemnt of scoliosis:
http://www.scoliosissos.com./
Take a look at the before and after photos.
The Australians have come up with a new device that has been receiving good reviews in some of the journals for treating back pain. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but once I get back to work, I’ll try it out and let people know how it went.
http://nubax.com.au/
Dave
I have just completed a 2 month treatment plan for degenerated disks using a Disc Force machine. The chiropractor who has been treating me has told me that the re-hydration process should continue for three months after treatment. I’ll post x-rays if I see any improvement.
Over the last four years I’ve tried out just about every back pain treatment device on the market. Most are just pure junk, but every now and then some good ones come along.
I have been using an inversion table for some time, but it causes problems with my ankles. The US Army Rangers have been using gravity boots and inversion tables for some time, with good results.
http://www.teeter-inversion.com/teeter-Military.asp
I recently had a check done to see if all the muscles in my lower back and buttock area were “firing” correctly. I used a fairly new device called the Spine Force. It was designed in France. Basically you stand on a small platform and hold on to some hand rails. The platform moves and you have to keep your body level. This automatically causes some very deep spinal muscles [ the rotatores and multifidus ] to activate.
These muscles are very difficult to activate by normal means. Very often if someone has been injured and lain in bed for a long time, they become very weak.
I have had excellent results for my lower back [ which is now much stronger ], but unfortunately not for my buttock area [ which is where my main problems are ].
However, I have spoken to a number of patients at the clinic who had many back problems, and they all told me they had seen improvements.
I was thinking this device may help some soldiers who have problems with back muscle strength. Apparently the unit can also help treat a range of muscular conditions.
Don’t know if there are any units in the UK yet, but here is some more info:
http://www.spineforce1.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykaMph_6e68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc1gjiHo ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8nmnmDV ... re=related
Here’s a link for the guy who is treating me:
http://www.mattiawellness.com/
Dave
Over the last four years I’ve tried out just about every back pain treatment device on the market. Most are just pure junk, but every now and then some good ones come along.
I have been using an inversion table for some time, but it causes problems with my ankles. The US Army Rangers have been using gravity boots and inversion tables for some time, with good results.
http://www.teeter-inversion.com/teeter-Military.asp
I recently had a check done to see if all the muscles in my lower back and buttock area were “firing” correctly. I used a fairly new device called the Spine Force. It was designed in France. Basically you stand on a small platform and hold on to some hand rails. The platform moves and you have to keep your body level. This automatically causes some very deep spinal muscles [ the rotatores and multifidus ] to activate.
These muscles are very difficult to activate by normal means. Very often if someone has been injured and lain in bed for a long time, they become very weak.
I have had excellent results for my lower back [ which is now much stronger ], but unfortunately not for my buttock area [ which is where my main problems are ].
However, I have spoken to a number of patients at the clinic who had many back problems, and they all told me they had seen improvements.
I was thinking this device may help some soldiers who have problems with back muscle strength. Apparently the unit can also help treat a range of muscular conditions.
Don’t know if there are any units in the UK yet, but here is some more info:
http://www.spineforce1.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykaMph_6e68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc1gjiHo ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8nmnmDV ... re=related
Here’s a link for the guy who is treating me:
http://www.mattiawellness.com/
Dave
Some time ago I put up a series of notes called “How The Back Works” on a back pain forum. The idea was that after reading this, people would understand a little more about the meaning of some of the technical terms used by doctors when they are talking about back pain. I tried to put it as best I could in terms that anyone could understand.
Even if people don’t have back pain just now, it may be worth reading to get an idea of how the back “becomes bad”. The rates of back pain in the military are going up each year.
Later on I’ll put up a posting on some of the effects of I.E.D.’s on the spine and some treatments that may provide help for those who have suffered back pain as a result [ for those who have not suffered any bone damage e.g. fractured vertebrae etc, but rather soft tissue damage ]. I have seen several US servicemen who had been invalided out of the military from back injuries due to I.E.D.’s get back to normal after appropriate treatment.
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 1&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 3&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 4&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 8&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 1&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 2&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 1&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 2&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 9&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 2&cmd=show
Dave
Even if people don’t have back pain just now, it may be worth reading to get an idea of how the back “becomes bad”. The rates of back pain in the military are going up each year.
Later on I’ll put up a posting on some of the effects of I.E.D.’s on the spine and some treatments that may provide help for those who have suffered back pain as a result [ for those who have not suffered any bone damage e.g. fractured vertebrae etc, but rather soft tissue damage ]. I have seen several US servicemen who had been invalided out of the military from back injuries due to I.E.D.’s get back to normal after appropriate treatment.
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 1&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 3&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 4&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 8&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 1&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 2&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 1&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 2&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 9&cmd=show
http://pub47.bravenet.com/forum/static/ ... 2&cmd=show
Dave
