Sussex Back Pain Clinic - IDD Therapy going from strength to strength

Sussex Back Pain Clinic is a long-established and highly respected osteopathy clinic in Brighton and Hove.  In 2010 it joined the growing number of clinics in the UK to adopt IDD Therapy non-surgical spinal decompression treatment for its back pain and neck pain sufferers.



The clinic’s Director, Steve Morris developed an interest in IDD Therapy treatment having heard of the outcomes reported at other clinics in the UK including the Leominster Osteopathic Clinic and The Buckingham Clinic in Glasgow.




SDS SPINA at Sussex Back Pain Clinic

 “IDD Therapy really started to get my attention at the beginning of last year.  IDD addresses the problems of traditional traction by targeting treatment to isolated segments of the spine in a safe gentle manner. 

IDD was reportedly providing solutions for patients with chronic back pain and neck pain, particularly those with disc-related problems.


“We hear a lot about new treatments but I was fortunate in that I knew some of the providers and so understood that they were serious. 

With my own experience treating discs, IDD Therapy had real appeal and having converted one of our small treatment rooms we got our IDD machine in October 2010.”

As with all new treatments, there is a gradual increase of awareness when a clinic has something new to offer their patients.  Already Steve Morris has some exceptional outcomes to share with prospective patients.



IDD Therapy treatment for low back pain

After three years of dull low back pain and sciatica 43 year old Neil found little relief from standard manual therapies.

“I injured my back whilst doing some heavy lifting at work.  The dull pain in my lower back came on quite suddenly and soon I had shooting pains down my leg.  I could only walk for ten minutes without the pain becoming unbearable.  I am a keen surfer but I couldn’t even bend down to pick up my surfboard!”



MRI scan confirms large disc prolapse

Finally, an MRI scan revealed that Neil was suffering with a prolapsed disc.  Steve Morris decided to treat Neil with a programme of IDD Therapy.  Neil gained relief within days of treatment.

Sussex Back Pain Clinic is seeing these outcomes on a weekly basis and uses established research tools to track and record patient progress.

The experiences are by no means exceptional; with over 800 clinics worldwide, IDD has helped hundreds of thousands of back and neck pain sufferers worldwide.

Steve Morris is unequivocal in his praise for IDD:

“This treatment has such potential.  Without doubt, some of the outcomes seen with IDD Therapy could not have been achieved with any conservative treatment.  For many back pain sufferers IDD is a revelation, allowing them to finally reclaim their lives.

Sussex Back Pain Clinic holds “open sessions” every month for sufferers to learn about back pain and the treatment programmes offered at the clinic.  For more details please call the clinic on 01273 725667 or go to http://www.sussexbackpainclinic.co.uk/ .

IDD Therapy - My back pain treatment today at Back Into Shape clinic in London

Today I visited the Back Into Shape clinic in Highgate North London www.backintoshape.co.uk.  The clinic has been providing IDD Therapy with a SPINA spinal decompression machine for a year now and I took the opportunity to have a treatment.

I haven’t had an IDD treatment in quite some time so my body had forgotten what it was like. 

Working with IDD Therapy, people often ask me what is the difference between IDD Therapy and traction.  There is a technical answer or a simple one. I say, "go on the machine and you will understand the difference immediately".

I think I would describe the feeling during IDD Therapy treatment as “comfortable, controlled power”.  You know you are having treatment; the pull or "distraction" from your pelvis is strong, yet you do not feel like it is going to be painful or cause you any harm. 

I’ve seen people on interesting traction devices and they are practically holding their breath to brace themselves during treatment!  Is it any wonder traction doesn’t work?

TREATMENT DURATION

Time on the SPINA machine lasts 25 minutes. The intermittent pulling forces with oscillation are strong and during treatment you feel like a big pressure is being taken off your lower back. 

The pulling force used with each IDD Therapy treatment is calculated as a function of your body weight. 

When you first start, particularly if you have a long standing back problem, the pulling force is calculated at just under half your body weight.  With each new treatment, the pulling force is increased in increments as your body gets used to treatment.  Changes occur in the soft tissues to free movement in the lower back and they become better able to accept higher forces.

In my case today, the pulling force was 93lbs or 43kgs. 

Most back pain can be resolved with manual therapy and exercise.  Some people will argue that all back pain can be resolved with manual techniques alone; we do not agree with that and the incidence of back pain does not support that.

Without going into lots of detail here about treatment, I think of that pulling force in relation to a heavy weight.  If you have ever been to a gym, have you tried to pick up a 40kg weight?  It’s heavy! 

Applying such decompression forces is simply not possible with the hands alone for any period of time.  When you have 40+kgs of controlled distraction and mobilisation of your lower back, this is very different to a manual treatment.

At the end of my session today I can feel the changes.  You can feel slightly light headed from lying down and the work done on your lower back draws blood to the area.

I don’t have a back problem.  However, I do spend a lot of time at a computer or driving and with ageing, my lower back will become more stiff.  After a treatment I feel that my posture has been straightened out.  I feel I am walking taller and I feel that my lower back is less compressed.  That's just one treatment.

After a treatment on a SPINA machine, IDD Therapy clinics will always put a cold pack on the area.  Muscles are subjected to forces they are not used to and so it is natural to feel some soreness after the first few treatments.  This is like doing any exercise after a period of inactivity, your body needs to get conditioned to it.  The cold calms things down.

IDD Therapy has taken some time to get going in the UK.  However, with more clinic owners deciding to find out for why there is so much excitement within IDD clinics, they go on the machines themselves and instantly “get it”.

The reason IDD Therapy is growing rapidly now is because die hard manual therapists who experience the treatment are seeing the opportunity to combine the new category of mechanical treatment with the best in manual therapy and exercise.  Good news indeed for back pain sufferers.

     

We always stress that IDD Therapy is not an appropriate treatment for all conditions, however, when it is suitable, it can make a real difference. 

But don't take my word for it.  If you have a professional or personal interest in develpoments in back pain treatments, go along to an IDD Therapy treatment provider and find out for yourself.  If there isn't one near you today, I am sorry for that; all I can say is that with time there will be! 

The early adopters in the UK and Europe are all passionate and have years of experience.  They are only too happy to let people understand for themselves the objectives and differences in IDD treatment and offer IDD as part of a mix of care.

If you'd like some information to learn more about IDD Therapy feel free to contact me Stephen Small at stephen.small @ steadfastcorp.com

Steadfast is the European distributor of IDD Therapy and SPINA machines.  Our business is to help clinics do more for their patients, it's as simple as that.

Low back pain treatment: IDD Therapy’s two years of success at The Buckingham Clinic

The Buckingham Clinic in Glasgow was the first clinic in Scotland to embrace IDD Therapy non-surgical spinal decompression treatment for their back pain and neck pain patients.



Two Accu SPINA at The Buckingham Clinic



Led by James Sneddon and with a passionate physiotherapy team, the Buckingham Clinic has had a specialised programme of back pain treatment for nearly two and a half years now and this growing success story is now pricking up the ears of back pain clinics around the UK.

Incorporating IDD Therapy at his clinic in September 2008, James recalls:

“I did so much research on IDD non-surgical spinal decompression before I started.  The treatment had been achieving extraordinary results for pain sufferers in the US since 2001: I had no doubt that IDD could be of great benefit to my patients.



Relaxed patient enjoying IDD Therapy treatment

 Over the years we have treated thousands of people at the clinic with back pain and neck pain however when it came to patients with disc problems such as herniated disc (disc prolapsed/bulging discs/slipped disc), we didn’t yet have the tools to get the sort of results we would have liked. 

IDD Therapy ticked every box for the needs of those disc patients and I felt enough confidence in the treatment to take the plunge and buy my own IDD machine.”

Whilst IDD Therapy raised some eyebrows amongst their colleagues, such was the clinic’s success that after just six months, James invested in a second IDD machine. 

IDD for Neck Pain: Safe, controlled, targeted

“It’s fair to say that IDD Therapy has been life-changing for many of our patients.” says James.

“We’ve carried out over 4,000 treatments with IDD Therapy.  Most patients who come to us for the programme have a problem which includes a disc-related issue.  Typically, they have had pain for longer than three months and not been responding to standard manual therapy.  IDD has been a revelation for most of them, allowing them to live a pain-free life again.” (read some IDD testimonials)

Now, with its two Accu SPINA IDD machines, The Buckingham Clinic has a programme of physiotherapy incorporating IDD Therapy and core and lumbar strengthening.  IDD Therapy gently draws apart vertebrae at a targeted spinal level to decompress the disc. 

The computer controlled treatment uses precise angles to treat specific segments and gently mobilises the disc and supporting muscles and ligaments to improve mobility. 

The Buckingham Clinic uses standard research evaluation tools including the Oswestry Disability Index and VAS as part of a commitment to evidence-based medicine. 

Buckingham Clinic chartered physiotherapist, David Brogan says:

“IDD Therapy is a vital part of the mix.  Non-surgical spinal decompression does what traditional traction could only dream of.  We incorporate it as part of a specialised programme which is tailored to each patient according to their needs. 

There is no such thing as a cure-all however the results we have achieved for so many of our patients are far superior to anything we were able to do before we had the IDD machine.”



Post IDD specialist lumbar and core strengthening

 Since developing the spinal rehabilitation programme, on the recommendation of Steadfast The Buckingham Clinic has further upgraded their treatment programmes with a specialist lumbar and core strengthening gym from the US which is available to patients as part of the long-term rehabilitation.  Again, they are the first osteopathy clinic or physiotherapy clinic in Scotland to use this equipment.

The majority of patients who visit The Buckingham Clinic come from the Strathclyde and Lanarkshire area, although as the only provider so far in Scotland, a growing number of patients travel and stay at one of the convenient local hotels to give themselves the opportunity to do something
 more for their pain.

To find out more about help for back pain or neck pain in Glasgow, call The Buckingham Clinic on 0141 339 4340 or visit www.buckinghamclinic.com.

Happy New Year - IDD Therapy treatment on the up.

Happy New Year!

As we begin 2011, we look forward to the exciting developments the year holds. 

With more IDD Therapy providers in the UK and more clinics discovering the opportunity to do more for their patients, 2011 will be good news for many people struggling with back pain and neck pain who don't know where to turn next.


Accu SPINA for IDD Therapy


We would like to thank all our customers and supporters for their continued encouragement and interest in developing IDD Therapy treatment further.

Bringing about change, particularly with new back pain treatments, can sometimes feel like pushing a reluctant elephant up a steep hill.  However, with huge success in the US and a number of other countries, the UK and Europe is catching up quickly.

Thank you again and best wishes for the coming year.

Stephen