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Dr. Craig Castanet, D.C. has 18 years of clinical experience in an orthopedic, physical medicine and physical therapy clinic participating in the treatment of 35,000 patients. He knows that conventional treatment approaches FAIL many patients with common, difficult back and neck pain. Backstrong provides more effective treatment for most patients with common, chronic back and neck pain caused by herniated and degenerated discs, pinched nerves and joint pain.
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| We also provide other exceptional treatments including Medx spinal strengthening rehabilitation (www.medxonline.com) and cold laser/photomedicine treatment for musculoskeletal problems, as well as conventional treatments for patients with simpler injuries. |
| In one study of 778 patients who had pain an average of 3 and 1/2 years, and had failed other treatments, with diagnoses of herniated, extruded and degenerated discs and joint pain, 92% reported improvement or resolution of their pain (Neurological Research, Volume 20, 1998). Doctors who have direct experience using this new technology regard it as superior treatment for such problems AND think it should become the "standard of care" for difficult back and neck problems. You can find more details of this study elsewhere on this website. |
| There are some contraindications to this treatment, i.e. conditions when a patient is not a candidate for this treatment. These include: |
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Metal, surgical hardware in the area to be treated |
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Severe osteoporosis (with a T-score of -3.2 or worse)
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Spinal fusion surgery within the last year, in the area to be treated |
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Spinal instability |
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Spinal tumors and infections |
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Cauda Equina syndrome |
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Pregnancy |
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Fractures and dislocations |
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Bilateral pars interarticularis defects |
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Spondylolisthesis greater than 50%, i.e. grade 3 |
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Recent abdominal surgery |
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| Most back and neck surgeries are not appropriate unless you have failed to improve from the most effective, non-surgical treatment methods available. And yet the most effective, non-surgical alternative available is generally overlooked. Unnecessary surgeries- some with good results and some with bad results- will continue so long as non-surgical spinal decompression is underutilized. |
| Medicine will be better and more effective with back and neck pain patients when it fully exploits the potential benefits of non-surgical spinal decompression. Then we will see fewer patients getting surgery, a better selection of those who need it, lower healthcare costs and less chronic back and neck pain. Non-surgical spinal decompression is not perfect- it's simply the best non-surgical alternative for most people with common back and neck pain. |
| There are circumstances when surgical treatment is the only appropriate choice, such as some fractures, dislocations, instability, cord compression w/myelomalacia and progressive neurological deficits. These are rare exceptions; not the common back and neck pain that commonly plague the human spine. |
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