New Hope for Back Pain:

A Doctor and Father Discovers IDD (Intervertebral Disc Decompression)

BACK PAIN IS SERIOUS Anyone with chronic back pain knows something that other people dont know: just how debilitating the constant pain can be. Its the dark cloud that hangs over you always, slowly but surely degrading your quality of life, sapping the little joys and pleasures from your day-to-day experiences. It can make it impossible to sleep well or even to relax. It can make concentration difficult and thinking fuzzy. It can profoundly affect your work, your mood, your sex life, and your relationships with your family and friends. Back pain is serious.

Sadly, there have not been many options for successfully treating chronic back pain. Some therapies provide some limited temporary relief. But pain medications can leave you groggy or unable to work. And surgery can help in some cases. But often the results are uncertain or short-lived.

This is what Dr. Mark Crissman discovered when he set out to help his own daughter. Dr. Crissman has deep roots in Graham, North Carolina. In 1946, Dr. Crissmans father set up the medical clinic that was to become Crissman Family Practice. Now that clinic features three health care providers Dr. Crissman and Nurse Practitioners Cheryl Wicker and Stephen Sheffer -- who treat a variety of acute and chronic illnesses, ranging from skin cancer and toenail surgeries to female conditions and heart problems.

For most of these illnesses, they can offer some sort of treatment that helps their patients get better and get on with their lives. Living life to the fullest, is one of their practice mottos, and therefore a central goal in their practice is relief from mental or physical suffering. As multi-sport fitness buffs, both Ms. Wicker and Dr. Crissman are committed to helping their patients live the fullest lives possible. They want more for their patients than just stop-gap measures.

A common problem they treat is chronic back pain. Having had back pain themselves, both Ms. Wicker and Dr. Crissman know how debilitating it can be and try their best to get patients back to pain-free lives. However, despite referrals to physical therapy and chiropractors, a certain percentage of patients continue to suffer from chronic low back pain.

For those patients, the next step is usually an MRI and the consideration of surgery, notes Ms. Wicker. Having had a hip replacement herself, Ms. Wicker knows firsthand the tremendous relief orthopedic surgery can bring. However, she knows, both from her own experience and from the latest published medical studies, that back surgery is not usually as successful as other orthopedic surgeries. Nationwide, surgery has been helpful in just one out of every hundred cases of low back pain. Some surgery can even result in permanent disability. Even after visiting the surgeon, many of Crissman Family Practice patients were still in pain and unable to work.

A FATHERS QUEST For some time, then, Dr. Crissman had been frustrated by his inability to do more for patients with chronic back pain. Eventually, it became clear that Dr. Crissmans own daughter also suffered from intractable back pain. She at first resisted surgery, instead trying multiple therapies and pain clinics. When she finally did have surgery, it was only six months before she was again suffering the same level of pain as before.

This was just what Dr. Crissman had been seeing in his practice: patients went to pain clinics, got shots for the pain, took prescription narcotics but nothing fully resolved their pain. And many other physicians were struggling with the same problem. There had to be something else!

It was then, at a statewide medical meeting, that Dr. Crissman learned about IDD (Intervertebral Disc Decompression) therapy and the Accu-SPINA equipment used to deliver it. At first, he was skeptical. However, because he wanted to offer more to his patients and his daughter he investigated this FDA-approved therapy carefully. His interest was piqued when he interviewed patients who had tried IDD therapy, as well as his colleagues who provided the service. He discovered that, with four weeks of

therapy, most patients with disc injuries were back on their feet, back to work, and committed converts to this thoughtful, non-invasive and innovative approach.

A month later, Dr. Crissman bought the Accu-SPINA equipment for Crissman Family Practice. His first IDD patient was his own daughter. By now, she had had to quit work. She was unable to lift her small daughter and she was now expecting another child. But after a week of IDD therapy, she was pain-free, and has remained so ever since.

BACK INTO LIFE Since then, Dr. Crissman has treated numerous patients. While not all results have been as dramatic as that of his own daughter, they have been very successful for a wide range of patients. For example, one patient had pain so severe (7or 8 on a scale of 10) that powerful narcotic drugs could no longer control it. Three surgeries had not helped. But after twenty IDD therapy treatments, her pain was down to 4, she was off narcotics, and she was able to keep working.

Another of Dr. Crissmans patients had been fighting off the surgeons knife for quite a while, even though he was in considerable pain. Just how much pain, Dr. Crissman learned only after this patient had several IDD treatments. Previously, the mans pain had been so bad that he could only use his left foot to drive his car to the clinic. IDD therapy helped him manage his pain so that he could use both feet while driving.

Pain can be a destroyer. It weaves itself into the fabric of our daily lives. We learn to live with it but quietly and almost imperceptively, its tearing that fabric apart. When the IDD process works for you, it is like you are a new person. More upbeat and excited about life. Like someone turned the sun back on for you.

Of course, IDD therapy wont give you a new back. The benefits only last as long as you take care of yourself. But regular exercise and proper body mechanics can help you maintain your benefits. Managing back pain is a team effort that involves you, your doctor and other heath care workers, including chiropractors. Dr. Crissman is pleased to accept referrals from chiropractors and to refer patients for chiropractic treatments when appropriate.

IDD (Intervertebral Disc Decompression)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Can Benefit Most From IDD? IDD uses the newest FDA-approved non-surgical technology to treat herniated and degenerative disc injuries, as well as conditions caused by surgical failure, strains/sprains and the sciatica that is often associated with those conditions.

Who is IDD not for? IDD will not typically help people with severe arthritis or osteoporosis.

What is the success rate of IDD? Is it guaranteed to make you better? Nationally, the success rate is 86% for appropriate candidates. In some cases, the documented success rate is around 90%. Success means your pain is resolved and youre going about your daily activities. You wont have a new back, but youll have your life back. We have seen patients go up to four years so far with no recurrence of pain. This is because, even though the cartilage in your disc is still torn, IDD therapy strengthens your ligaments, which prevents the spinal jelly material from bulging out and causing you pain. But, no, there are no guarantees in medicine. Re-injury is always possible. If you are in aggressive sports, for example, no one can give you a guarantee that you wont have a problem again. Usually, however, the same problem resurfaces only if theres another trauma to that area, or if the patient does not take proper care of the back.

Can IDD make you worse? What are its side effects? IDD is not known to have any adverse results or side effects.

What is IDD? How does it work? IDD therapy stands for Internal Disc Decompression therapy. Its a set of therapeutic protocols, developed by a team of orthopedists, neurologists, neurosurgeons and chiropractors to rehabilitate and heal damaged structures of the spine. The Problem The spine consists of a chain of small bones -- the vertebrae -- each separated by intervertebral cartilage discs. These discs are pads that act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae. They are like tiny jelly donuts, with a soft jellylike substance toward the center, surrounded by firmer outer fibers. Age or trauma can damage these discs. When they are damaged, the outer fibers separate enough so that a portion of the inner jelly-like material can leak or bulge out the medical term is herniate and this protrusion can press against the spinal cord or other nerves. This interference with the nerve is sensed by your brain as back pain, or if the nerve affected is the sciatic nerve a tingling, burning numbness in your leg and foot called sciatica. An Old Principle The principle underlying IDD is an old one: its the same principle that once led doctors to put many people in traction. But traction is very different. Traction fails in many cases because it causes muscular stretch receptors to fire, which then cause para-spinal muscles to contract. This actually contributes to the very intradiscal compression we are trying to resolve. And New Technology IDD, by contrast, is all about de-compression, through dis-traction. A highly specialized computer on the sophisticated, ergonomically-designed Accu-SPINA equipment modulates the distraction forces to apply a gentle, curved-angle pull. This decompresses the two vertebrae that are squeezing the disc, gently separating them so that the herniated bubble of jelly material, through negative pressure, flows back into its proper place in the center of your disc. This also promotes the diffusion of water, oxygen and other nutrients into the disc area an area that normally gets poor blood flow and this promotes healing. Todays advanced technology allows this physical manipulation to be computerdirected to exacting standards of precision, with specific degrees of angulation for each specific diagnosis and pathology site. The result is an extremely gentle and consistent treatment session. And the IDD therapy protocols continually improve, as new protocols are developed and refined among doctors using modern high-speed data sharing.

What does the treatment feel like? The therapy can actually be relaxing. You lie on the Accu-SPINA table for about a half hour. The table is heated and has a pleasant vibratory massage effect. You can say dressed, stay comfortable, and listen to music if you like. Many patients even sleep through their treatments. While you are lying there, the equipment within the table will target the two vertebrae that are causing you the most trouble, intermittently pulling and relaxing in order to separate them in a very gentle fashion. This creates the negative pressure that pulls the bubble of jelly-like material back into the disk, thus eliminating the bulge that has been irritating the nerve root. It also helps increase the blood flow to the area, which brings oxygen and other nutrients to the cells that they can use to repair the firm outer material, healing over the separations that allowed the inner material to bulge out in the first place. There may be some soreness during the first few treatments, as your spine learns how to decompress.

How long does a course of IDD therapy last? Typically, five visits per week for four to five weeks. You may feel great after just two or three visits, but that doesnt mean that the disc has fully corrected itself yet it just means that weve taken away some of the inflammation. The average is about 25 visits for full relief and repair of the back.

How does IDD compare to surgery? Surgery has its place. If a piece of your disc has broken off and is floating around, pressing against nerves and causing you a lot of pain, then it might make sense to remove it surgically. But surgery typically involves a long recovery period of missed work, and can even result in a surgical accident that leaves you in worse condition. Worse yet, many studies indicate that patients who have surgery are no better over time than those who dont. A 1994 study stated that roughly 65% of patients reported their back pain was worse two years after surgery, and more than half said that their quality of life was no better or had worsened significantly.

How much does IDD cost compared to other therapies? IDD is often radically less expensive than surgery. On average, a full course of treatment costs between $2500 and $3500, but your insurnace plan may lower your costs significantly.