Our chiropractors work to successfully provide relief from back and neck pain every day. They not only adjust the back and neck, but also look for causes of that pain that originate away from the spine. Fallen arches in the feet, uneven leg length, and muscle imbalance can contribute to back and neck pain. If these conditions are corrected, the back pain may be resolved.
A primary cause of back pain is joint degeneration due to osteoarthritis. Many factors may contribute to the development of spinal arthritis, including repetitive motion, strenuous activities, excessive weight, spine injury, and chronic spine misalignment.
Our chiropractors have helped many people manage arthritis through chiropractic adjustments, recommending heat and cold therapy, regular exercise, weight management, and an anti-inflammatory diet. These only slow the process; there is no evidence they can terminate it or reverse the damage. We had no direct means of addressing osteoarthritis until we were introduced to Novopulse©.
Osteoarthritis is a condition of the joints that, once it begins, progresses slowly and will continue to progress until some process changes its course. The FDA recognizes Novopulse© to do so in two ways: by reducing inflammation (the source of pain) and by rebuilding cartilage. Novopulse is acknowledged as being able to reverse damage caused by arthritis.
The cause of osteoarthritis has only recently begun to be understood. Stress has led to injury of the soft tissues surrounding a joint, such as cartilage that provides cushioning to the joint. Sometimes the injury may be apparent, but other times it may be very subtle, resulting only in microtears to the tissue. When any injury occurs, the body initiates the inflammatory process, but in arthritis, that process doesn’t unfold as it does in muscles and other soft tissue.
The body’s normal response to injury is first to initiate the inflammatory process, which is marked by pain, swelling, heat, redness, and loss of function. During this phase, it sends enzymes to the injury site to clear out damaged tissue, making way for the healing process to replace it with new tissue. Once the damage has cleared out, the body sends in a protein which is delivered through the blood – alpha-2-macroglobulin, or A2M, – to inactivate the tissue-destroying enzymes. Only then does the healing process begin.
Cartilage, which spinal discs are made of, is tissue with a limited blood supply, and it is now believed that when cartilage is injured, the lack of blood supply to the cartilage results in a reduction in the amount of A2M delivered to the injured tissue. The lack of blood seems to create a condition where the enzyme that eats injured tissue never gets terminated. It’s also possible that repetitive, stressful movements can cause microtears, leading to repeated initiation of the inflammatory process. Over time, this unregulated inflammatory process continues to eat away at cartilage, thinning it and causing bone deformation, resulting in pain and the limited range of motion that arthritis sufferers experience.
In our clinic, our medical staff has successfully used A2M in arthritic joints to achieve immediate pain relief and create an environment conducive to cartilage healing and regeneration. However, we choose not to perform spinal injections due to the increased risks of spinal injections as compared to injections to other joints. We have treated patients with back and neck pain attributable to arthritis using Novopulse©, and they are satisfied with the results. Watch this video where a patient discusses their experience.
Novopulse© is an excellent alternative for patients looking for other options to back surgery or spinal injections. Another great thing about Novopulse is that it’s effective even in the early stages of arthritis – patients no longer have to ‘manage the pain’ and tolerate the limitations until their spine deteriorates to the point surgery can be recommended.
So what is Novopulse© and how does it work? Novopulse© is a device placed on the body at the treatment site. It emits pulsating electromagnetic frequencies (PEMF). The treatment cycle is 30 minutes long, and the treatment duration is several weeks. These treatments are performed at home.
Novopulse© is FDA-approved as a Class 1 (the safest of three classes) device to promote positive cartilage rejuvenation, reduce pain, decrease inflammation, and enhance functional mobility. Novopulse is a patented device, and a unique patented feature of the Novopulse© is its ability to penetrate 7 centimeters (2.7 inches) beneath the skin into the body.
PEMF therapy is recognized as safe, effective, and well-tolerated. Many devices on the consumer and medical market use PEMF technology. PEMF therapy has been approved by the FDA to promote bone growth when osteoporosis is present and to repair non-union fractures. Research has demonstrated other beneficial uses of PEMF. Novopulse© is the only device approved by the FDA for the treatment of spinal arthritis.
PEMF devices are contraindicated for patients who are pregnant, have implanted electronic devices, are in the area of a bleeding or open wound, or have certain medical conditions like tuberculosis and epilepsy. We will ask you about all your existing medical conditions to make sure Novopulse© is appropriate for you.
Make an appointment today to be rid of the pain and limitations of osteoarthritis.