|
Publications |
|
|
|
Shutting Down Pain: Light pressure, physiological reflexes, immediate relief |
|
Written by Stephen Kaufman, DC
|
 “The steel bar dropped towards my nose, and I asked myself, "Can pain be shut off in seconds using only light pressure on physiological reflexes?"
CHRONIC PAIN IS OFTEN CAUSED BY MYOFASCIAL TRIGGER POINTS
Most patients with chronic musculoskeletal problems have exquisitely tender areas in muscles; these trigger points often are the cause of their symptoms3,4,5. Many methods have been devised to treat these points. This article describes the Pain Neutralization Technique (PNT), a radically new approach that treats trigger points and, in many cases, will totally eliminate them, using classical neurological reflexes in a new way. In addition to chiropractic manipulation, many patients require soft tissue treatment to resolve their pain. Muscular trigger points contribute to many types of pain syndromes, including low back pain and sciatica, cervical pain, radicular syndromes, headache, migraine, TMJ, frozen shoulder, hip pain, and even post surgical and abdominal pain. The pain of cervical and lumbar disc syndromes is often caused by trigger points3,4,5.
THE GOLGI TENDON ORGAN REFLEX When a muscle is under too heavy a load, it relaxes completely or "collapses." This is an inherent guarding mechanism so that, for instance, if one tries to lift more weight than the arm can support, it doesn’t tear the biceps muscle. This reflex is variously known as the clasp knife reflex, the Golgi tendon organ reflex (GTO), or the inverse myotatic reflex1,6.
CASE STUDY LEADS TO THE IMPORTANT POINT
One day, as I hoisted a dumbbell, that was too heavy for me, over my head, my triceps collapsed; my arm, holding on to the bar, fell towards the table. Because I had exceeded the strength of the muscle, I had inhibited it by triggering the clasp knife reflex – a.k.a the Golgi tendon organ reflex. I thought, if I could come up with ways to turn off muscles at will, I might also be able to erase muscular trigger points. When my arm collapsed while lifting the weight, I'd unintentionally found a way to initiate a Golgi tendon organ reflex in my triceps. If I could do that intentionally on a muscle with a trigger point, that trigger point might go away. If I could apply a specific pressure to a muscle that contained a trigger point, the generation of the GTO reflex would cause a sore trigger point to immediately lose its tenderness. This might, then, resolve chronic symptoms that were caused by that trigger point.
Further to this discovery, a whole series of techniques for different applications could be devised. All the procedures have been designed to be extremely gentle, quickly applied, and easy to learn. It was a surprise when demonstrating the Pain Neutralization Techniques (PNT) to large groups of DCs and MDs that many patients obtained relief within minutes. Many doctors volunteered that their chronic pain was gone or much improved immediately after being treated. Often, the improvement after one treatment was permanent. If a trigger point is painful, one of the PNT reflexes is applied. If it's the correct application for that point, within seconds the trigger point will no longer be sore!
MANY DCs REPORT TRIGGER POINTS RESOLUTION
WHEN APPLYING PNT
Many doctors, including James Taylor, DC, of Connifer, Colorado, Dean Odmark, DC, of San Antonio, Texas, and Don Gay, DC, of Florence, Colorado., have reported instant reduction of trigger point tenderness under their fingers when applying PNT At a recent demonstration for a state chiropractic association, 95 per cent of the 150 doctors attending felt a trigger point disappear within seconds after applying one of the PNT techniques.
Todd Russett, DC, of Strathroy, Ontario, states, "my staff can't get over how fast trigger points neutralize. I used PNT on one patient that could literally not walk without a limp...she got up off the table and she was pain free, no limp! She had been really frightened that she would have to walk down the aisle at her wedding with a limp. We were both amazed." Nari Pidutti, ND, of Vancouver, B.C., said "I had a patient with neck pain at a level of "10" from an accident that went to "0" immediately after PNT. I had another whose shoulder ROM went from 10 degrees to 80 in one session."
Gordon Reinhold, DC, of Osoyoos, B.C., wrote of the cervical procedures, "I had a 76-year-old lady come in with a long-standing cervical condition which had recently become acutely painful. She also had a 15-year history of Meniere's Disease. Incredibly after just four treatments her Meniere's completely resolved and her neck was much better. I was more surprised at the results than she was."
325 MDs AMAZED AS DC ABOLISHES CHRONIC PAIN
Some of the doctors, excited by the results from PNT, invited me to demonstrate the techniques at various state conventions. Many MDs became excited about the procedures, and soon I was exhibiting to large groups of MDs as well.
In November 2007, I gave a presentation to a group of almost 400 skeptical MDs at the American College for Advancement in Medicine, in Phoenix. Robert Rowen, MD, editor of Second Opinion newsletter, was present. Of a previous demonstration, he'd written: "Here's a miracle I wouldn't have believed if I wasn't there to witness it. A chiropractor spoke about his Pain Neutralization Technique for instantly relieving painful trigger points. Then he performed his technique on many of my esteemed medical colleagues…. The majority got immediate relief, even with very long-term chronic problems. It was absolutely incredible! I've devoted an issue of my newsletter to his techniques."2 (A copy of this article is available from the author of this article on request.)
One of the physicians previously treated was Ted Rozema, MD, one of the developers of chelation therapy and co-author of The Scientific Basis of EDTA Chelation Therapy.
He wrote, "I've had continuous back pain since fracturing the transverse process of L1-2-3-4 in 1974. After P.N.T. the pain was completely gone in a few seconds. 18 months later, it's still gone. It never came back after that one treatment."
Hyla Cass MD, well-known author of Supplement Your Prescription and Natural Highs, wrote "I obtained immediate relief from chronic recurring neck and back pain. It's not returned, weeks later."
Michael Schachter, MD, author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Depression and The Natural Way to a Healthy Prostate, said, “I had pain in the right lumbro sacral area for years. I felt immediate relief after PNT” Joseph Rich, MD, of Knoxville, Tennessee wrote “The day after treatment with P.N.T., my back and sciatic pain disappeared completely for the first time in 5 years!”
‘IT DOESN'T WORK ON EVERY PATIENT’
Naturally not all pain is due to trigger points; eliminating the trigger point often reduces the symptom, but not always. Sometimes the trigger point disappears during the treatment, but returns later. However, most trigger points will improve after each treatment and be undetectable after a few visits. Many patients do things that perpetuate their trigger points, such as trying to adjust their own necks or cradling a cellphone between their shoulder and their ear.
These activities often perpetuate their problems and should be stopped. The Pain Neutralization Techniques have now been demonstrated to many hundreds of DCs and MDs. Many of these doctors have had instant improvement and elimination of chronic symptoms when their trigger points have been erased, including long-standing cervical and lumbar disc problems, frozen shoulders, severe TMJ dysfunction, migraines, unexplained abdominal pain, etc.
References:
1. Best and Taylor's Physiological Basis of Medical Practice. (1979) Edited by John Brobeck. Pp. 9-80
2. Rowen, Robert Jay M.D. "Permanently Eliminate Pain in Minutes." Second Opinion Newsletter, July, 2007.
3. Simons, D.G. "Undiagnosed pain complaints: trigger points?" Clin J Pain. 1997 Mar;13(1):82-3.
4. Travell, J., Rinzler, S. "The myofascial genesis of pain." Postgrad Med. 1952 May;11 (5):425-34.
5. Travell, J. and Simons, D.G. Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: the Trigger Point Manual. Vol. 1 and 2. Second edition, 1999. Liponcott, Williams and Wilkins.
6. Guyton, Arthur C. and Hall, John. Textbook of Medical Physiology: 2005.
Dr. Stephen Kaufman graduated LACC in 1978, and practises in Denver, Colorado. He developed Pain Neutralization Technique and Manual Spinal Nerve Blocks as a rapid new approach to pain. His friendly and informative website is www.painneutralization.com; he can be reached at 800-774-5078.
|
|
|
