This is very rushed, and not at all what I was intending to do, but just to give some encouragement to those that are losing hope of a cure. All cases are different, but the science as a whole is progressing well. The following is just a quick overview of some modern techniques, specifically relating to discs that are diminished in thickness. The microspine system is the exception.
A comprehensive course of treatment on the DRX 9000 takes about 20 days, with further follow-up treatment at a more leisurely pace. In a good practice, there will be other procedures running in parallel with the traction. $4,600 is a ball park figure, but this is based on insurance companies footing the bill. But remember, this is not just manipulation.
The concept is claimed to be more far-reaching and permanent than just adjusting the spine. It is claimed that fluids are drawn into the intervertebral discs, due to negative pressures being created in the disc. Note that in the case of discs [that are not being repaired by the bodies's own repair systems], there is an absence of a blood supply. A healthy disc is reliant on this ‘breathing', but as the pain becomes greater, so it is far less likely to be ‘pumped' by normal activities. It's a vicious circle.
http://www.spineuniverse.com/display...ticle1267.html
To check in to an American hospital, can, I am told, be as low as $35,000. This seems rather low to me. The briefing that I had was for a laminectomy on a 76 year old man with considerable stenosis, not a trivial op. He assured me that his bills from the Mayo clinic were all in, but I'm really not sure. The Mayo will I'm told, give an outline diagnosis on receipt of MRIs and reports sent in by Fedex!!! I find this odd, and know of no one that has actually done this.
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_r...category=Spine
The microspine laser treatment was $11,000 ish for the first level, then $10,000 per level. It was off to a local hotel for recovery. A recent MRI is required. The thing about this treatment is that it is minimally invasive, and they claim that they can cut away more ‘hardware' with a laser. No comment.
Another route to correcting the symptoms of a diminished disc, is to wedge the vertebra apart with a Wallis device. This is open surgery, because the wedge has to be strapped into place of course. This is practiced in the UK on the NHS and takes some weeks of recovery but mostly at home. This again is based on the premise that the disc has collapsed to some extent.
http://www.spine-health.com/research...is/wallis.html
There is no doubt that if the discs could be persuaded to draw in life giving fluids, and then be persuaded to stay like that, it would be nothing short of miraculous. With the intervertebral distance correct, other components, like facet joints and nerve routing, are more likely to align.
In a conversation with a British neuro-surgeon, he dismissed the concept of disc material being sucked back in, as Bollocks. ‘It doesn't work like that..." he said, and dismissed the whole concept of traction as a curative procedure. He is a very experienced spinal surgeon. The makers of the DRX have had to overcome a great deal of scepticism, and here, there may be a financial factor... Only statistics will reveal the answer, but someone in pain does not want to wait that long.
There is little doubt that $4,600 would be a small price to pay to get one's life back, but for most people, the thought of lashing out such a sum, and then being no better off, is a nightmare. A great deal of thought has to go into choosing the correct route. There is one route NOT to take.
There is a procedure in which the soft material in the center of the disc is cooked with a catheter. I doubt that a disc so treated will ever be of value again. This technique has been used in the UK to alleviate pain...with some good results, but I doubt anyone will offer this procedure anymore. I hope.
My main doubts lie with the aging disc.
75 years of age is suggested as a maximum, but patients that can not be anesthetized because of age, are having traction in their late 80s. I guess this is on a ‘nothing to loose basis.'