severe arthritis and failed back
surgery of thirty years resolved
by reconstruction therapy
by William J. Faber
Linda Sullivan, 50, suffered 32 years from back pain and lack of endurance after falling during gymnasium, in high school, and later a motorcycle accident. She had laminectomy surgery but she was left with pain. She was told she had to live with it. In desperation, she went to the Milwaukee Pain Clinic for evaluation. Spinal X-rays revealed severe degenerative arthritis throughout her lower back. This was from the instability of the spine. The arthritis formed to stabilize the spine. Linda received non-surgical tendon, ligament and joint reconstruction therapy to her low back sacroiliac ligaments and after just 8 sessions, she was considerably improved. Her husband noted "Tears no longer form on her cheeks as we ride in our vacation van as we did for years before." Linda like many patients initially didn't tell her whole story. After suffering pain for so many years, she didn't want to initially tell how much pain she had in her arm and her shoulder, as she feared the answer would be, just to live with it as she heard from so many other doctors. Examination of her shoulder revealed that the ligaments and tendons were torn and lax. She was given reconstructive therapy to the ligaments and tendons in the arm and the shoulder and this produced dramatic increased strength. Her main side affect was less pain. She gave Dr. Faber, a picture of the cement blocks she carried when building a new home. Linda said, "Reconstruction therapy gave me a life again."
Non-Surgical Reconstruction
In acute injuries the ligaments and tendons become tom. (See figure #2). Ligaments function to limit the range of motion that bones can move between each other. Ligaments function to stabilize joints and hold the joint together (See figure # 1 ). Tendons function to attach a muscle to bone in order to provide motion. Discs and cartilage serve to absorb shock and keep the bones from rubbing against one another. (See figure #1). If the ligaments become torn or over-stretched the joint becomes unstable and resultant friction causes the discs or cartilage to become worn down causing a loss of height. The disc and cartilage may also become worn down by repeated motion. (See figure #2). This loss of height causes further ligament laxity and thus more instability. The friction of the joint is a stress. Bones respond to stress by making more bone. This results in bone spurring (See figure #4) which is the body's attempt to splint or stabilize the unstable joint. Degenerative disease is merely the body's attempt to stabilize joints as the tendons and ligaments have not been able to heal because of lack of blood supply. If a patient has considerable degenerative arthritis the loss of disc or cartilage height causes a laxity of the supporting ligaments. This causes joint instability. (See figure #4) Reconstruction has been shown to be effective in these conditions causing the lax ligaments to become strengthened thus stabilizing the joint and allowing for increased function and endurance (See figure #3).
 |
 |
| Figure 1 | Figure 2 |
 |
 |
| Figure 3 | Figure 4 |
Reconstruction therapy (also known as sclerotherapy and proliferative) is given by a slender needle similar to the hairlike needles of the acupuncturist into the fibro-osseous junction. This is the area where the tendon or ligament attaches to the bone. The substance used is sodium morrhuate which comes from cod liver fish oil and a local anesthetic. Repeated studies at the University of Iowa have shown that the areas injected have increased in size by 35-40% thus causing permanent strengthening. (See figure #3)
Therapy Benefits
Each treatment session results in more and more tissue being laid down in the needed areas. As a result the joints continue to become stronger. The patient notes more endurance in that they can do more activities as well as activities they couldn't do before. The main side effect of the treatment is less pain as the result of the joint being stabilized. Snapping, clicking and popping sounds go away. The patients can usually feel the joint becoming stronger with each treatment they receive.
In Dr. George S. Hackett's monograph "Ligament and Tendon Relation Treated by Prolotherapy" figure #5 and #6 show normal rabbit tendons which have been injected three times each. The tendon on the right has been given a proliferative solution. The left tendons have been given placebo injections. Hackett found that the tendons injected with the proliferative solutions were 35 to 40% larger in diameter and weight compared to the control injected left tendon. In his monograph and article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Hackett states that 1600 patients with severe sacroiliac sprain were treated with reconstructive injections. They were examined by independent physicians 2 to 12 years after treatment was completed. Eighty- two percent of those remained free of pain or recurrences.
Figure 5:
Rabbit tendons on the right have been injected 3 times with reconstructive
solution.
Figure 6:
X-rays of tendons. Right tendons have been injected 3 times.
Longer white preps represent stronger attachment to the bone.
Double-blind Human Study Demonstrated Success
In a study at the Sansum Medica clinic of Santa Barbara, Califomia led by Robert Klein, M.D., a rheumatologist, and Thomas Dorman, M.D., an internist. They conducted the most difficult task of a double blind human study in the most difficult cases of continuous low back pain patients who suffered for ten years of longer. They divided 81 patients who have had surgery, medications, manipulations/adjustments, exercise, physical therapy and other treatments which failed to provide adequate relief for 10 or more years.
One group was given manipulation and a reconstructive solution of dextrose, glycerine and phenol. The other group was given sham manipulations and normal saline injections. Great care was taken to insure that neither the patient nor the physicians knew which solution was injected. Both groups were given a total of six sessions of treatment. The results were tabulated and then the code was broken. It was found that 88% of the group injected with the reconstructive solution had moderate to marked improvement. They reported their findings in a prestigious British medical journal The Lancet on July 18, 1987.
A recent study by Klein & Dorman showed increased collagen and increased diameter of ligaments on biopsy of treated human sacraliliac ligaments.(5)
Indications for Reconstructive Therapy
References
Originally published in Heath Freedom News March/April 1990