Non-Surgical Procedure Is Gaining Popularity

The Arizona Back Institute the premier Non-Surgical spine clinic in Arizona Announced early this week that they are ramping up their efforts to bring a controversial treatment back into the mainstream. This treatment called Manipulation Under Anesthesia or MUA has been around for many years, but only recently has it been making a comeback as more and more research comes out against invasive procedures for spinal pain.

According to Dr. Randall Pruitt a chiropractic neurologist at the Arizona Back Institute the procedure is very effective, “Anytime someone suffers an injury

whether it be to their back, neck or some other area the bodies first defense is always to repair the damage with scar tissue. It does this as a byproduct of inflammation so when the area becomes inflamed cells called fibroblasts infiltrate the area to mend damaged tissues. This happens because the body isn’t sure whether or not an infection is a threat and it tries to wall off the injured area. This is a great protection mechanism to sustain life, but it can be very damaging to the function of the tissues. This scar tissue begins to restrict motion and can cause a great deal of pain and dysfunction.”

The MUA procedure has been extensively used in the orthopedic community for the treatment of frozen shoulder. And according to Dr. Pruitt the same strategy applies to the spine.” Any time an area is injured and range of motion is restricted joint degeneration and muscle spasm is unavoidable.” Because of the intensity of the pain stretching, physical therapy or traditional chiropractic treatment is almost impossible due to the patients guarding of the area.

Only recently have doctors really understood the role of active motion during the healing process.
For example for many years after knee surgery the knee was immobilized, now we know better says Dr. Pruitt the joint needs to move after injury to regain full function. Using anesthesia puts the patient in a comfortable sedated state so that gentle stretching to break up scar tissue and restore motion is possible. “Most patients wake up feeling much more flexible and less restricted.” When asked who the ideal candidate would be for MUA Dr. Pruitt replied “Anyone with chronic pain that has tried traditional physical treatments for back or neck pain and has failed, and anyone who has had a failed back surgery should at least be evaluated to see if MUA is an option”. Media Contact: Dr. Randall Pruitt, DC, DACNB, DAAPM, MUAC, drp@arizonabackinstitute.com, 480-503-3344