Posts Tagged ‘spinal brace’
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
Did you know that virtually all back braces on the market today are based on the same working concept that was first developed way back in 650 A.D.? Sounds crazy but it’s true. That concept has been to immobilize the area of the back that is experiencing the pain. Immobilization is best accomplished using a belt or brace that squeezes tightly, similar to a woman’s corset. This is referred to as constriction.
However, in the 1990’s with the onset popularity of spinal decompression therapy one company designed a new kind of brace from scratch…a brace that could achieve a similar effect achieved during decompression therapy. (Decompression therapy is the use of computer guided spinal adjustments that targets herniated or bulging discs while you are lying on a spinal decompression therapy table. The adjustments expand the space between the two compressed vertebrae thus allowing the disc to distract [return] into its proper place and begin healing.)
The resulting new brace is the SR 500…a brace that inflates with air and expands vertically once adorned. As it expands vertically it pushes up against the rib cage and down against the pelvic girdle. This action helps offset the effect of gravity and stretches the lower spine thus creating decompression.
Since its invention and introduction to the U.S. market, the SR 500 has gained many fans, sworn advocates and users. The exclusive US distributor of the SR 500 is Spinal Rehab Solutions, Inc. (and the owner of this blog). It has received numerous testimonial letters at its offices in Henderson, NV. Many of them tell of how the SR 500 has practically healed them, saved them from spinal surgery and/or has afforded them a normal life again. The following is one such testimony:
“I have been using the SR 500 for about 18 months now. I first injured my back over 17 years ago when I fell on a ceramic tile floor. The fall caused my L5 disc to bulge. Since then my lower back had gotten worse as my discs had degenerated. No doctor or surgeon could help me. Weekly visits to my chiropractor were all that was saving me. During this time I never stopped looking for a remedy. Every three months or so I would use Google to search for various key words for back pain remedies. Then finally I found the SR 500 and I have been wearing it religiously since. I love it! It works! I can definitely tell my back is finally healing. I am no longer in pain and am even able to start exercising again. My chiropractor even got mad at me because he knows I am doing something that is healing my back but I haven’t told him what! I estimate that in another 6 months my back will be totally healed.”
Kathy Benkert
Lathrup Village, Michigan
Here is another testimonal from a gentleman in Kansas City, KS–a man that happens to actually work in the medical equipment supply industry and was already familiar with the various constriction braces on the market. Here is what he had to say:
“I was first introduced to the SR 500 Brace at a company training. Spinal Rehab Solutions founder and CEO Steven Fontana had flown out to our corporate headquarters in Kansas City, KS, to educate our staff on how this new brace works so we could best represent it to our client base. As Steven began to explain how the brace creates decompression of the spine by lodging up under the rib cage and pushing down against the pelvic girdle, my interest immediately began to intensify.
I approached Steven after the training to inquire about getting one. I explained to him how I had been suffering from chronic back pain for the last 8 years (since my spinal compression fracture) and was on the verge of agreeing to back surgery.
Steven was kind enough to leave me with a sample brace and I began wearing it that day. I was very anxious to see if it would do what Steven claimed it would do—decompress my spine. I had a 3 day ministry convention coming up where I would be standing in a booth long periods of time. I figured that would be the ultimate test for the SR 500.
Well, it has been a month since I first started wearing the brace and I can honestly say I am very blessed to have received it. My back pain is pretty much eliminated. I still wear the SR 500 from 2 to 4 hours per day. If I have a particularly long day on my feet, or have to do a lot of walking, or any serious lifting (not often, but occasionally) I still feel that old ache… but it is SIGNIFICANTLY improved! So much so, that I have really put off the idea of surgery!
I used to have nights when I couldn’t sleep, even with pretty heavy doses of anti-inflammatory medication, and sometimes even with prescription pain meds; I have not had a sleepless night (well, at least from back pain) since about a week after I began wearing the SR 500.
I wore the SR 500 for most of the time that I worked the 3-day ministry conference; I wore it under my polo, over a t-shirt, and it was quite comfortable for the extended hours I worked our booth. I am gearing up to work another 3 day festival on Labor Day weekend, and will be counting on my SR 500 to pull me through again!
Thanks again to Steven and Spinal Rehab Solutions for providing this incredible product to me. I’m serious… I LOVE it!”
Jim Gillespie
Knit-Rite
Kansas City, KS
If you suffer from a bulging or ruptured disc please consider the SR 500 brace. It could help you like it has helped thousands already. You must first obtain a prescription from your doctor. Most insurance companies will cover the SR 500 as will Medicare. If your doctor is not familiar with the SR 500 you may want to visit www.SpinalRehabSolutions.com and print off appropriate material to take to him/her. If your doctor still will not prescribe you one (although rare, it has happened. Some doctors just don’t like new things or change, or they may have financial motives to steer you toward surgery or other remedies), then please move on to another doctor, or call the Spinal Rehab offices at 702-586-5107 to inquire about a doctor in your area that is known to be familiar with the SR 500.
Happy healing!
Tags: back brace, back pain, back surgery, chiropractics, decompression, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain, pain, spinal brace, spinal decompression, spine, sr 500
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | No Comments »
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
Both CEO Steven Fontana and I (marketing director) spent this last week in Atlanta manning our booth at the MedTrade show. We were there with high expectations and despite the show’s attendance being off by some 50 percent over last year, those expectations were met in spades.
“We saw a continued interest in our SR 500 Lumbar Spinal-Air Decompression LSO Brace,” states Fontana. “In a time when the durable medical equipment industry is in turmoil with many DME suppliers are getting their reimbursements slashed and losing bids in the new competitive bidding environment, bracing is standing tall as a high reimbursement item and the SR 500 in particular is receiving a lot of attention because it is so unique and effective.”
At times the crowds at the Spinal Rehab Booth were standing room only during the 3-day show.
Also quite popular was the new Ortho TENS unit–an electro-therapy unit that has 6 body-specific presets, 2 preprogrammed universal settings that simulate IF and Galvanic, and 1 unspecified/open universal setting the patient or doctor can program as needed.
“The Ortho TENS is a magnificent unit simply because it can do so much yet it is very user friendly,” says Fontana. “It has the added benefit of being a good substitute for IF and Galvanic for those patients that need those treatments but can get them because Medicare does not reimburse for them. With the Ortho TENS they doctor can prescribe TENS therapy (which anyone in need of Galvanic or IF most likely need TENS as well) and indicate the Ortho TENS unit. The patient gets it covered and gets the treatment he or she needs. Everybody wins!”
Now that MedTrade is over we are eagerly following up on all the interest we got from the show. Additionally, we are looking forward to MedTrade Las Vegas in the Spring of 2011.
Tags: back brace, back pain, DME, Durable Medical Equipment, electro therapy, High Voltage Pulsed Galvanic Current, HME, Home Medical Equipment, IF, Interferential, Lower Back Pain, spinal brace, spinal decompression, Spinal Rehab Solutions, sr 500, TENS
Posted in SRS Insight | No Comments »
Friday, October 29th, 2010
If you were to do a search online for the “SR 500” you would likely come up with some links to a Yamaha motorcycle. You would also find the SR 500 is the given product name for a certain type of back brace, however, the SR 500 is no normal brace. Normal braces—or braces that are “common” on the market—are constriction braces. This means exactly what the term implies…they constrict. They are designed to cinch tight around the abdomen to immobilize the area. The theory is less movement less pain.
This simple logic has been the “backbone” of back bracing theory for hundreds of years. Then in the mid 1980s a new kind of treatment started to take hold in America—spinal decompression. By the late 1990s decompression therapy had made significant advances in technology and popularity. It was about that time that a Korean Medical company asked the question: Why can’t there be a brace that produces some of the same effects as decompression therapy?
The result of that question led to the world’s first ever decompression brace. I’ll spare you the details of exactly how it evolved, but evolve it did to what is now known as the SR 500. So let’s take an inside-out look at the SR 500. What makes it unique? What makes it a “decompression” brace?
First of all, the SR 500 is not a constriction brace. It does not immobilize the spine. When properly adorned, it actually promotes healthy movement. This helps avoid muscle atrophy which is a known side effect of the constriction back brace.
What the SR 500 does is expand vertically. In order to obtain a decompression effect, the designers created unique air chambers or cells made of a rubber bladder-like material that, when filled with air, expand upward. As they expand they cause the overall profile of the belt to grow from just 4 inches in height to over 7 inches in vertical height. As it does it lodges up under the rib cage pushing upwards and down against the pelvic girdle pushing downwards. The result is an unloading of the lumbar spine as the weight-bearing forces are offset. As this occurs, something quite magical takes place inside the spine. Discs that have been “compressed” due to an injury (such as a herniated or bulging disc) or due to a long life of poor health and poor posture (results are disc degeneration) can now “decompress.” That means they can distract or facilitate back into their original space and shape. As they do they reabsorb any lost fluids and begin to heal.
The decompression effect achieved by the SR 500 is a scaled down version of the decompression achieved on a decompression table at a qualified chiropractor’s office. Decompression tables use computer guided micro movements to target and adjust specific discs for short periods of time while the patient is on the table. This pinpointed effect has produced thousands of positive results for chronic back pain sufferers. The SR 500 offers the chance to continue decompression into the home between visits or after the therapy ends. It serves as a perfect supplement to the table treatments and it has helped speed the recovery of many patients. It has even allowed many patients freedom from pain killers and the elimination of the possibility of spinal surgery.
Included with the SR 500 is a hand pump that has a built in pressure gauge to insure proper inflation, a owner’s manual and a laundry bag. The SR 500 is 100% machine washable. The brace also comes with a rigid front and rear panel for those individuals who need more spinal stability in the initial stages of healing.
The design behind the SR 500 is patent protected and is available by prescription only. Medicare and private insurance companies reimburse for the brace. Visit your doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist or other care provider to inquire about obtaining your own SR 500. You may want to visit www.spinalrehabsolutions.com first and print off some information to show your provider in case he/she is not familiar with this type of brace.
Tags: back brace, back injuries, back pain, back surgery, chiropractics, decompression, discs, distraction, Durable Medical Equipment, healing, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain, pain, spinal brace, spinal decompression, Spinal Rehab Solutions, spine, sr 500
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 10 Comments »
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
If only there were a study done regarding how effective back surgery is in relation to not having back surgery. I wonder what the results would be? Maybe some day someone will conduct such a study.
Well, that someday is today! In a very thought provoking article, MSNBC contributor Linda Carroll reports on just such a study. It is a great article that tells the story of a Scottsdale, AZ woman who has endured two back surgeries only to find her pain increasing.
The article also reports on what researchers found when they combed through over 1400 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Comp database. The results regarding back pain sufferers who went under the knife vs. those who did not are nothing less that shocking!
Read the entire article here.
Tags: back brace, back injuries, back pain, back surgery, discs, DME, Durable Medical Equipment, HME, Home Medical Equipment, Lower Back Pain, MSNBC, pain, spinal brace, spinal decompression, spine, sr 500
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
I recently read a Q and A session on a European blog where individuals could ask a doctor about a certain situation in their personal health lives and the doc would respond.
One particular question a woman was asking about her 70-year old mother’s back pain. The response was lengthy and informative so I have taken the liberty to copy what was said and post it here for your educational reading.
“My mother has severe pain in her lower back and legs. An MRI scan showed ‘cauda equina’ compression and a slipped vertebra. She was told the only treatment is an operation but the outcome will not be that good and may even make things worse. She was given Gabapentin for the pain but it hasn’t helped, and she’s constantly crying and unable to do anything. Are there any other treatments?”
Dr Scurr says… Your mother is stuck between a rock and a hard place. But as is so often the case, communication is everything, and what is significant is that you’ve been led to believe the outcome of surgery ‘will not be that good’.
While I agree there’s a possibility an operation may not help, and under exceptional circumstances could make matters worse, the balance of probability is her pain will be reduced and she’ll be able to get back to normal life.
Hers is a common problem, so it is worth describing what’s going on. The cauda equina (or ‘horse’s tail’) are the group of nerves which travel from halfway down the back. They run through the spinal canal, a channel about the thickness of your little finger which is situated behind the vertebrae.
The scan revealed your mother has degenerative disease (often referred to as wear-and-tear arthritis), which has put pressure on those nerves. This is usually because a disc between two vertebrae is breaking up or bulging.
Sometimes the pressure is due to lack of space when new bone has formed in the spinal canal (a condition known as osteophyte formation). This is due to damage and inflammation caused by arthritis.
The medical term for this lack of space in the spinal canal is spinal stenosis. It is very common, probably affecting almost all of us to some extent as we age, though not to this degree.
All this pressure on the cauda equina causes severe back pain and some pain in the buttocks and legs, usually relieved only by lying down. It’s a disabling and miserable condition, and it usually worsens.
Your poor mother’s stenosis is being compounded by a slipped vertebra (spondylolisthesis). Imagine a pile of three cotton reels, one on top of another, then gently push the middle one; the cotton reel holes are no longer lined up, so that the bundle of nerves running down the middle are at best kinked, at worst crushed.
This slippage is caused by degeneration of the ligaments and muscles which support the vertebrae, and is the result of a sedentary lifestyle combined with natural ageing.
By the time it gets to this stage, other options, such as good physiotherapy, are very limited.
The spinal stenosis can be relieved by laminectomy, trimming the bone behind the cauda equina to open up enough space for the nerves to travel free of pressure.
To tackle the spondylolisthesis the surgeon will stabilise the vertebrae using screws, bone grafts, or both (a technique known as spinal fusion).
The combination of the two procedures constitutes major surgery, but it is routine, i.e. thousands of such operations are performed every year, and it’s the best potential route for your mother to be pain-free and mobile once again.
Gabapentin can be effective in the treatment of pain, caused by damage to nerve tissue. The dose has to be adjusted upwards, slowly, to reach a level that provides relief, although in this type of problem, which is caused by the crushing of nerves, the chances of success are limited.
You need to tackle the cause, and that means having the courage to go through with an operation.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1299793/Ask-doctor-Is-surgery-cure-pain.html#ixzz0vgGF8Sxy
Personally I wonder if decompression therapy would help her, or are her joints and ligaments too deteriorated? Wearing a decompression brace such as our SR 500 would certainly help relieve some of the pressure and be a good indicator as to whether decompression may work.
Tags: back brace, back pain, back surgery, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain, spinal brace, spinal decompression, spine, sr 500
Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
Tags: back brace, back pain, back surgery, DME, Durable Medical Equipment, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain, pain, prescription drug addiction, spinal brace, spinal decompression, spine, sr 500
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 2 Comments »
Thursday, August 19th, 2010
Steve Fontana, our fearless leader, boss and CEO here at Spinal Rehab Solutions, Inc., spent this lovely morning at the offices of Freedom Medical doing a training. He just returned and reports that everything went well and is excited about Freedom’s enthusiasm to start proactively representing the SR 500 Brace here in the Las Vegas metro area. Welcome to the SRS family Freedom!!
Tags: back brace, DME, DMEPOS, Durable Medical Equipment, spinal brace, spinal decompression, sr 500
Posted in SRS Insight | No Comments »
Monday, August 16th, 2010
If you have prolonged moderate to severe back pain, chances are at some point a doctor is going to suggest back surgery. Most likely this suggestion will come after pain med prescriptions and epidural blocks have lost their efficiency and you are at your rope’s end.
There are many things you can do to help your back heal and avoid going under the knife. Of course everyone is different and each cause of back pain is unique, so unfortunately a “one cure fits all” remedy is simply not available.
Let’s get going. First and foremost is diet and exercise. Yeah yeah I am sure you are as sick as the rest of us of hearing you’ve got to work out and eat right. But maybe you are hearing it so much because it is actually important? Just a thought.
The preventative effects exercise alone can have on your back and its overall health are significant. Ever heard of exercises that strengthen your core? They are not referring to your spirit or soul. They are referring to that group of muscles located in and around your midsection (your waist and lower back). They are called obliques, abdominals, flexors, extensors and glutes. Keep these babies toned and loose and you will not only avoid a plethora of potential back problems later in life, but you will find your posture is one even 18th century Aristocrats would be proud of.
Keeping these muscles strong keeps weight bearing forces off the spine…which can prevent such nasties as bulging or herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and facet joint deterioration. All of which equal pain with a capital “P.” Regarding diet, answer this question: What is most likely to wear down your spine—80 or more lbs of beer belly fat (men) or no extra weight at all? Does the answer really need to be stated?
What does need stating is the effect smoking can have on the back. As if you needed one more reason to not smoke, the arteries which carry precious nutrient-rich blood to your back—including to all the delicate tissue around your spin and the discs and muscles that cushion and support it—tend to harden and restrict with age. Smoking speeds up this process possibly making it so you have an 80-year old back when you are only 60 or 65. Lack of nutrients to your back is an open door invitation for degenerative diseases such as arthritis to take hold.
But let’s say you’ve already spent most your life neglecting your core muscles coupled with a wicked mixture of bad eating habits. Now you have constant moderate to severe back pain. Is it too late? Is your back destined to be sliced and diced? No, not necessarily.
Again, this has to be said with caution because sometimes surgery may indeed be necessary. But we’ll assume you are one of the many lucky ones who can find relief without a surgical knife. How do you know if you are one of the lucky ones? One of the following tactics will work.
To begin with, start exercising your core muscles! Trouble is by now you may be in so much pain that you can’t actually exercise. Now what?
Work with a physical therapist. Start slow, with stretches and mild moves. Believe it or not, little by little your muscles will strengthen. However, that might not be enough. You may have damage that needs repaired in addition to strengthening your core. Fortunately the body is its own best healer! A chiropractor, especially one that specializes in spinal decompression, may be exactly what you need. Today’s decompression tables are guided by super smart computers that control the force and angle of the pull on the spine thus tricking the body’s natural tendency to resist. The result is extra room between the vertebrae into which bulging or herniated discs can distract and heal.
Lastly, use a decompression spinal brace for your toughest times. Such a brace can give your back the break (no pun intended) it needs just long enough to get you to your next round of core-strengthening exercises.
Tags: back brace, back pain, back surgery, Lower Back Pain, pain, spinal brace, spinal decompression, sr 500
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Check out this new slide presentation called
I put together. It’s informative and entertaining. I call it “infotaining!”
Tags: back surgery, decompression table, discs, distraction, healing, herniated disc, Lower Back Pain, spinal brace, spinal decompression, spine
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | No Comments »
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Sprained ankles are common, but what about a sprained back? Is it possible? Yes it is. Use this quick question and answer article below to learn what a sprained back is and how it can be healed.
Q: What is a sprain anyway?
A: A sprain is a microscopic tear of ligaments, tendons or muscles.
Q: How do I know if I have a sprained back muscle?
A: You will feel pain. But making sure the pain you feel is from a sprain and not a damaged disc or other problem is critical. Generally you will have stiffness, pain that may radiate into the buttocks but does not go into the legs, pain that persists more than two weeks and muscle spasms.
Q: Will my sprained back heal?
A: Yes. Statistics show that well over 90 percent of all sprained back sufferers experience a full recovery.
Q: How long will it take my sprained back to heal?
A: This depends on severity of the sprain, your age and health, and on how well you are able to put yourself into healing-conducive situations. But a sprain can take up to a year to heal. Don’t worry though; it is most likely that you will be able to lead a normal active life after the initial healing period.
Q: Initial healing period? What’s that?
A: There are four stages of healing after a sprain.
Stage 1 is referred to the Active Swelling stage and occurs during the initial 12-72 hours after the injury.
Stage 2 is called the Passive Congestion stage and begins by day 2 or 3. This is the stage where most of the swelling occurs.
Stage 3 is the Tissue Repair stage. It begins by day 4 or 5. During this stage the body infiltrates the damaged area with scar tissue which is laid down in criss-cross matrix of fibers and is not conducive to normal function.
Stage 4 is the remodeling stage. It starts about six weeks after the Tissue Repair stage begins. In this stage, scar tissue fibers are realigned to a parallel orientation. It generally lasts 3-6 months but can last up to a year. It is during this stage that you can return to an increasingly normal routine.
Q: Is there anything I can do to speed my recovery?
A: Yes there is. During stage 1 stay down and keep movement to an extreme minimum. During stage 2, as pain levels allow, start to become somewhat mobile. But don’t push it. During stage 3 increase movement and functionality. You should be able to begin to cautiously return to some normal function albeit slower, and guarded. Avoid lifting or any sudden movement. Then, during stage 4, under your doctor’s or physical therapist’s guidance, you can engage in stretches and exercise to aid the body in realigning the scar tissue.
In the initial stages anti inflammatory drugs will greatly aid in the reduction of swelling which will allow for quicker healing. Electro therapy devices are also highly recommended. There is a great article I wrote on the various devices called TENS, EMS, IF, HVPC! Oh My! The DME Providers’ Ultimate Guide. http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=2965593 It was written for those who sell this equipment, but any reader will find it quite informative.
Q: Should I wear a back brace? If so, when and for how long?
A: A back brace, (a.k.a. a spinal brace) can be very helpful in immobilizing your sprained muscles while allowing you to remain active. In the initial stages, a restrictive or “cinch-tight” brace is ideal. However, especially as you enter the remodeling stage, a flexible brace such as Spinal Rehab Solutions’ SR 500 brace is a better choice. I mention the product by name because while restrictive braces are common and can be found almost everywhere, the newness of the flexible brace makes them harder to locate.
In general, braces should be worn no more than 4 hours a day to avoid muscle atrophy, and they can be worn at your most challenging times whether that be while lying, sitting or standing.
Tags: back brace, back injuries, back sprain, Lower Back Pain, spinal brace
Posted in Articles by Michael Harris | 3 Comments »
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