| M.U.A.
- Manipulation Under Anesthesia
TIRED OF CHRONIC BACK AND NECK PAIN?
NOT BAD ENOUGH FOR SURGERY?
AFRAID OF SURGERY?
NOT IMPROVING (REACHED A STANDSTILL) WITH CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
COOPERATION BETWEEN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION AND CHIROPRACTIC DOCTORS
HAS MADE THE TECHNIQUE OF MANIPULATION UNDER CONSCIOUS SEDATION AVAILABLE.
Manipulative treatment of the spine is the science and practice of
the non-operative restoration of the function of the bones, joints,
muscles, tendons and ligaments. The overall objective of manipulation is
to relieve the patient's pain and disability with a minimum amount of
expense to the patient and loss of time from work and other activities.
In acute back pain when there is severe pain and spasm, an
anesthetic may be desirable to aid with the manipulation. In chronic pain
when the patient has received regular manipulative treatment over a long
period of time and has not had a major improvement in the level of pain or
an increase in the person's back or joint flexibility, manipulation under
anesthesia may be effective.
What kinds of conditions respond well to manipulation under
conscious sedation? Migraine headaches, chronic neck and back pain,
chronic disc changes, chronic myositis, chronic fibrositis, restricted
motion following trauma including some compression fractures, acute muscle
spasms associated with subluxations,
arthritis, frozen shoulder, hip joint motion restrictions and other
conditions.
Why anesthesia? The joints are stabilized by muscles and ligaments.
When the muscles are in spasm, the doctor of chiropractic may not be able
to put the joint through its normal range of motion. Under anesthesia the
postural tone of the muscles and the muscle spasms are abolished. This
allows the chiropractor to gently manipulate the joints by putting the
joints through their normal range of motion, reduce the restrictive
adhesions and reduce the misalignments of the involved vertebrae. This
procedure works well for many patients who have pain and do not wish to
undergo surgery. Some patients are in too much pain or have muscle spasms
that are too severe and chronic to benefit from chiropractic care without
anesthesia.
Why conscious sedation? An intravenous sedative is administered by a
medical doctor (anesthesiologist). The patient is not subjected to the
dangers of general anesthesia and the patient is awake enough to preserve
protective reflexes. The patient is sedated for 5 to 10 minutes, rather
than for hours as during back surgery. The nurses, medical doctors and
chiropractors, physical therapists and hospital staff work closely
together as a team.
How
do you know if you can benefit from manipulation under anesthesia (MUA)?
First, an orthopedic and neurological examination is performed by
chiropractor specifically certified to perform MUA. There are only a few
chiropractors in California qualified to do so. Any other necessary other
studies are ordered. These may include x-rays, lab tests, magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI), CT scan, EMG and nerve conduction studies. A
medical doctor will also perform an examination to be sure the patient can
be safely anesthetized and is a good candidate for MUA. This is truly a
team effort between medical doctors and doctors of chiropractic working
together for the benefit of the patient. |
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