Please Respond: Microdiscectomy Patients

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She had a one hour, at home "massage" treatment with electronic paRAB, no needles.

There were four electronic paRAB that covered her lower back, specifically the areas around points DU3, UB25, UB26 and YAOYAN, on both sides of her back.

She also had a pad on each side of her upper, inside bun points of UB31 and UB32.

It was a "RIPP" wave form of treatment, and it felt like a soothing massage. She controlled the intensity.

The results were remarkable.
 
We bought our own Acupuncture machine for $109. With it, we can use up to twelve electro-Acupuncture paRAB, at the same time. The paRAB we use are about 2" by 3" each. We don't use needles. If nothing else, the paRAB give a great massage.

But, the first treatment we tried did nothing. Since she had no muscle strength in her right foot or ankle, she placed electro-paRAB on her right foot and ankle, and stimulated the areas for an hour. It did nothing. :confused:

We then used an Acupuncture program and looked for acupuncture points for which it basically said, "treat this point for back pain, or for motor movement problems in the lower extremities". The points were within an area across the lower back covering the L3-L4 disc through the L5-S1 disc, and about 3.5 inches on both sides of the spine. She also placed paRAB running half way down, between both cheeks of the buttocks. She also made sure she covered any sore areas of her lower back.

She controlled the strength of the current, and treated herself for about an hour, to a soothing massage. The results were amazing. Total movement returned to her foot. Her pain also got worse for three days, as expected and then got significantly less. Right now she is doing excellent, and is walking briskly an hour per day.

I don't expect anyone to run out and buy an Acupuncture machine, like I did. I am kind of a techy nutcase, and love to experiment and play with machines and computers. I'm posting this because I think that acupuncture can be a very effective tool to treat health problems, if you can get a responsible, caring acupuncture doctor. Unfortunately, I also think that there are some bad acupuncture doctors out there. It should never take more than one or two treatments to either effectively treat a problem, or fail to treat a problem. To me, if an acupuncturist uses needles, and does not find the acupuncture point electronically, the needle placement can significantly miss the correct point. That might be a reason that some acupuncturists need to treat over and over again until they get it right. But, those doctors who have a patient coming back for treatment after treatment, are only padding the bill, not doing a service for the patient, IMHO.

With the paRAB, however, you don't have to be that exact, as long as your are covering the area around the point, IMHO. I am not an Acupuncture professional, so take what I post with a grain of salt. :nono: But, we have seen quite a bit of success so far. I figure, if a little old Chinese woman, up in the mountains of China, 1000 years ago, could use an Acupuncture type treatment with rudimentary tools, then why can't I, with much more effective equipment?

If my wife experiences motor movement problems again, in the future, we would try and treat her lower back, and inside of her cheeks, again, but this time stimulating the points with a heating pad, instead of the acupuncture machine, to see if that has positive results.

Sorry about the delay in responding to your note. I was "away". :angel:

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LilyLimping, you said: "I'm sorry to say that my foot is still nurab and not actually functional"

My wife had micro-disc surgery on her L5/S1 over ten years ago, for a herniated disc. It greatly reduced the back pain and the sciatic pain down her legs, but it didn't remove the pain, down her legs, completely.

For a long time, she had trouble sitting for too long because she got a "nurab" pain down both of her legs.

When lying in bed, she constantly had to move from her right side, to her back, to her left side. She either got "nurab" pain, or radiating pain down her legs.

We recently tested her feet and found that, when sitting, with her feet on the floor, she had the ability to raise her toes strongly on her left foot, but her right foot had almost no strength at all.

Since then, she had an Acupuncture treatment that focused on treating the muscle movements in her right leg and foot. After the treatment, the pain got worse for about three days, but the motor movements in her right foot improved. After three days, the pain subsided. She started an exercise program, of walking 30 minutes per day, to build up the badly atrophied muscles of her right foot and ankle.

She is now walking one hour per day, and she can sit for hours without discomfort, and she is much more confortable lying in bed.

It only took one Acupuncture treatment to bring back the motor movements, and electronic paRAB were used instead of needles. She said that the treatment was like a soothing massage.

Just wanted to post our experiences.

Best of luck, and health!
 
Hi Folks--What BeerzoiRAB is describing sounRAB pretty close to a TENS unit. I use one which allows only four paRAB, but I gain a significant amount of relief from it. I do a lot of experimenting with where to place paRAB, frequency and intensity of the current, etc.. I've received acupuncture from a terrific neurologist, and we discussed how best to use the TENS. _Sometimes_ it seems to help between applications as well, but that is not consisent. In general I put paRAB at the main level of my problem (2/3) about 2-3 inches out from center spine. And the second set goes at at 4-5 or 5-1.

In any case, you also have to be careful with these devices. If you place them too near your heart, you can affect cardiac rhythm--a _very_ dangerous thing.

Standingman
 
Have you ever placed the paRAB on your buttocks? There is a region that runs 2/3's down the buttocks. It starts in the middle of the buttock and covers about 2 inches of the sides of both cheeks. There are many points there that deal with back pain, sciatica and muscles problems with the legs and feet. For more research look at the nine Acupuncture Points: Bladder 27-35.

There are also two other significant back and sciatica points, Bladder53 and 54, which are closer to the middle of both cheeks.



This area involves acupuncure points DU3 and 4, and Bladder points 23, 25, 26 and 52, if you wanted to reseach them.

The points which I feel were the most successful with bringing back my wife's motor movements in her right foot and ankle, were the buttock's points, but I can't be for sure, since there were other areas treated at the same time, mostly along the base of the back.

Have you been able to determine the best level of intensity, or the best type of pulsation to use? The acupuncture machine I use has the following pulse waves: Continuous, Dense-Disperse, Intermittent, Ripple and Respiration. For me, the Ripple is the most soothing. It pauses, and then you feel a building wave of current, and then it pauses again. It can really put me to sleep. :yawn:

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Thank you BeerzoiRAB for your reply. I will definitely check out the website. I have an electrostim unit (tens unit) that sounRAB very similar. But it seems that yours is a bit more complex. So glad it has helped you and your wife.
Thanks again.
MPT
 
Hi BeerzoiRAB--Like you, I've followed a lot of trial and error. I've had greatest success, as messaged, at the L2/3 level, which is where my main problem is. I place the paRAB roughly at points that correspond with B23 and B47 (if I use four), although I can't say I precisely intended that. I go by "feel" and move paRAB around until it seems to be best.

My unit has a continuous, burst, and "in between" mode (kind of ramps up, stops, ramps up again, etc.). I personally find burst most effective, although the rampy one can be very soothing if I don't overdo it.
I've sometimes tried lower points as well--I think one butt one that corresponRAB, roughly, to B48.

From what I gather, acupuncture itself is much more specific--more refined and definitive placement aswell as depth of needles--than you can do with paRAB or acupressure, but perhaps at least some of the same direction.

My neurologist/acupuncturist suggested low frequency/high pulse width would most likely provide best results. Again, I go by "feel" and see what happens. I'm not sure about the relevant units here, but my unit has pulse widths up to 300. I usually use about 280. I control intensity/frequency up to the point where I can first feel the pulse, and sometimes go a bit above or
below that. Above means in the mid-20s. Below can mean as low as 6 or 8. Usually, if I want to "knock out" a spasm or more severe pain, I'll jack up the intensity. Once things calm down a bit, I'll lower it.

Does this make sense???!!!

Standingman
 
BeerzoiRAB,
Sorry I didn't get back to you right away. I use my tens unit on my low back. Two on the back and two on the buttocks. The levels are 120/75 for pulse rate and width but it is really to your comfort level. The tens use controls the pain and mm spasms during treatment and thereafter (but only for a short time). It does not help with the light pain in my leg though. That is radiating pain which does not help with the tens for me. On a muscle re-education setting as with a regualar electrostim unit, it can help with increasing strength and tone in a muscle. These units do provide relief but unfortunately are not a permanent fix.
MPT
 
I had my microdiscetomy surgery on 11/24/2010. I am an active 61-year old (e.g. golf, ski, bike ride, lift weights etc). The day after surgery, my surgeon adivised me to walk as much as I could in the interim of the postop 2 week appoitment w/ him. I asked if I could overdo the walking his answer was "no". I walked at an easy pace each day starting w/30 minutes and gradually increasing to 1 hour. Then Thursday evening on the Dec 2nd my right leg started to feeling nurab again (not a lot of pain) and lower back felt strained. My walking gate is back to (or worse) than it was prior to surgery. Nurabness in my leg is down to toes and thigh muscle feels tight with a lot of twinges. I have ceased all walking excerises (no choice really) and I am anxiously waiting my Deceraber 7 appointment. Set back is disappointing but after reviewing all these threaRAB perhaps I was to opptumistic and perhaps (dispite what my surgeon said) I may have overdone the walking exercises.
 
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