I was exhausted, in constant pain and waiting for neck surgery – until I tried āIntervertebral Disc Decompressionā…. says Gail Redpath.
FACING a major operation on her neck and frightened of the potential consequences, Gail Redpath was desperate to find an alternative to relieve her debilitating pain.
The 46-year-old payroll officer was suffering pins and needles and numbness in her arms which was making her working life unbearable. Added to that, severe pain in her neck and head was leaving her exhausted after disturbed sleep and restricting her from carrying out everyday chores such as shopping and gardening.
Over a period of two years she underwent physiotherapy, acupuncture and sports massage but nothing worked.
An MRI scan showed Gail had two bulging discs in her neck which were responsible for the pain she was suffering. At this stage she was booked in to see a neurosurgeon.
From there things started moving quickly. Gail was told that she needed surgery. The operation would involve making a small incision at the front of her throat from where the surgeon would then move behind her vocal chords to get to the discs. The operation was to be carried out within weeks but Gail was anxious from the start.
āMy husband, Michael was away at the time and I remember feeling very apprehensive,ā she says.
āI wasnāt comfortable with what I was reading about the operation when I researched it. The surgeon had said I wouldnāt be able to do much for a couple of weeks after the operation, but when I looked into it, that was more like six weeks and even then, it might take a whole year to fully recover.
āObviously people are warned about the worst-case scenario if the operation doesnāt go according to plan and whilst small, the risks in this case were death, brain damage or paralysis. I was pretty terrified at the thought of having to go through such an operation and very worried about the outcome. I didnāt feel I wanted to take those risks,ā says Gail.
However, she knew she had to find a solution as her day-to-day life was becoming unbearable. Lack of sleep was taking its toll, and the exercise routines such as Zumba and the gym that had previously helped her to relax, had to be abandoned as she was in too much pain to continue.
Gail says: āI didnāt know what to do, but I knew I had to do something and being the sort of person I am, I kept searching for a solution.ā
During her search, she discovered the Edinburgh-based clinic, Move Freely Sports + Spine. Move Freely was just about to introduce a ground-breaking treatment from the USA and she became one of the first people there to try it out.
IDD Therapy (Intervertebral Differential Dynamics) is a non-surgical spinal decompression treatment which treats targeted segments of the spine in the lower back or neck. Using computer-controlled pulling forces, IDD Therapy gently stretches and opens the joint where a disc may be compressed or bulging. This helps to take pressure off the disc which may be pressing on to nerves and at the same time very gently stretches the muscles to help free movement in the joint.
āMy treatment involved holding my head in a cushioned neck harness which is set at an angle to gently stretch my neck.ā says Gail.
āAs soon as I started the first session, I knew it was exactly what I needed. By around the fourth or fifth session I started to feel a difference. Three months after finishing the treatment, I felt I was back to normal and have not had a reason to go back to the clinic,ā she says. āThe pain I had been suffering was taking over my life. I wanted to fix it.ā
Gail is now back at the gym, doing yoga and swimming as she says she is acutely aware of having to keep mobile as she gets older and she follows the exercises prescribed for her by the clinic.
āI donāt know if I will have to go back for more treatment but so far, so good, I havenāt had any problems. Apart from feeling so much better, I am pleased that I was able to avoid the surgery.Ā The staff at the clinic really looked after me. For me IDD was the answer I was looking for and I can honestly say it has been the best thing I could have done.ā
Daniel Cassells, clinic director at Move Freely Sports and Spinal said he first became aware of the IDD Therapy around five years ago.
He said: āI knew that there were quite a lot of clinics in England and a few in Scotland so I was following its progress.Ā When we took on more space at our clinic in April 2018, I didnāt hesitate to bring in the IDD Therapy. Since then weāve had some great successes with it.
āWe donāt solely use IDD Therapy when we treat patients. We have physiotherapy and sports therapy at the clinic and we look to create an overall plan involving exercise. Most patients who have IDD have already tried physio or other forms of manual treatment.
āThe IDD machine gives us a tool which has some of its origins in traction. But the way we can now treat targeted spinal segments in such a controlled manner is a game changer. Not all patients will respond and a few may still need to go down the surgery route. We treat back pain and sciatica with IDD, but it also treats necks and in Gailās case we are delighted for her.ā
ABOUT IDD THERAPY IN THE UK
Intervertebral Disc Decompression or IDD Therapy is the fastest growing non-surgical spinal treatment for intervertebral discs with over 1,000 clinics worldwide and 35 clinics across the UK. Safe, gentle and non-invasive, IDD Therapy helps patients who need something more for their pain when manual therapy alone is insufficient to achieve lasting pain relief.
Facebook: IDD Therapy Europe
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iddtherapyeuro
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