HOW
PROCEDURE IS PERFORMED
The
treatment is performed in a hospital or surgery center by licensed
physicians with specialized training and certification specifically
for the procedure. A team approach is required to have a safe and
successful outcome.
The
team includes the anesthesiologist, the prime
physician/surgeon/chiropractor who performs the manipulation, and the
first assistant, also a physician/chiropractor certified in
manipulation under anesthesia. The procedure is commonly performed in
a hospital or surgical center.
The
combination of manipulation and anesthesia is not new, as this
treatment has been part of the manual medical arena for more than 60
years. Manipulation Under Anesthesia is an established medical
procedure with a CPT Code designate of 22505. This is noted in the
American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology
Publication.
Anesthesia
and Manipulation
Of
course, when movement of the spine is extremely and intolerably
painful to the patient, the benefit of being under anesthesia and
unconscious is obvious. In addition, the anesthesia performs other
equally important functions, such as:
Shutting
off the muscle spasm cycle to allow spinal movement
Sedating
the pain-perceiving nerves that have been irritated due to the
dysfunctional spine
Allowing
complete muscle relaxation to allow the doctor to stretch shortened
muscle groups and to break up adhesions caused by scar tissue.
Supporting
Studies/Great Results
There
are several research studies about the effectiveness of manipulation
under anesthesia, including:
1.
83% of 600 patients with EMG verified radiculopathies reported
significant improvement - Robert Mensor, MD
2.
Patients that had back pain for a minimum of 10 years reported an
87% recovery rate after MUA - 1987 with Ongly et al
3.
51% of patients with unrelieved symptoms after conservative care
had been exhausted reported good to excellent results three years
post MUA - Donald Chrisman, MD
4.
71% of 723 MUA patients had good results (return to normal
activity relatively symptom free) and 25.3% had fair results (return
to normal activity with slight residuals) and that flexibility,
elasticity and range of motion can be restored following MUA -
Bradford and Siehl
5.
83% of 517 patients treated with MUA responded well - Paul Kuo,
MD professor of Orthopedic Surgery
6.
Krumhansi and Nowacek reported on an MUA study done on 171
patients who experienced constant intractable pain for several months
to 18 years. All of the patients of the study failed other
conservative intervention. The results of the study showed that 25%
of the patients had no pain, 50% were much improved with pain
markedly decreased, 20% were better and could tolerate their pain but
it interfered with work and recreation. Failures comprised 5% where
there was minimal or no pain relief periods.
