Kelly DeGregorio didnt know how the pain in her lower back and legs started, she just knew it was bad. Not long after giving birth to her first child, DeGregorio began experiencing pain in her leg. There were no symptoms leading up to it, no accident that might have caused damage.
But the pain continued to increase, making the easiest activities torturous.
“I couldnt walk around the block,” DeGregorio says. “I couldnt hold my baby without my leg going numb and I even fell once holding him. I just couldnt operate.”
Debbi Dahn, P.T., O.C.S. and manager of Martin Memorial Rehabilitation Services with patient on the Spine-Six.
Eventually, DeGregorio was diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal cord that can pinch nerves. Her physician, John R. Robinson, M.D., a neurosurgeon at Martin Memorial Health Systems, suggested she try a new therapy: the Spine-Six BioMotion Spinal System.
A product of Stuart-based MediCepts, the Spine-Six looks like a La-Z-Boy recliner on steroids. It is separated into four segments that can be adjusted by an attached computer, making precise movements that can help alleviate back and leg pain caused by spinal ailments.
The spine is mobilized in a gravity-free, relaxed position with gentle, controlled motions. It allows back muscles to relax and the joints in the spine to remain in a normal range of motion.
“By moving the joints in the spine, studies show that is how they heal,” says Debbi Dahn, P.T., O.C.S., and manager of Martin Memorial Rehabilitation Services at Palm City. “To promote healing, gentle, controlled movements accelerate that process.”
The new technology is used in coordination with other modalities of treatment including manual therapy and exercise not as an alternative. Each time a patient is treated, range of motion is increased by two degrees, with precise measurements made by the computer. Patients are progressed slowly, in a controlled manner. On average, approximately 10 to 12 treatments could be necessary to achieve desired goals.
A physician referral is needed for the treatment and may be indicated as passive range of motion or biomotion therapy.
For Kelly DeGregorio, the Spine-Six made a world of difference.
“Im fine now and Im back to doing pilates,” she says. “I never couldve walked that far before using the Spine-Six.”
