Q: Welcome to the Be Pain-Free Radio Show with Dr. Ward Wagner.
A: Hi.
Q: Hi, today is going to be a great show. So welcome to all of our listeners. We are talking disc herniations, Laser and decompression.
A: Yes, they go together. It’s kind of like peanut butter and jelly.
Q: Yes, or honey. So, one of the things that I like to do when we start off our show is, really to let our listeners know who you are. Tell us about why you’re a chiropractor. And we always discuss the injury, which is what this is really about.
A: So yes, so yeah, my chiropractic experience is why I became a chiropractor. I had never been to a chiropractor till I was in my early 20s. And it was a work injury one of those. If you’ve had this kind of back pain, you know what I’m talking about?
Q: Right?
A: It was really difficult to get out of bed. It took me about 10 minutes in the morning. This is after what I thought was just a minor strain the day before it works.
And the next morning, I couldn’t get out of bed I called my supervisor and told him I couldn’t make it in. He said, go see my chiropractor, and as ignorant as I was in those days, I said what is a chiropractor, he said, you won’t be sorry, you’ll be glad you went, just go.
And so, that’s what I did. And sure enough, it was one of those miracle adjustments where I walked out of there 90% better and was back to work in no time. And then it was not a year and a half, two years later, I was on my way to chiropractic school. It was awesome.
Q: It helps you be better. And when you’re in pain boy, you know, you want to go to someone that can fix it.
A: Right. Right.
Q: So, we’ve talked about injury for years, you and I, and one of the things that today we’re discussing are disc herniations. And I think that’s important because there, are well, we’ll get into it today. But…
A: My experience with injury is and of course this being part of that, but you know, injury me being injured is what got me into chiropractic.
And then in my college professional career playing rugby. Okay, it was amazing always going in and learning more about the injury. When it’s been done to me.
Q: Yeah, you weren’t ever beat them up, right? crush them up, kind of you know…
A: Even though you may be studying in medical school, you still think you’re invincible.
Q: Sure.
A: And so, a lot of experience with injury on myself. And then as that translated as I progress through school than working on others, I just love that aspect.
I love taking someone who’s in pain, whether it’s a brand-new injury or something that’s chronic and won’t get better. And in helping them get well.
Q: Fixing it.
A: Yeah, it’s awesome. Yes.
Q: So, today talking about disc herniations. You know, we’ve, a lot of people have an idea that disc herniations the only way to fix that is surgery and that’s not necessarily the case.
A: Yeah. Oh, that is old news. You know, back around the time I graduated in the 90s, that’s that was the thinking if you said the word disc, you know, I’ve got a disc problem. I’ve got a slipped disc, which is kind of a funny phrase. But somehow that stuck for a while.
But so many people as soon as they hear the word disc, thought it was surgery time and many doctors, in fact, I kind of came out of school thinking the same thing that there was very little to be able to be done outside of surgery, right?
But with spinal decompression and laser techniques that we use, the results are miraculous and it’s not a shotgun approach. This isn’t, we simply just throw you on the decompression table once we discover it. There are many nuances to how it’s done correctly. But we help so many people with disc herniations. It’s awesome.
Q: So, can someone tell if they have a disc herniation? Or what would that feel like?
A: Okay, typically in the early stages, it just feels like stiff muscles. Okay, right? Now, if it’s worse, if it’s a really bad one, then you’re going to feel a lot of pain and you’re gonna even get like the radiation of pain down into your butt, down into the back of your leg, maybe all the way to your foot or it can feel like numbness or things like that.
The ways that we diagnose is basically, a physical exam or MRI. Those are the best ways to diagnose now.
Q: So, are there other conditions that might feel like a herniated disc but are not?
A: Yes, and some of them are more simple and some are more complex. Like for instance, piriformis syndrome is one of the most common.
So, if you type in Sciatica, okay? Sciatica is just a catchphrase for pain in the butt that travels down the leg.
Q: Boy if you’ve had that. Yeah, it that’s rough.
A: It is rough. Now, a few things can cause that. And so, it’s really funny though, because some people think that sciatica is a diagnosis within itself. And it’s really not it’s only half a diagnosis because it’s only explaining that you’ve got pain going down your leg, it doesn’t explain why.
So, the real trick is, the doctor needs to play detective, okay? and many doctors don’t really play today, Detective, they just send you for MRI.
Q: Don’t listen, right?
A: Well, my exam does not only tell me why you have that sciatica. But what it’s going to best be a result to fix it. And so, whether that’s decompression, whether that’s some kind of stretching regime…
Q:
I was just going to ask you about that. What about exercise?
A:
Yeah, so good point. Exercise is something that, you know, again, back to the 90s, physical therapists, athletic trainers, they did a really good job in teaching us that strong core means strong back. Okay?
Q:
Right.
A:
And that’s true…
Q:
Which makes sense.
A:
Yes, except when you’ve got a disc herniation. Because most of the time, only about, in fact, 70% of the time, you’ll worsen a disc herniation by exercising.And so, only 30% of the disc problems out there are okay to exercise with. And so, and that’s because most disc herniations are compressive in nature. Okay? Okay.
Exercise is more to improve stability of the spine
Q:
Before you get hurt
A:
That kind of thing. Exactly. So, after the fact, if you’ve got a disc herniation and you go to start exercising, most of those cases will actually worsen with exercise.
Q:
Okay, you are listening to the beat pain Free Radio show with Dr. Ward, Wagner, Dixie chiropractic, give them a call today, 6-7-3-1-4-4-3. You can also head on over to their website and check them out, dixiechiro.com.
Dr. Wagner, when we do this show, we usually offer something cool to our listeners. Do you have an offer that you can give today?
A:
I do? Yes. So, what we are offering is a $99 examination and consultation with me. And along with that, you get to free decompression and to free laser treatments.
So, we’ll do spinal decompression and laser so long as you fit that category. But that’s what my examination that you pay for is to go through that screening process.
Q:
To makesure, that’s what we’re looking at.
A:
Right.
Q:
So just decompression work. Really.
A:
Yeah, I get so many people that come in and are skeptical because of that.
Q:
I just think of like some old machine, you pull the fee and I’ll pull the head and kind of a how we do
A:
torture chamber device. Right. So yeah, spinal decompression therapy is a process of creating a vacuum phenomenon inside the disc. Okay, so to back up so you understand what I mean? Think of a jelly doughnut.Okay?
That’s actually quite descriptive of a disk. Okay, you’ve got this nucleus pulposus in the center, that is more gel like soft. Yeah, then the tissues surrounding it, the annular or outside fibers, keep that gel contained.
And so, when we decompress when we pull on your spine, then that imbibes nutrients into the disk and it kind of vacuums that gel center back into where it needs to be. So that makes sense because a herniation the medical term herniation means tear.
And so, what you get is a tearing of the outer lining, and that gel center oozing out through there protruding beyond where it’s supposed to be. And decompression is the reversal of that. So, it’s amazing. It really is amazing.
Q:
So how to discs herniated like is it falls injuries, what is it that does that?
A:
Okay, so typically a trauma followed by poor daily activities, okay? So, someone injures their back and then they still sit doing a lot, which irritates bending a lot bad posture…
Q:
Gardening or sitting at a desk with a computer.
A:
That is yeah, those are those are two of the very most common garden naming is difficult because people use really poor body mechanics. They don’t bend their tissue when they’re Weeding is which stinks. That’s why all of us hate waiting, I think.
Q:
Yeah, that’s true.
A:
So, but yes, it can be from trauma. But typically, it’s because after that trauma, there’s a lack of treatment, or chronic mechanical stress and stress over time that causes these now.For instance, let’s say that you’re in a car accident, and you suffer a severe sprain strain, whiplash injury. Yeah. Okay.
Many times, the spinal discs are also fissured with, you know, a little bit of tearing or irritation on lining down, right. And if that goes undetected, then it can lead to herniations that that then down the road faster for a long time afterwards. And that’s why yeah, it’s important to really get checked more thoroughly after a car accident.
Q:
That makes sense. That makes a lot of sense. So, you’re also an accident reconstruction specialist. Right?
A:
Yes, Accident reconstructionist
Q:
I don’t know how your accident reconstructionist we talked about that. It’s very impressive. And you’ve got a really great background in that.
A:
So, we’ll be doing this a long time. And yes, being a certified accident reconstructionist. That was an awesome undertaking, which really helped me understand the vehicle collision impact forces, and then we translate that into the biomechanics of injury of the body.
So, I know that sounds like kind of a mouthful, but it was that much more to help me with my car accident injury fixes. So, a large portion of my practice is dedicated to helping fix car accident victims.
Q:
There are many here locally, there are…
A:
There are a lot of people advertising, car accident injuries, we’re known for our thorough diagnostic procedures, okay, because I don’t want to let things go undetected.
You know, it’s kind of like we it’s kind of like your car, when you’re in a car accident, you take it into the shop. And if all they ever look at is the exterior, and just kind of buff it out and paint it and without looking at the structural damage underneath, you’re only getting half of a fix. And that’s the same way with our bodies.
So, the best outcomes are because we recognize the potential ongoing problems that are deeper and underneath as we examine.
Q:
That makes total sense. So, we’ve talked about this decompression laser. You do decompression in combination with laser therapy, is that right? Okay.
A:
Yes. So, I’ve already described how the decompression causes that vacuum phenomenon, which, right with doughnut, yes, breathes it back into its normal place. And then the laser essentially speeds the process, and we get better and stronger outcomes with that.
Q:
So how does the laser therapy work for disc herniations, then?
A:
It’s all about cell regeneration. Okay, so at the disk level, so what we get when we shine that laser in there is increased metabolic activity of the cells and tissues, it ramps up the healing in the tissues with what are called prostaglandins, ATP, fibroblast activity, basically, cell regeneration is sped up so that the healing occurs faster. This literally has helped us take half the time off, of our decompression.
Q:
Really amazing. Well, you guys really have a big, amazing laser at your office. So, what about treating herniated discs with either decompression or laser? Only?
A:
Like,okay, yeah, when we’re treating, you know, they’re basically the effects of treating with laser therapy by itself. That is good.
However, you need the mechanical aspect as well. So, if all I do is laser, a disc this herniated, I’m not really, I’m not going to get it vacuum back in right where it needs to be. You don’t get the result with just laser by itself. And so yeah, we always combine the two together because they have two mechanisms of action that are occurring there. The vacuum and the quicker healing response.
Q:
Okay, so we’ve talked about laser, and you think, you know, Star Warswe’ve discussed it because, you know, I think lasers changed so significantly, but are there are side effects with laser therapy.
A:
When we are treating injury there are none. Okay, basically no side effects at all. Of course, we don’t shine it into your eyeballs.
Q:
That’s right.
A:
So other in that, yeah, there’s really no side effects for any kind of injury that we treat.
Q:
And as a patient, I must say, and I’ll I will answer this for you. It’s nice and warm. It’s not scary. If you don’t feel it, it’s justa good.
A:
You feel the warmth. Yeah. But and you can tell something’s, it’s not like just putting a heat pack on. Is that exactly.
Q:
Yeah,I agree with you.
A:
It’s very different than that. But yeah, typically, there’s immediate relief with this. And it’s just awesome.
Q:
That’s great. You’re listening to the beat pain Free Radio show with Dr. Ward, Wagner, Dixie chiropractic.
And today Dr. Wagner is offering for our listeners $99 initial examined consult, which is great, but more fabulous. To free decompression and two free laser treatments, if those are really what you need. After the initial examined consult, right?
A:
Right. Yes.
Q:
So, give them a call today. And Dr. Wagner, your staff is fabulous. They’re so great. They’re very knowledgeable, friendly, and they get what it means when somebody comes in with pain.
A:
Yes. And when you call, they are also very good at sifting through to see what avenue you know if by your description of what you’ve got going on, does fit the category of decompression and laser. Because sometimes we have people calling with other conditions. Right?
Q:
Right. That makes sense.
A:
And so yeah, don’t be surprised if my staff wants to quiz you a little bit more about your symptoms to understand it better, because that does help us categorize our patients much better as well.
Q:
It’s a great idea, give them a call 6-7-3-1-4-4-3. Take advantage of this offer today. Just say hey, I was listening, heard all about the be pain free radio show.
And I’d like to come in and see Dr. Wagner. So, what made you decide to start therapeutic laser in your office to begin with?
A:
Well, primarily, it was the successes of the research. Okay. It took me a number of years to decide to bring it in.
Because when I first heard about it, I was skeptical. I mean, here we are laser therapy at that, at that time, when I heard about it, it was only being used for surgical purposes. And then when I started learning about professional athletic teams using it, then I went ahead and did a trial brought it into my office and the results were tremendous right from day one.
And so, then I was all in and we use it to treat all kinds of things besides herniated discs. That is probably the most commonbut it is incredible for rotator cuff tears, tennis elbow problems, tailbone pain, broken tail bones. It’s just tremendous for so many injuries.
Q:
Sonice. Well, can you share a few examples? Do you have anything of cases or fixing herniated discs?
A:
I do. Yes. So, one part in particular that comes to mind is Heidi, this is very recent, a 49-year-old female, so definitely not in the age category. I mean, we know when we are over 40 that we’re considered real grownups.
But 49 years old is not where you think of the bulging, herniated disc crowd to be you think older than that. But anyway, she came in. She had only had pain for one month. But the problem is the pain wasn’t super bad in her back.
But both of her feet were completely numb. And she came in walking with two canes,
Q:
Which is very young for her?
A:
Oh yeah, she came in with chains. And it was it was surprising, but the reason she had the canes with her is because she was falling because she couldn’t feel her legs were numb, she couldn’t feel and so of course, you know, went through the screening, she fit the category.
We had her fixed in three weeks pain, the numbness, tingling, everything totally gone. Of course, the canes were gone within the first week. Tremendous, totally better.
Q:
Well, and we’re talking about that 49-year-old and that might be young, but my daughter has come in to see you so young.
A:
Oh yes
Q:
Pain is pain, and you know, you can hurt yourself from so many different things bytotally
A:
I just recently had a car and two car accident victims, brother and sister both with MRI confirmed disc herniation at the age of nine and the age of 11. So, you know people think this can’t happen when you’re young. Oh, it can with the right kind of injury it can follow.
Q:
And unfortunately, it’s the wrong kind of injury. So, you’re listening to the be pain free radio show with Dr. Ward Wagner today.
And Dr. Wagner is offering our listeners a $99 initial examined console which is fabulous. But along with that, you get two free decompression and laser treatments. So come on in, try it out. There’s nothing to lose. But pain.
A:
Right?
Q:
All right, so today we’re talking, disc herniation said, decompression laser therapy. It’s all fabulous. Any other discrimination stories that you can share with us.
A:
So, two others come to mind. We also, within the last month had Melissa, who’s a 46-year-old female with years of neck pain.
A lot of times when we talk about bulging and herniated discs, much of the public doesn’t think of necks for that. Right? Right. Anyone who’s had neck surgery, they know yes, you can, you can get a bulging or herniated disc in the neck.
Q:
Except that when you were talking earlier about the computer and more and more, younger and younger are on the computer and leaning over. And that made me think of neck but…
A:
Good point. So very uncommon. She came in she was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in her neck, basically three weeks decompression and laser, and she was completely better.
So, I love that that was it was a very common, but again, we’re getting into that younger crowd. This is the 40-year-old crowd, you know, not the 60s and 70s. Like we used to always think exactly.
Another one is Robbie again. 40-year-old crowd, he’s 47, 25-year-old disc herniation. In the lower back. He knew this for years and years and years. He was doing epidural injections, which kind of you know, kept the pain away for a while. But as we all know, as pain relieving as cortisone can be, it’s destructive to tissues, right? It doesn’t fix the problem.
And so, this was just festering forever.
Q:
Right, just to put it off, doesn’t it?
A:
Yeah. So, he came in. I mean, he was he had a major flare. It was worse in the morning, every single day numbness in his leg and after 18 treatments, so we had to go a little longer than normal. But 18 treatments totally better. 25-year-old disc herniation.
Q:
Wow
A:
That’s the kind of thing I love to fix.
Q:
Right? Yeah, because they appreciate it so much too, right? When you’ve been putting up with pain for long. And boy, if you’ve had pain, you understand what we’re talking about. I’ve been there and I get it like you can feel it when you start thinking about it. So, can decompression and laser help after surgery?
A:
It can Okay, and that’s a whole nother show on itself. But surgeries, there’s typically two different types. There’s micro diskectomy. And I know that’s a big word. If you if you haven’t had it, you don’t know what it is, but micro diskectomy where they shave off the disk. And then there’s the fusion surgeries. Now with Fusion surgeries, we can’t decompress the fusion area.
But typically, what happens is once somebody has been fused at a at a couple of levels, then the other levels above and or below start to be and so that’s where we fit is yes, you can do it after fusion surgery certainly come in and get checked if you do.
Q:
So, tell me just as we wrap up about after a series of decompression laser, what kind of follow up is needed?
A:
None necessarily. Okay. It does depend on the amount of degeneration primarily, right. Most people are fine after this series. I basically recommend that they do some follow up chiropractic care with gentle adjustments after they have completed our program.
Q:
That’s great and very positive. And I’ve been into your office, you’ve helped me you’ve helped my family. And so yeah, if you feel like you may have and it’s not always just disk. Go on in see Dr. Ward Wagner at Dixie chiropractic and say, hey, I was listening, I’d love to take advantage of this offer. The number to call is 6-7-3-1-4-4-3.
You can also check out Dixiechiro.com. They’ve got a great user friendly. You can go out there and check out their website $99 initial examine console which in itself is very good deal. But you’re also offering to free decompression and laser treatments. So, thank you Dr. Wagner.
A:
Thank you!
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