When treating Lumbar Degenerative Diseases (LDD's), what does your treatment strategy look like?
Patients with lumbar degeneration suffer from pain often accompanied by muscle cramps characterized by painful, involuntary, and paroxysmal muscle contraction. Those with LDD suffer the impact of this highly distressing condition, and it takes quite a toll on their quality of life.
Recently, researchers in China conducted a retrospective study on the effectiveness of treating lower limb spasms and pain caused by lumbar degenerative disorders (LDD). Their findings were published in BioMed Research International, and you can review the complete study here.
What are Lumbar Degenerative Diseases, and How are They Typically Treated?
Lumbar degenerative diseases (LDD's) include lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar spondylolisthesis, lumbar scoliosis, and spinal instability. Conservative treatment of LDD may consist of rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and steroid injections. Surgery is often the next step if the pain is chronic or severe or when conventional methods don't effectively relieve symptoms.
Increasingly, lumbar degenerative disease has become a significant public health concern and is perhaps the single most common problem seen in orthopedics today. The troublesome clinical symptoms include low back pain, lower extremity paresthesia, and lower extremity muscle cramps and spasms. The neuromuscular activity when muscles contract involuntarily is frequently accompanied by severe pain and dysfunction.
Now, ESWT presents itself as a revolutionary healing option for treating LDD effectively and non-invasively.
Who Participated in the Study?
The study was designed as a retrospective study to examine the effect of ESWT on lower extremity muscle spasms in LDD. In all, 126 patients participated, including 51 male and 75 female, ranging in age from 34 to 84. Participants underwent ESWT therapy from October 2017 through June 2019.
All patients had been diagnosed with LDD and had symptoms including leg muscle cramps and spasms. Some had even undergone lumbar fusion surgery with lingering symptoms of lower extremity muscle spasms.
What clinical outcomes resulted from the use of ESWT therapy for Leg Cramps which accompany Lumbar Degeneration?
In conclusion, ESWT is particularly effective for patients with LDD. Using ESWT produces remarkable long-term results, including lasting pain reduction, diminished leg cramps, and overall improvement of general functional movement.
While the mechanism of action of ESWT in the treatment of muscle spasm remains unclear, the regenerative outcomes matter most and provide new hope to patients who suffer from LDD and the physicians who treat them.
The excellent clinical results indicate yet another musculoskeletal condition that has met its match in shockwave. Find out how restorative therapies like shockwave and EMTT are revolutionizing medical treatment options in the care of many musculoskeletal conditions by reading Musculoskeletal Disorders: Impact and Regenerative Solutions.
For an ample clinical evidence deep dive, be sure to check out our resources and explore more clinical data. You'll find articles filled with insight into the uses and benefits of non-surgical approaches in the field of orthopedics. Time after time, shock
wave therapy has been shown to speed up tissue healing and pain relief in several challenging musculoskeletal injuries and conditions.
Have questions about how adding EPAT/ESWT to your continuum of care can be a game-changer for your practice? Contact us today, and we'll connect you with one of our shockwave experts.
