How To Finally Get Lasting Relief From
Your Back Pain, Neck Pain or Sciatica
In the U.S. TheraFlex is called ASMI
Hundreds of people have had the Revolutionary TheraFlex treatment at our Clinic (ChesterPhysio) to eliminate their back pain, neck pain or sciatica and regain control of their lives. Now it’s your turn
Dear Back Pain, Neck Pain & Sciatica Sufferer:
You may be considering professional treatment for your back or neck for numerous reasons. It could be to get pain relief, reduce stiffness, improve sporting performance even cosmetic reasons, or maybe a different reason.
What you should know is that these problems, in the vast majority of cases, stem from a mechanical problem of the spine, which essentially means that the spine is not functioning effectively. In order to function correctly the spine must be supple and elastic and Free from abnormal curvatures and misalignment.
Ever Wondered Why You Have Been Seeing Your Physiotherapist, Chiropractor or Osteopath For So Long?
Manual therapists use hot and cold packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and all sorts of hand held mechanical devices for vibration and direct pressure. Then there are X-rays and a variety of manual techniques. All of these are very good at preparing the body for the manual therapists’s main goal: correcting spinal misalignment.
Manipulating or ‘cracking’ the back, neck, hips, or virtually any joint has been and always will be the bread and butter of the manual therapist - and for good reason. It takes a lot of education, experience and a lot of skill to do it well. But is cracking the back the answer to the most people’s back problems?
It is true that spinal misalignment is most likely the primary cause of your pain and is, in fact, responsible for almost all forms of back pain. It is also true that correcting that misalignment is a critical step on the road to relief. But is correcting the misalignment through spinal manipulation (cracking the back) the answer?
If you ask me, I would have to say no. One of our customers said it best: “Bones only go where our muscles pull them.” I quickly realized that the main reason why our clients continue to come back and other people continue to also see their manual therapist for so long is that cracking the back feels good and gives relief… but it ONLY brings temporary relief!
“Spinal manipulation doesn’t work for any condition, new research finds.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, Press Release 22nd March 2006
This research caused many headlines in the Newspapers, which all stated that Manipulation or Manual Therapy is a worthless form of treatment for back pain. This caused outrage under many manual therapists who just use this form of treatment.
The newspaper editors had not read the research results correctly. What it said was that it can be a useful part of the treatment but on it’s own it does NOT cure the back pain problem! (it only loosens the stiff facet joint =spinal joint)
I personally found this to be very frustrating and quickly became disillusioned with the limitations that we as manual therapists have in effectively treating back pain, neck pain and sciatica…
The 3 Elements Of A Successful Back Pain, Neck Pain And Sciatica Treatment
Being totally disillusioned with the effectiveness of manual therapy in successfully treating back pain and sciatica, I started my own search for a much more effective approach.
This lead me to eventually develop Natural Spine Balance Therapy™.
This encompasses the 3 most important elements of a successful back pain and sciatica treatment.
These elements are as follows…
- Restoring the Mechanical Efficiency (balance between strength and flexibility) of the spine
- Trigger Point Release (Trigger Point Therapy)
- Restoring Muscle Balance
I will continue to talk about point 1 here, but if you wish to find out more about Trigger Point Therapy and Muscle Balance Treatment then please visit our ‘back pain treatments’ section later.
What needs to be done and the tireless energy needed to do so, to restore the mechanical efficiency of the spine can NOT be done effectively with the hands of the manual therapist. This was something I realized early on in my career.
On my search for a more effective approach in back pain and sciatica treatment I came across a new inventive treatment known as TheraFlex (also as PAMM).
TheraFlex… The Only Treatment Able To Restore The Supple Elasticity And The Normal Curvature Of The Spine
I went to meet the team behind this new inventive spinal treatment. The team is based in Cornwall, England. (Yes, another great British invention). I spent 2 days with them, allowing me to find out how it works, what it does and even trying it out myself. I was very impressed with this new technology, so I decided to try it out in my own Clinic for a while.
The results were amazing to say the least. Patients (that I have seen in the past with back problems), were so impressed with the results that they decided to come back on an intermittent basis to look after the long term health of their spine! (On their return/maintenance visit, they told me that since the treatment with TheraFlex they have had not a single problem with their spine in all the months they haven’t been back; unlike with the normal manual therapy treatments they used to have.)
But please don’t take it from me, here are some of the many success stories we’ve had from our Clients:
“I started my P.A.M.M. sessions in April ‘06 to see if they would help with the neck and lower Back Pain I have experienced for many years. Several sessions were needed in order to remove the pain and regain my suppleness. Since having the treatments I have not experienced any of the debilitating problems which happened before. I cannot believe the difference this has made to my life. I am 64 years old and very physically active. Regular maintanance sessions are a definite must for me”.
Thank you Arjen
Lynda - Chester
“I can honestly say that the treatment I received was first class and the back injury I received is 100% recovered”.
S.J. Eardley - Chester
“I had chronic pain in my shoulder, after 3 sessions the pain was gone and now following treatment to my neck and back I am getting freer movement also. Recommend to anyone”.
J.Marsden – Chester
You are probably wondering that what makes the TheraFlex treatment so much more effective then everything else that you may have tried in the past?
First of all, it is worth remembering that the spine is a beautiful mechanical structure made by nature. A wonderful structure of bone, muscle and tissue…
But, for the spine to function correctly, thereby avoiding excess and/or uneven stresses to be placed on our lower back or neck, it needs to be 2 things:
Supple and Elastic
Supple means being able to move or bend freely and easily. Elastic means being able to return quickly to a former state or condition after a stress is applied. Other terms that you should be aware of when considering mechanical problems of the spine are stress and strain. In this context, stress is the force exerted on the body, whilst strain is the amount of deformation of the body compared to its original size and shape when a stress is applied.
Loss of supple elasticity occurs with time and age due to the everyday wear and tear that this brings but can also be accelerated greatly by inflammatory conditions and injury. As the spine becomes less supple, stress begins to concentrate in particular joints of the spine (usually in the low back and at the base of the neck). Back pain, stretched ligaments, excessive wear and tear and disc prolapse are the natural consequences of this overstressing. What is needed is to improve supple elasticity and this is where TheraFlex comes in.
FREE from Abnormal Curvatures and Misalignment
Curvature and misalignment causes stresses to concentrate in particular joints of the spine. This can develop progressively with time and age or more rapidly following an event such as a whiplash injury or a fall but it is important to understand why the spine can’t return to its normal alignment.
As mentioned previously, elasticity is the ability to return quickly to a former state after a stress is applied. However, a condition may arise, such as a fall, whereby the elastic limit is exceeded because the strain is so great and therefore the spine is unable to return to its former state. It is at this point that abnormal curvatures and misalignment occur and the spine can’t recover without help.
…This is where TheraFlex can Help!
“There has never been an effective treatment for back and neck pain, until now. - Extraordinary results”
DAILY MAIL
This is just one of the many newspapers that have written about the amazing results that are achieved with TheraFlex. Please click any of the below links if you wish to read the various newspaper articles about TheraFlex:
Financial Times Article
Daily Mail Article
Scottish Sunday Post Article
Irish News Article
Spanish Inland Trader Article
Bionics And Computer Technology Helping To Overcome The Limitations Of The Manual Therapist’s Hands
The TheraFlex treatment employs a tool that can best be described as a bionic hand with four fingers. The tool is very touch sensitive and enables the practitioner to feel movements of the individual vertebra through it.
It is important to note that this treatment is impossible to do manually because the spinal joints are bigger and tougher than the practitioner’s hands. There are many treatments available for back pain yet the problem persists because most treatments target the symptoms and condition (stage 3+4 of back pain development) and not the dysfunction & cause of the problem(stage 1+2).
We work on the whole spine to ensure the mechanical efficiency – balance between strength and flexibility – throughout the whole spine has been regained. This is achieved in 4 - 5 sessions on average which means you can get back to doing all the things that you love doing in no time.
For the first visit we will begin with a thourough assessment of your spine to identify the cause, dysfunction and your condition. If the practitioner is confident that the treatment will be effective then you will also have your first treatment with TheraFlex.
95% Of Spinal Conditions Can Be Successfully Treated With TheraFlex
It is worth remembering that 95% of back pain complaints are of mechanical nature. Therefore tablets and/or surgery are not effective forms of treatment.
Please find below a list of some of the conditions that we have successfully treated with TheraFlex:
- Back pain or ache
- Sciatica
- Neck pain or ache
- Whiplash injuries
- Idiopathic scoliosis (sideways curvature)
- Dowagers hump (upperback roundness)
- Excessive kyphosis and lordosis (abnormal curvatures)
- Tingling or numbness in the arms or legs
- Taking pressure off bulging, prolapsed or degenerated(lost height) discs
- Headaches
- Frozen shoulder
A Treatment That Is Gentle, Passive and Progressive And Allows Mobility To Be Restored Naturally. The TheraFlex tool is very touch sensitive and enables practitioners to feel movements of individual vertebra through it.
The procedure is gentle, passive and progressive and allows mobility to be restored quite naturally through three modes of treatment.
1. Spasm or Relax mode relaxes/prepares the muscles, which commences and ends each treatment.
2. The reflex mode stimulates the cervical, thoracic and lumbo-sacral para-spinal muscles and serves to stimulate stretch reflexes in these muscle groups. The para-spinal reflexes assist the spine and operate in unison with countless, constant adjustments necessary for balance and good posture. Basically the spinal nerve reflex occurs when you move your spine, as this reflex makes sure that the muscles around your spine react quick and adequate enough to control your spine in whatever position you spine moves into with whatever speed that may be.
However, the artificial stimulation of the reflex produces an individual or disunited response. This is achieved through a sharp tap at the lateral end of a transverse process and causes a rapid reflex movement of an individual vertebra. In effect, the reflex movement briefly stress relieves the individual vertebra. However, it is not enough to stress relieve an individual vertebra once. To stress relieve abnormal curvatures, a great number of reflexes must be stimulated and in reflex mode, the handset is adjusted so that all four pads are operating as rapidly moving patellar hammers.
As the handset is continuously moved up and down the length of the spine, the configuration of the pads and the speed of operation ensures every reflex is stimulated …It is known that in all cases it will take less muscular effort to maintain the stability of a correctly aligned spine and the stress relieving process by the reflex mode works towards this goal through rapid reflex movements.
3. The mobilising technique differs to traditional manual therapy in that gentle, alternating pressure is applied over diagonally opposed transverse processes of adjacent vertebral pairs. Therefore, mobilisation is achieved through counter-rotational forces on adjacent vertebrae (as demonstrated below) and fixed or stiff vertebral pairs are gently moved through the normal range of motion.
Also, there are no sudden, violent movements. Contrast this, for example, with manipulation - in relative terms, this can be violent, clumsy and poorly targeted. Importantly, the handset will not force vertebrae to move by any predetermined amount as the amount of applied pressure is limited by safety features of the device.
In the illustration on the left, A and B represent placement of the four pads over the transverse processes of an adjacent vertebral pair. Pads A apply gentle pressure simultaneously, the cycle is then reversed and as pads A are withdrawn, pads B apply pressure. As the handset is worked up and down the length of the spine, each vertebrae is counter-rotated from it’s neighbor.
Clearly, one cannot achieve adequate mobility in the presence of abnormal curvatures. Neither can one complete the stress relieving procedure and resolve abnormal curvatures if there is insufficient mobility in the joints. The solution is a combined procedure 
which involves alternating between reflex mode and mobilisation mode for the duration of the treatment.
The procedure is gentle, passive and progressive. It is the energy and speed of bionic fingers which makes this gentle, passive and progressive procedure highly efficient. In addition to this, the practitioner manually mobilizes the sacroiliac joints to improve the stiff or locked sacroiliac joints, which helps to reduce overstressing in the lower back.
Applying the above techniques helps to prevent stresses concentrating in particular segments of the spine, especially in the cervical and lumbar spine. Without this, stresses continue to concentrate and vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs continue to undergo degenerative changes, both of which can lead to problems affecting nerve function.
The secret of the treatment is to work with the back and it is the tireless energy and speed of bionics that make this gentle, passive and progressive treatment highly efficient in the restoration of supple elasticity and normal curvatures.
Another Success Story
“I have had a lot of treatment on my back over the years, but no one has identified my problem so precisely and not explained to me so clearly what is wrong and how it can be corrected. I shall continue to have maintenance treatment and will also use the exercise regime that has been suggested“.
J.F.S. - Chester
…See How TheraFlex Has Taken America By Storm
The Americans have now adopted this new spinal treatment technology.
The TheraFlex device has received FDA marketing and treatment clearance in the U.S. and has also received the CE mark.
Although they could not bring themselves to give the credit to the British team of developers but instead telling people that it is an invention coming from Europe. (hey at least they did not try to make it out to be an American invention)
Although they did decide to change the name TheraFlex to ASMI, which stands for ‘Advanced Spinal Manipulation Instrument’.
Both NBC News and the ABC News Channels have covered the use and success stories extensively.
NBC news video
So if Your Life Is Being Controlled By Back Pain & Sciatica then follow the thousands of people who eliminated their back pain, neck pain and sciatica, by having the TheraFlex treatment and regain control of their lives.
Now it’s your turn…
To book an appointment or to speak to one of our back pain specialists please phone us at 01244 852545 for professional and friendly service.
If you prefer, you can also email us at questions@realbackpainrelief.org with your questions and one of our specialists will provide answers.
We are here to help, so any questions you have, regardless how small or big, please let us know and whatever you decide to do I wish you all the best in your quest to back pain relief.
Wishing You Freedom From Pain
Arjen Bootsma BSc(Hons) MCSP SRP(hpc)
Founder ChesterPhysio and The Healthy Spine Foundation
Some more of the many success stories of our Patients -
“My treatment helped provide relief from pain and discomfort throughout my daily activities. It’s also helped my posture which was some cause to my back problems. The information given was a big help for the future”.
Lee Webb – Connahs Quay
“Recently I attended The ChesterPhysio Clinic. I arrived with pain in my back which was crippling. Glad to say that the pain has gone after receiving treatment. Mr. Arjen Bootsma treated me with patience, understanding and gave me a number of exercises which lead to a marked recovery. The Clinic is pleasant, parking is easy and I fully recommend it”.
B. Jones - Chester
“I would like to thank the Clinic for the treatment I received for my back and neck injury. I feel the treatment was very effective in assisting my recovery and helped ease the strains on my daily life during my recovery. Thank you”.
David Lynch – Ellesmere Port
“I was really pleased with the treatment I received at the Clinic. The staff were really helpful and friendly. The treatment was excellent and everything was explained clearly to me. Thanking you”.
Mark Williams - Chester