Don’t overdo.
The Surgeon General recommends that
for optimal health, people exercise 150
Revolutionary Pain Relief:
minutes each week at moderate inten-
sity. The AVMA reports that “Dogs will
The MUA Experience
exercise past the point of exhaustion
who were out of work due to injury
to please a beloved companion,” and
W
hen most people hear the
phrase ‘pain management’, were back to work within 6 months
advises us to be sensitive to their health
they think of steroid injections, ad- following the MUA procedure.
and comfort.
dictive narcotic pain medications, According to Dr. Megan Strauch-
epidural injections, or even more in- man, medical director of the Michi-
Be safe.
vasive procedures like spinal stimula- gan MUA Group, “this is great news
Always keep these guidelines in mind:
tor implants. Unfortunately, none of for patients who are out of work, and
these therapies actually corrects the need to support their families. MUA
• Don’t run with a dog just before cause of the pain, but rather masks gets people out of pain rapidly, and
he eats or after he has eaten. the pain by blocking nerve transmis-
gets them up and moving again in a
sion, or by dampening pain receptors very minimal amount of time.”
• Face oncoming traffi c; this puts a
heeling dog on your left,
in the brain. In many cases, people The Michigan MUA Group,
away from cars or bikes.
who have tried one of these therapies headed by Dr. Strauchman, is a net-
have usually tried several of these, work of Michigan physicians who are
• Check paw pads for signs of
irritation or bleeding. Pavement
with little success. all certifi ed to perform
is hard on a dog’s feet; grass
Now, a new MUA for chronic pain.
and dirt are kinder. Summer-hot
procedure, called Their network of physi-
asphalt and concrete can burn
manipulation under cians is located in vari-
sensitive feet, and snow can
anesthesia (MUA), is ous cities throughout
cause frostbite.
available at the Ameri- the Metro Detroit area.
can Surgical Center Until now, Michigan
• Carry water for both of you, and
in West Bloomfi eld.
offer some every 20 minutes.
residents would have
MUA is a decades-old osteopathic had to travel out-of-state for this
• Watch for signs of overheating,
procedure where the patient is given revolutionary pain management pro-
such as heavy panting or
a sedative medication, and while cedure. “MUA is an ideal treatment
salivating, and stop immediately
sedated, the patient’s back and joints for people with fi bromyalgia, disc
if you observe these, cooling your
are taken through a series of stretches bulges or herniations, failed back or
pet slowly with cool, not cold,
to break up the scar tissue and neck surgery, frozen shoulder, and
water. The best times to exercise
fi brous adhesions that restrict normal for people who’ve tried unsuccessful-
are early morning or evening.
joint movement and thus correct ly to get relief from chiropractic care,
• Don’t jog daily; canine muscles
the underlying cause of back, neck, physical therapy, steroid injections,
and joints, too, need to rest
and joint pain. Since the patient is or continue to live off of addictive
and recuperate.
under sedation, he/she feels no pain pain killers,” says Dr. Strauchman.
whatsoever, and the muscles can be People interested in having the
Fitness is more fun when a buddy’s stretched and massaged to their full- MUA procedure require a prelimi-
along and the health benefi ts abound. est potential without any resistance. nary evaluation by a Michigan MUA
The entire procedure lasts about 20 Group physician, like Dr. Strauch-
Learn more at AVMA.org and
minutes, and is typically repeated man. This evaluation consists of a
RunThePlanet.com/trainingracing/
over a 3-5 day span. The majority of physical exam, x-rays, laboratory
training/dogs.
patients who have MUA report an av- studies, and sometimes neurodi-
erage 80-85% overall improvement agnostic testing, which determines
by the end of the MUA protocol. whether not the patient will achieve
In fact, a recent study in the a good clinical result.
Journal of Neurological and Ortho- For more information on MUA,
pedic Surgery showed that 58% of or to fi nd a Michigan MUA Group
patients who receive MUA totally physician near you, please contact
eliminate their need for pain medica- Mary or Caroline at the American
tion. Even up to 6 months after the Surgical Center at 248-538-7095, Dr.
MUA, patients’ pain levels are still Strauchman at 810-694-3576, or visit
reduced an average of 62%. In a sim- their website at www.MichiganMUA.
ilar study, nearly 95% of all patients com.
advertisement
www.MichiganHealthyLiving.com
March 2009
21
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