Testimonial

Acute back / sciatica pain - L5/S1 prolapse/sequestration    

Treatment period: 6-months

'I have spent most of my working career behind a desk although I have always been an active person; walking, skiing, golf, swimming, gardening etc.  I am tall, around 6’4” and slim (ish!)  Everyone always said being tall gave you a bad back but quite frankly that wasn’t the case for me as I had not really had any serious back pain or problems until around 4 years ago when things started going bad and then worse.

I was overseas and started getting severe pain in the left leg, particularly getting in and out the car, which I was doing on business.  When I got home I went to a Chiropractor & Physiotherapist who did relieve the pain which went away after around 2 weeks.  There was only so much they could do and although they did a good job it was only temporary and was not healing the problem.  The spasms and pain recurred around 6 months later and I decided to have a CT scan which showed minor disc protrusion. (A small blot on the landscape!)  Over a period of 18 months from early 2001 to the middle of 2002 I had 2 or 3 incidences where I would have pain, lower back muscle spasms and would seek physio treatment which generally worked.  I then undertook an exercise program (Pilates style but as a one on one personal program which was good but again not healing) to strengthen the disc area and lower abdominal muscles etc.  This went on for about a year with no side problems.

Then, in late August 2002 after a weeks skiing (I am a good skier and had not had a major fall of any kind) suddenly I went into severe muscle spasm and could hardly walk at all.  This went on for around 2-3 weeks and I was conducting business on the floor of my living room and was having severe pain in the lower back and down the left leg through to my left foot, which was getting numb at times.  This was very concerning and quite stressful.

I had to take an unavoidable business trip to Alice Springs for an exhibition and had to stand up all the way on the flight, there and back.  Most of the time I was there I had to lay down as I was in pain and on pain killers and anti inflamatories.  It became the worst period of my life as I had to run a business, keep a family and at the same time suffer a lot of pain.  My wife was also having a hard time having to do almost everything around the house and with 4 children this was a burden and strain on the entire family.  I really was stressed and looked ill during all of this.

I was at a school function, laying down in the car as I could not sit or stand for any length of time and Mal Hooper introduced himself to me.  This was a stroke of luck as it turned out.   Naturally I sought any help I could get at this stage as I had just spent a week in hospital trying to get relief under the guidance of a Neuro Surgeon who, in my view was ineffective.  In hospital I had yet another CT scan (my third) which did not show a lot more than in the past so everyone simply said it would go away or I might have to have an operation.  Basically I was told that I was no worse than 18 months before!  I refused the constant offers of morphine as I wanted to get to the bottom of the problem rather than simply dull the pain and ignore it.

In September 2002, I started treatment with Dr. Hooper after having an immediate MRI scan of my complete spine.  I subscribe to his theory that you must know exactly what the problem is before you can treat it effectively.  Why I had not had an MRI before this still annoys me.  With the MRI it was discovered far more clearly and precisely that there was a serious degeneration of the L5/S1 disc than what had shown on the various CT scans I had previously had.  At least now we could see the exact problem and could deal with it better over time.  My case is not uncommon and it depends on the degree of degeneration as to how it affects you.  I fly and travel a lot and I attend sporting events around the world as part of my business so I was being affected more than most simply by the nature of my lifestyle.

I immediately undertook a program of acupuncture and hyperbaric medicine under the guidance of Dr. Hooper.  In just 10-12 hours of treatment I was almost pain free apart from occasional “niggles” and mild nerve reactions in my leg (which I still get a few times a day ).  I was on anti-inflamatories for around 6 months and have had a total of around 60-70 hours (correct me there!) hyperbaric and have recently had another MRI scan which shows considerable improvement in the swelling and a contraction of the disc protrusion.  This has relieved virtually all my pain and I can lead a far more normal life.  I have even had 2 rounds of golf and will take up skiing again this winter. 

Basically I only require a few hours hyperbaric every few weeks and I take anti-inflamatories, maybe once or twice a week and I do not take any pain killers at all.  This has been an 8 month program for me with several interruptions in the middle due to my travels and time away interstate and overseas but I have been able to manage and it’s now business as usual.  I have a good capacity to consume oxygen and obviously this has helped me to a reasonably speedy recovery although this is not a quick miracle cure – you have to work on a range of health aspects and look after yourself at all times.

For those who can afford it (those who want to afford it) I could not recommend more highly the Hyperbaric Medicine Program undertaken with Dr. Hooper.  If anyone wants to discuss this with me I can be contacted via e-mail at glenn@events.com.au  Please provide your number and I will call you.  For me this has been money well spent and has changed my life back to what it should be and although I will never be 100% normal due to natural degeneration I am so much better than I was last September.  My aim of avoiding a dangerous back operation has been met and I have undertaken a natural healing process which I strongly recommend for anyone with my condition.

I put the cause of my problem down to a period in late 1999 of digging soil for 3 days with the twisting and lifting that I was not used to.  Compound that with the twisting of golf, sitting at a PC a lot and there you have it…the cause of disc degeneration in a 40 year old body!

Glenn Hedley '