BackLife - Helping the body repair itself By: Dr. Eyal Lederman DO PhD In the last two decades studies have shown that treating patients who had joint injury or surgery with passive motion tend to show better recovery. It has been since found that the body is very responsive to mechanical signals that the passive motion units (CPM) produce and that this stimulation helps it repair itself. Patients who receive CPM show better quality repair, faster rate of repair, less swelling and reduced pain. BackLife is the first CPM units to have been developed for treating the lumber spine and its physiological affects on the body are probably similar to CPM developed for other joints. One of the first short-term study using patients with lower back problems have demonstrated a significant relief of lower back pain in patients using the BackLife CPM. One of its main physiological affects is by providing the mechanical signals that are necessary for stimulating and directing the repair process in spinal fact joint, ligaments muscles and tendons. The spinal disc being a connective tissue structure may also benefit from low stress passive movement for repair. Furthermore, disc damage often leads to swelling within the spinal canal resulting in pain and nerve root irritation (leg symptoms). Passive movement produced by BackLife may help drain such inflammatory swelling within the spinal canal, reducing pressure and resulting in pain relief and diminished leg symptoms. Another benefit of the passive motion produced by BackLife CPM is that it may help the sciatic nerve glide within its sheath helping reduce swelling and blood flow within the nerve sheath. Sciatic leg pain is often due to reduced blood supply and oxygen to the nerve itself. In chronic spinal condition BackLife CPM probably works along the same physiological principle described above. In particular, conditions where there is low-level chronic inflammation and pain in spinal joints or discs. In facet joint wear and tear may disturb the intra capsular homeostasis leading to further slow destruction of the different joint's structures. In these conditions BackLife CPM may help assist the drainage of joint and preserve their physiological and mechanical integrity. Chronic lower back pain of muscular origin is now recognized to arise from mental stress and not just mechanical over-loading of the muscles. It has been shown that patient with these musculoskeletal conditions have an inability to relax their muscle either during the work period or leisure time. Some of the effects of BackLife may be attributed to promoting regular relaxation period during which back muscles can "switch off." This effect would be amplified by the gentle low amplitude and low frequency movement that BackLife provides. Furthermore, muscle pain can arise form increased intramuscular pressure due to muscle damage. Movement either passive or active is a potent stimulus for facilitating flow in muscle. It is not unreasonable to hypothesis that this may take place by the gentle flexion-extension movement of the spine produced by BackLife CPM. I can envisage the use of BackLife as an important therapeutic adjunct in several clinical scenarios. Most acute lower back injury patient could benefit from immediate short-term use with small likelihood for adverse side effects. It could help reduce pain in the lower back as well as alleviate some of the associated leg symptoms. This would also apply to chronic back injuries or degenerative conditions of the spinal complex. In this group of patient longer period of use may be required. Furthermore, chronic lower back pain sufferers who have sedentary jobs that contribute to their condition may benefit from regular dynamic stimulation of the spine using BackLife.