Not that long ago, Bonnie Peebles was delivering the
first of her two children and beginning the happiest time of her
life. Her joy quickly faded as both children were diagnosed with
Cystic Fibrosis, an often fatal inherited disease affecting the
pancreas, respiratory system and apocrine glands.
The downward spiral dictating her life continued after
Peebles received a diagnosis of Crohn's Disease, an intestinal
disorder. To combat her disease, doctors placed Peebles
indefinately on high dose steroids which caused her to gain 100
pounds. A large disk then slipped out of place forcing her to use
a walker. After time, she developed disuse atrophy of the muscles
requiring her to use a wheelchair.
Ultimately she was confined to an electric wheelchair
requiring the use of braces to keep herself vertical. At the
lowest point of her life, crippled and unable to care for
herself, she met David Duncan MD, a family practice physician at
Columbia Doctors Hospital and ColumbiaSpecialty Hospital, and
finally began the road to recovery.
"I hurt all the time and I could not get out of the
electric wheelchair," said Peebles. "My lower back and
legs hurt and I did not think it would improve." "I
just thought the pain would continue to get worse and go on
forever."
Peebles who had seen countless doctors for her pain and
illness, referred herself to Columbia Specialty Hospital of Tulsa
by finding an advertisement in the local phone book. At Columbia
Specialty Hospital, the long-term acute care branch of Columbia
Doctors Hospital, a combined program was developed for her which
included physical therapy, a weight loss program and a treatment
for her inflammatory bowel disease.
Peebles met Duncan while looking for relief from her horrific
back pain. What originally caused Peebles problems was the weight
gain and the bulging disk - a corrected disk would greatly help
in the recovery process. So, in addition to the physical therapy,
Duncan placed her on a 20 - treatment program using the Vertebral
Axial Decompression (VAX-D) machine.
The technology for the machine, which is one of only two in
Oklahoma, was developed about 10 years ago in Canada and has only
recently been approved by the FDA for use in the United States.
"The main reason Bonnie was eventually confined to the
electric wheelchair was because of the non-use of her muscles. It
was just too painful for her to walk and get around because of
the disk. Over time, the muscles began to degenerate because of
no-use," said Duncan. "I thought if we could get Bonnie
to lose weight and treat the bulging disc, she could eventually
walk again. The VAX-D was critical to her overall treatment
because it would correct the disk."
The concept of the VAX-D which was developed by the same man
who created the defibrillator, is based on the effects of varying
levels of pressure within the discs between the vertebrae. When
standing, there is about 100 millimeters of mercury of pressure
in vertebral discs. When sitting, the pressure goes up to 160
millimeters; slouching can add another 30 millimeters.
Being in traction, another treatment for back ailments,
reduces the pressure to about 25 millimeters of pressure in the
discs.
In the VAX-D procedure, patients receive a constant tension
of 20 pounds on their lower back while the spine is
therapeutically stretched, opening the gaps between each
vertebrae. As the vertebrae open, the pressure in the disc space
drops to around negative 200 millimeters. The variance in
pressure actually helps pull the bulging disc back into place and
forces the patient's blood and plasma to fill in the gaps created
in the spine. The process is similar to the use of a straw for
drinking.
"Normally after an injury the spine never really heals;
after the age of eight the blood supply to the spine is
cutoff," said Duncan, who treats about 15 patients per month
with the machine. "The blood has all the nutrients and
agents needed to promote healing, so opening the spine and having
the blood and plasma flow back in is very beneficial to the
healing process."
Peebles found nearly instant results. After a few treatments
she started walking with the aid of parallel bars. A few more
treatments allowed her to stand by herself and eventually take
her first steps in years.
"One of my goals is to have her move out of the nursing
home and get her own place," said Duncan. "Each
treatment has brought new successes and new goals."
There are 2.5 million lower back injuries yearly, and 4.5
million low back disabled adults in the country. More than
250,000 lower back surgeries are performed per year. Work related
injuries, back injuries, lost time and productivity is estimated
to cost $38 to $56 billion per year.
Conventional low-back therapies include rest, exercise, and
manipulation to help reduce the pain. However, they usually do
not have long term success and there is evidence that conditions
can worsen by such care. Therfore, many lower back sufferers are
turning to non-surgical methods for help.
The VAX-D worked for Peebles, who recently completed her
treatments. She reached one of her personal goals by walking 3
1/2 unaided miles at a recent walk for multiple sclerosis. The
future? Peebles is attempting to get off social security, hopes
to lose more weight, plans on attending Tulsa Community College
to become a physical therapy technician and is arranging to
volunteer in rehabilitation center at Columbia Specialty Hospital
of Tulsa.
Peebles was facing a future which she could not hope to walk
without assisstance. Less than one year later with the help of
Columbia Specialty Hospital of Tulsa she has been able to free
herself from her wheelchair and with each passing day the doors
to her future are opening.
Dr. Duncan's treatment plan has given Peebles the chance to
do something she hasn't been able to do for a long time. Walk
ahead and think of a future without a wheelchair and without the
agonizing pain in her back.