Old Medical Procedure Brings New Life for Chronic Pain Patients

December 23, 2014 - Grand Blanc, MI- Back pain affects approximately 80% of US adults, with an annual medical price tag of over $50 billion. Recent studies show that much of this cost is from prescription narcotic pain medications and spine surgeries that are often avoidable or unnecessary. However, an old medical procedure called Medication-Assisted Mobilization (MAM) is giving back hope to people suffering from disc herniations, degenerative discs and joints, fibromyalgia, and chronic recurrent headaches.

Medication-Assisted Mobilization (MAM) is performed at an outpatient surgery center or hospital. Patients are given an IV sedative medication, similiar to a colonoscopy procedure. While asleep, the physicians mobilize the involved joints, muscles, and ligaments through their normal flexibility. Because the patient is asleep, they feel no pain, and the physicians to not encounter aggressive muscle resistance like they do in the normal clinical setting for these chronic pain conditions. Dr. Megan Strauchman, medical director of the Natural Wellness & Pain Relief Center, says "this procedure is wonderful for patients because they often wake up in no pain for the first time in months or years. It's a conservative way of significantly improving pain levels and activity levels without prolonged physical therapy, recurrent steroid injections, or repeat surgeries."

According to Strauchman, the procedure takes about 25-30 minutes, and is usually repeated for 3 consecutive days. Since it is covered by most insurances, there are no barriers to this treatment. Dr. Strauchman leads a team of MAM-certified physicians who perform this procedure at Bald Mountain Surgical Complex in Lake Orion. "Since performing Medication-Assisted Mobilization in Michigan over the last 8 years, the results have been incredible. My team and I have published research on this procedure for cases of failed back surgery, adult scoliosis, and disc herniations. The problem I find is that most patients are not aware of this option, and should certainly learn more about it before opting for surgery or more invasive injection therapies that don't fix the problem," says Strauchman.

Medication-Assisted Mobilization is covered by most insurances. Dr. Strauchman's office in Grand Blanc currently provides free phone consultations to determine if prospective patients are candidates for Medication-Assisted Mobilization. For people who have been on the pain management merry-go-round, this may be their ticket off.