MUA Can Help Chronic Pain Sufferers in Swampscott

The only Local Chiropractor in Massachusetts certified to perform Manipulation Under Anesthesia

What would you do if you had constant or debilitating pain that didn’t seem to diminish with physical therapy, pain medications, or even surgery? Chronic or unresolved pain robs thousands of people of the joy and productivity. But a once popular procedure is making its way back and is helping to give people their lives back—pain free.

Since 1995, local chiropractic physician Mark Friedman, DC, with the assistance of doctors, has performed Manipulation Under Anesthesia (MUA) procedures on patients with excellent results.

“Manipulation Under Anesthesia is a non-invasive manipulation of specific areas, whether ligaments, muscles or joints, that is performed while a patient is under mild sedation or ‘twilight sleep’,” explains Dr. Friedman. “MUA can be an effective way to reduce pain for those with chronic pain or conditions caused by disabilities, accidents and injuries. MUA is often an option for people who have not been able to find relief from chronic or unresolved pain through traditional treatments, including medications.”

The procedure is relatively short (usually about 15 to 20 minutes), and can improve range of motion and/or lessen pain. Adjustments are completed gently, and areas causing pain and restriction are reduced or eliminated through a series of stretching and manipulation.

MUA has been a part of medicine for over 70 years and the current certification training is the same for chiropractic physicians, medical doctors and osteopathic physicians.

“When MUA was first performed, patients were put completely under and sometimes the risks of anesthesia just weren’t worth it,” says Dr. Friedman. “But now medicine has advanced so much that a patient can be placed under slight sedation for a short amount of time. This allows us to perform the procedure without so many risks.”

The procedures are performed at the Pain and Wellness Center in Peabody, a multi-specialty facility where I have been the staff chiropractic neurologist, which offers state-of-the-art facilities, caring nursing staff and physician/anesthesiologist oversight. Each patient signed in, met with their chiropractic doctor, nurses and anesthesiologist and undergoes standard pre-surgical procedures. Within an hour, each patient is put under mild sedation and wheeled into an operating room, where staff constantly monitored his/her condition. Then Dr. Friedman works on each patient using trained manipulation techniques depending on each patient’s complaint.

“The manipulation we are able to perform while a patient is under sedation is significantly more comprehensive than when a patient is experiencing pain and is resistant,” said Dr. Friedman. “We are able to probe more, stretch more and really find those places where scar tissue has built up and prevented normal range of motion.

“The idea is to have a completely compliant group of muscles, tendons and ligaments to work with,” said Dr. Friedman. “When a patient has pain, particularly chronic pain, he or she tends to clamp down the affected area or compensate for the pain by altering or restricting their movement. MUA allows us to treat the patients without those issues compounding their ability to heal.”

Dr. Friedman is accepting patients for MUA procedures in his Peabody practice.

MUA can be beneficial for the following:

“In general, patients selected for MUA are those who have received conservative care with little relief,” says Dr. Friedman. “If limited or no improvements in symptoms or objective findings have occurred, then MUA may be an appropriate alternative.

“While MUA is a great treatment option for some people, it is not for everyone,” said Dr. Friedman. “An important part of the process is spending time with a patient and getting to know their medical history and to understand their pain. Then, with the assistance of their current treating physician, we can make a decision together as to whether MUA is the best option or not.”

If you are interested in a free assessment to determine if MUA is a viable treatment option for you, contact Dr. Friedman at RightSPINE Chiropractic Neurology in Swampscott and Peabody at 781-581-7300

Dr. Mark Friedman, 70 New Ocean Street, Swampscott, MA | (781) 581-7300