Lasting pain management relief with manipulation under anesthesia
Anyone who has long-term pain syndromes can consider manipulation under anesthesia as an alternative treatment to painkillers and surgery. The basic conditions that can lead to this procedure are acute and chronic neck pain, joint pain, back pain, shortened muscles, muscle spasms, and fibrous adhesions (scar tissue).
Pain caused by the lumbar, thoracic or cervical spine, frozen shoulder and any discomfort in the pelvic or sacroiliac region can be treated by manipulation under anesthesia (MUA). The treatment is safe and can serve as a replacement for more intrusive and dangerous medical procedures. There are three main ways that patients undergo this procedure.
1. During light sedation
2. Under general anesthesia
3. After the injection of the anesthetic in a specific area of the spine
Specialists who work as a team to ensure patient safety can perform this procedure in a surgical medical center. Manipulation under anesthesia is always a team effort, which is generally made up of the anesthesiologist, the chiropractor or doctor responsible for the manipulation, and an assistant. Unlike general chiropractic procedures, manipulation under anesthesia is almost always performed in a hospital or other traditional medical setting, such as an ambulatory surgical center.
The main goal of manipulation under anesthesia is to break up scar tissue or fibrous adhesions that center around the spine. The process uses specific kinesthetic maneuvers of postural and joint varieties, passive stretching, and short lever manipulations of the spine specific to problem areas.
Although the terminology may be new to many people, manipulation under anesthesia is far from a new procedure. It has been a part of medical treatment for over sixty years and has its own CPT Code designation.
Who gets treatment
Back and neck injuries are the main reasons for spinal manipulation, but not all situations call for the procedure, and some doctors may hesitate to perform the manipulation based on many factors, including the patient’s physical condition. One of the main reasons the procedure is done is for frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis.
Other care and treatments are often tried before spinal manipulation, but if those efforts prove ineffective, manipulation is the next step. Scar tissue accumulates along with adhesions during prolonged aggravation of the spinal joints. Over time, this leads to chronic pain in the spine and surrounding muscles.
While chiropractic treatments, epidural injections, and physical therapy often provide temporary pain relief, they do nothing to address the underlying problem of fibrous adhesions. Back surgery often does not fix this either and can make the problem worse. Manipulation under anesthesia can bring more permanent results for chronic back and neck pain.
