Stopping Chronic Pain Book

Percutaneous (Per·cu·ta·ne·ous) Hydrotomy: A Revolutionary Approach to Beating Chronic Pain and Increasing Function Johnathan Edwards MD and Bernard Guez MD

Stopping Chronic Pain

This book introduces a groundbreaking paradigm shift in the treatment of injuries and chronic pain. It delves into pioneering medical treatments that have the potential to significantly alter outcomes for individuals dealing with chronic pain. While hundreds of thousands of patients have already benefited from these treatments, they remain relatively unknown to the majority of patients and underutilized by healthcare providers. These innovative techniques harness the body’s own healing capabilities to establish a connection between traditional standard-of-care treatments for musculoskeletal injuries. Importantly, the methods described in this book are minimally invasive and cost-effective, especially in comparison to surgical procedures. Paradoxically, they aren’t covered by insurance, even though their utilization could potentially save billions within the healthcare system.

Numerous patients have experienced positive results from the procedures detailed in this book. “Stopping Pain” aims to provide essential information about integrative general medicine and orthopedics to the millions of individuals and animals who suffer from chronic pain and other debilitating conditions. This book seeks to educate patients about various, often superior, alternatives to currently employed treatments and medications. The new paradigm presented in this book has the potential to revolutionize the practice of orthopedics, pain, and sports medicine.

Chronic pain has become a widespread issue, with the number of individuals in the United States diagnosed with osteoarthritis rising dramatically. Lower back pain has been labeled as the “disease of the century.” These costs, affecting both individuals and society as a whole, are expected to rise due to the increasing prevalence of obesity, the diabetes epidemic, and a decrease in recreational activity.

Percutaneous hydrotomy stems from techniques utilizing mesotherapy, oligotherapy, tumescent anesthesia, hypodermoclysis, and regenerative medicine:

Mesotherapy, which originated in France and derives from the Greek term “mesos” using micro-injections of pharmaceuticals, vitamins, and other preparations into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Mesotherapy only became possible with the invention of injectable needles. Percutaneous hydrotomy is an extension of mesotherapy designed to treat musculoskeletal pain.

Oligotherapy involves treating diseases with bioavailable forms of trace minerals. In the late 1800s, the discovery of trace minerals by chemists were used to treat many kinds of ailments of that time.

Tumescent anesthesia is the placement of large volumes of saline and dilute local anesthesia in the subcutaneous tissues. This technique facilitates pain management and local anesthesia during procedures.

Hypodermoclysis is a decades-old practice involving the subcutaneous infusion of fluids into the body. It is safe, straightforward, and effective for administering fluids and delivering medications.

Together, these techniques and principles from the basis of percutaneous hydrotomy aim to treat the causes and bring back function to those suffering with chronic pain.

Standard conservative treatments for musculoskeletal injuries and chronic pain typically involve medications, physical therapy, activity modifications, bracing, steroid injections, and, if all else fails, surgery. In the United States, over half a million prosthetic knees are implanted each year. However, numerous patients aren’t suitable candidates for these highly invasive procedures. Moreover, these patients often endure years of suffering while awaiting a decision on joint prosthesis. These surgeries also carry the prospect of revision surgery in 10 to 20 years, which is often less effective and poses a higher risk of failure.

Until regenerative injection therapies gained mainstream acceptance, patients had few alternatives. While surgery successfully addresses many medical conditions like diseased cartilage, tendons, and ligaments, it can exacerbate osteoarthritis. Regenerative injection treatments form the basis of this new paradigm. Collectively, these therapies can assist with acute and chronic injuries to tendons, bones, ligaments, and cartilage, and they can also alleviate or eliminate arthritic joint pain.