For those who don't know, the DRX 9000 is a fancy traction table billed by those who treat back pain (mainly chiropractors and in my area a group of DO's) as a spinal "decompression" unit. I initially became suspicious and concerned about the device when I had several back pain patients that were previously treated at the DO's facility. The ALL said that their treatment consisted of daily treatments for 6 weeks of spinal decompression in the DRX 9000, water massage (like you see in malls) and blowing up a balloon. The latter is a whole other subject to post about. The point here is the DAILY treatment for 6 weeks. Regardless if they had simple mechanical LBP, HNP, stenosis, etc, everyone seems to have received the same treatment. The worst part is, in many cases, their insurance companies did not pay for this plan of care.
Now the Tampa Tribune reports the manufacturer, Axiom Worldwide, was raided by FBI agents this morning. Why? The story doesn't say, but Dean Moyer over at Rebuild Your Back states this:
What can you do? Educate, educate, educate. Don't be afraid to tell people the truth. There is NO literature that shows the DRX 9000 to be more beneficial than standard traction and not much literature that shows traction, in general is helpful. Hopefully the Feds can help put a stop to people using "Dr." to dupe the layperson in to forking over money for treatment that is excessive in number and in no way has been shown to be better than less expensive treatment.
Rumor has it that the allegations leveled against Axiom are:
- Axiom instructs DRX 9000 clinic owners how to defraud insurance companies in the training manuals that come with the machine.
- Axiom provides false advertising materials … in the form of slick infomercials and print advertising … as part of the DRX-9000 package.
- Claims of FDA approval are distorted and misrepresented as a selling point in the commercials. The truth is, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has never evaluated the machine for safety or effectiveness. As it turns out, the DRX was grandfathered in because it is similar to other traction tables and, therefore, considered an existing medical device.
- The claim by Axiom that their machine is based on NASA research is a total fabrication. NASA has never played a part in the development of the DRX or any other spinal decompression machine.
100 comments:
It worked for me and I agree with Dr. Ross 100%. Other doctors promised me things that never happened.
The treatments were great, so much better than the shots and previous back surgery that I had.
If you are ever considering the treatment, GO FOR IT, it is a true medical breakthrough. I thank God everyday of my life for it. Now I can sleep through the nite, walk my dog, swim, and be nice to my kids.
Elda B.
To all,
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Dear removed posted name,
Thank you for your comments. I stand behind my post. There is NO good peer reviewed evidence that traction is beneficial for LBP. And none that shows the DRX9000 to be better traction than a "standard" traction table.
Quote from removed posted name:
"...DRX 9000 is taking a lot of $$$$ away from Physical Therapists and Surgeons and Drug Companies and Other forms of profitable back pain treatments....
I disagree. The only money that is being taken is the pt's who is conned into having traction on a daily basis for 6 or more weeks for an unproven treatment.
Quote from removed posted name:
"...We have MANY, MANY pre and post MRIs with up to 5mm reductions in herniation size...
Again, there is not always a direct link between a HNP and pain. There are _PEER REVIEWED_ studies that show that up to 60% of us are walking around with HNP and DDD and are asymptomatic. MRI's are a clinical tool, not diagnostic Holy truth.
Quote from removed posted name:
"..taking a lot of money from people that were making a lot of money. When this happens, people get upset..."
Again, fairly week argument. It is coming under attack because it promises more than has been proved it can do. Plain and simple. You can't present anecdotal experiences as fact that can be generalized to a large population. This is a common fallacy that we all must watch for.
Evidence is the key that will set us free from snake oil salesman and their products. Demand it from whomever you turn to to help you with your health
NOTE: I have removed the name of the quoted person as they have asked. Please think twice about posting if you are unsure if you want that post to "live on" in the future.
The newspaper that published information regarding the FBI investigation was the St. Pete Times not the Tampa Tribune. I was treated on the DRX 9000 and had great results, it has changed my life. Many people may feel that paying between $4000-$6000 for the treatment is high but the reality is most insurance companies only pay 80% and the patient pays 20%. If you undergo a spinal surgery it can easliy cost $30,000 and right there you will have to pay $6000.00 your 20% of the surgery cost. I would rather not have someone cut my body open unless I have tried everything. The bottom line is this is your life and your health, you need to look into every option and make the decision that is right for you. I chose a non-surgical approach and had great results but nothing in the medical field works 100%of the time.
Good luck!
Regarding the story I read...The date line says "Tampa Tribune". Click the link to the story I provided. I could very well be wrong, but I'm using the information I read.
I am truly happy that you had great results with the DRX9000. My concern isn't that a few select people can get better with traction (in fact, I use traction myself occasionally to treat patients that have the best chance of benefiting from it - namely lumbar HNP's), it's the cost associated with it and the inflated claims as to it's effectiveness in restoring function as a sole means of treatment.
Many of these anecdotal replies on the effectiveness of the DRX9000 also harp on the cost of surgery vs. the cost of the DRX9000 treatment. I don't disagree there. However, the cost of 20+ visits of the DRX9000 (insurance or not which should be irrelevant) is still more than the average of 8 visits for all back conditions I see pt's for before discharging them. With people that did not complete PT or had to be referred to an MD due to conditions outside of my scope of practice included, my patients average Oswestry score reduction is over 50% (much higher if I were to "conveniently" leave out the bad apples). Again, that's in an average of 8 treatments.
I'll say it again, the DRX9000 is a fancy traction machine, and traction alone has not been shown to be especially effective in treating LBP.
I use the DRX 9000 in my Manhattan practice. I have seen patients that have had Failed back surgery sydrome respond. I have had patients that had not responded to PT and epidural injections respond favorablly to DRX 9000 spinal decompression treatment.
To say that it is just a traction table is not fair.
I utulize traction in my practice as well, and a traction table does not compare. Traction has actually been shown to cause back spasm. Treatment on the DRX 9000 utulizes a technology called "Logorithmic curve" which fools the muscles into relaxing and does not allow a splinting response.
I am a single practioner in New York and I don't get paid to endorse any product. I trully view this as a medical breakthrough, I have patients with pre and post MRI showing reduction in disc bulge and disc herniations.
www.drshoshany.com
Most people when they find out they have a disc herniation are told either to have surgrey take medication or do PT.
IF those don't work what else should people do?
I utulize spinal decompression along with core strengthing using the powerplate and other modalities and see excellent results.
Axiom has cleaned up there act.
I have used most other tables on the market from the Z-grav to the 3D active trac and I have to say hands down that the DRX 9000 is the best made and most comfortable for the patient.
It is more expensive but i believe you get what you pay for when it comes to equipment.
I have posted most of the peer reviewed studies done on Vertebral axial decompression on my website
www.drshoshany.com
Vax-D has set the groundwork for all the success DRX 9000 has had, I don't get involved in all the legal stuff going on.
Basically DRX 9000 improved on the 20 plus year old VAX-D technology.
Vax-D isn't that comfortable (You have to hold on with your hands)
DRX 9000 is much more comfortable.
Some insurance companies are now paying for this.
In New York I have been paid by workers comp, and some other major med companies.
Yes, the DRX is a scam and none of the doctors have an 86% success rate as claimed by the Axiom study. The success rate is more like 20% and even that may be a temporary relief. I am surprised that the BBB has not cracked down on Axiom yet. Prolotherapy by is the most effective treatment for back pain that I have experienced
http://spinaldiscdecompressiontherapy.blogspot.com/
I work with a PT, MD amd a LMT in my practice and when someone considers spinal decompression, they usually have exhausted all conservative treatments.
If I understand you correctly after 8 visits if you can't help them no one can?
I am curious if you looked at all the research on my website
www.drshoshany.com
Spinal decompression is here to stay and in some countries like Canada before they will pay for spinal disc surgery they want to see that a patient has completed 20 visits of spinal decompression!
Dr. Shoshany,
I don't dismiss the potential benefit of traction, specifically for lumbar disc HNP's. The research I have read (at least the research published in some sort of peer reviewed journal) indicates the DRX900, as well as the VAX-D, demonstrate a reduction in HNP size after the treatment protocol length. The research I was able to find on your site (and truthfully I didn't work to hard to find more on you site) consisted of what seemed to be unpublished case reports. Definitely a step up form anecdotal proclamations from miracle patients, but they don't even seem to have been critically reviewed by any type of peer review process.
A step back to the research on HNP reduction. A couple of issues that one must remember to critically evaluate these studies:
1. There is no 1 to 1 relationship between HNP size and pain or decreased function. Many studies demonstrate a large majority of us walk around with asymptomatic HNP's and decreasing the size doesn't mean return of function. It can happen though.
2. The studies I read didn't include a control group. They just looked at pre and post MRI's with DRX9000 treatment. Maybe not a huge deal, but still limits the ability to disassociate improvement over time and improvement with the treatment.
quote
If I understand you correctly after 8 visits if you can't help them no one can?
/quote
No, I must not have come across correctly. For all LBP pt's I see, the average treatment length is 8 visits. This includes those who have reached their goals, those who were referred on to another specialist because I wasn't getting them better (so, no, I make no claim that I get everyone better. Unlike some DRX9000 advertising), and those who dropped out d/t insurance problems before reaching their goals.
quote
...in some countries like Canada before they will pay for spinal disc surgery they want to see that a patient has completed 20 visits of spinal decompression!
/quote
Wow! I'll have to ask my Canadian phsyio friends about that. Sounds like someone scored a large bonanza of guaranteed money for a treatment that is maybe only useful for reducing the size of an HNP.
Dr. Shoshany,
My fault, I clicked on the "Spinal Decompression Case studies" link instead of the "Spinal Decompression Research" link earlier. Thus my comment on only case studies. Makes sense now.
Nice website by the way. Maybe think about putting horizontal line breaks to separate the different research articles. Everything tends to run together which makes it hard to read.
Would you be able to do me a favor? Email me the citations, and if possible, the full text of the articles posted. They all had titles and authors listed, but I was unable to ascertain which journal they were published in.
I will then read those articles ASAP so I can fully appreciate the research out there and comment appropriately.
You can contact me via the email link at the top of the blog.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
This Blog is OFFICIALLY Called "The Angry Physical Therapist"
Hey, fight your battle.
Let people get spine surgeries!!! Don't every get "Angry" about spine surgeries , oh not you, never, spine surgeries are successful according to all the peer reviewed documented research.
Welcome to the "Angry Physical Therapist" Blog
You are very young and Angry! Good luck with your Anger, counseling would be of great benefit.
Thanks,
Amused Reader
LOL, if you can't defend you position attack the person.
I'm opposed to the proliferation of unproven back surgeries (eg spinal fusion for simple back pain with out segmental instability) as I am for stealing peoples money using traction for 30 visits as a sole treatment.
Try again.
Oh brother...I hope you never have a herniated disc...because after you have exhausted e-stim, ultrasound (all therapies with no research to validate there effects ), pelvic tilts,etc....you may be forced to chose between decompression and surgery. You talk about the money involved which is nothing compared to what PT's and MD's collect for similar services.($100 to put someone on a hot pack) My wife waisted thousands of dollars for PT treatments that didnt help at all only to find permanant relief from decompression. Oh to be a young DPT with all the answers. Open your eyes, because Decompression is being utilized in hospitals, neurologist, family practitioners, orthopedist,...and yes..maybe you someday.
Again, I have never made a claim that traction cannot be beneficial for herniated discs. In fact, the literature shows that traction can be associated with diminished disc herniation. Now, it would be a jump to assume that there is a 1 to 1 relationship of herniation size and functional ability (inverse relationship). The literature shows, BTW, that function and pain CANNOT be assessed by radiographic imaging of disc herniation size.
I think it's slightly amusing that you bash US, E-stim, etc for lack of literature to support their use, and then decry that I eschew the DRX9$$$. In fact E-Stim and lumbar stabilization ex's (eg posterior pelvic tilts) do have research showing that they are effective for pain reduction and improved trunk control respectively. Will they improve function in a person with lumbar HNP?? Well, it's not how I would treat my HNP patient.
Being a "young" (thank you BTW) PT is nice, because I wasn't taught to treat everyone with modalities (which traction fits into that category). I'm sorry your wife had problems with her PT. There are bad PT's out there, just as there are bad DC's, MD's, etc. I am also sincerely happy she received relief from the DRX9000. Her HNP puts in the category to benefit from traction.
One note, you said:
"($100 to put someone on a hot pack)"
I'm not sure where you live but this statement appears to be a gross exaggeration. I'm sure with the results your wife received in PT that's what if felt like. None the less, the statement is grossly untrue. In fact many insurance companies refuse to reimburse for hot packs.
Finally, anecdotal stories do not constitute a body of evidence of the overall effectiveness of the DRX9000.
Keep asking questions. And demand that your health care provider isn't blowing smoke up your ass to guarantee themselves 20+ visits without having to provide outcome evidence that it'll get you better than fewer visits with "standard" traction and PT. Good luck.
I am getting sick and tired of reading comments about the DRX 9000. Here is my blog, as to why there are questions about this machine.
Unfortunatley, most doctors who purchased this machine thought of it as a "quick financial fix" as either they were told or heard about how much "cash" they could get and how many patients they could see.
In my clinic, I have had several success stories with the DRX. Also, I have turned many more away than I have treated due to proper doctoring and noting the contraindications. Too many doctors thought about the money and not the doctoring part, hence, one of the reason(s) for some of its failures.
I believe the DRX is here to stay if we can get it in the hands of competent doctors. Many times the doctor does the "credentialing" of patients and then has "staff" do the rest. In my clinic, there are doctors here all the time to make sure your DRX experience is what it is supposed to be and we can figure out what is wrong and how to remedy the situation, not out on a golf course somewhere, having a tech person doing all the work.
My clinic is dedicating to helping those with low back pain. We are the lowest priced DRX clinic in our area, several thousands dollars less than those around us. I firmly believe, along with my staff that healthcare should be affordable for all, not just a "get rich" quick scheme.
Find a competent doctor, that will make all the difference and yes, we also have extensive rehab for pateints while on the machine and after for optimal results and we get them.
The DRX-9000 injured my back to the point that I now need surgery and will most likely be permanently disabled. I never had back problems like I do after this treatment. All I did was go to a chiropractor for thoracic tenderness that affected my golf game, and he convinced me that my lumbar spine was causing all the problems. Relying on the NASA ads, the FDA "Approval," and the "86%" success rate, I fell victim to this snake oil peddler. Axiom needs to pay for their lies, fraud, and arrogance. For those who say "the machine is great, it's just the ads that were a little overdone," please realize that when the FDA pulls their "clearance," the machine will be worthless.
Looks like someone just filed a product liability case against Axiom:
Lang v. Axiom Worldwide Inc.
Plaintiff: Jason Lang
Defendant: Axiom Worldwide Inc.
Case Number: 2:2007cv04178
Filed: September 5, 2007
Court: Missouri Western District Court
Office: Jefferson City Office [ Court Info ]
County: Cooper
Presiding Judge: District Judge Scott O. Wright
Nature of Suit: Torts - Injury - Personal Injury- Product Liability
Cause: 28:1441 Petition for Removal- Personal Injury
Jurisdiction: Diversity
Jury Demanded By: Defendant
All the little complaints about the DRX9000 are insane. These complaints of "drx" hurt my back are a joke compared to the real outcomes of a surgery that doesn't work. I know an orthopedic surgeon who underwent a cercical disc operation by a good friend of his and is now a quadrapalegic. No therapy will cure all problems, but if it can help prevent something like this from happening, it is well worth the cost.
"Statements which injure a person with respect to his office, trade or business."
Defamation and libel are defined as statement that injures someone's reputation.
Dear Fellow Readers of this mean and hateful blog, Please contact your local attorney and we can all file against this blog owner a slander, defamation lawsuit, and libel case.
Dear Blog owner, Please remove your blog.
If you are having a difficult time working with patients, maybe take some classes on how to interact with people and motivate them towards better health. You went to school to work with patients, maybe it would be great if you went and helped others? and give up your hobby of defaming others.
It is natural that when you don't have success you tear down others.
blog owner - you can change :)
You can change for the better :)
Thanks in advance for changing for the better and spending your days helping others instead of tearing them down.
QUOTE FROM ANONYMOUS QUACK
Anonymous said...
"Statements which injure a person with respect to his office, trade or business."
Defamation and libel are defined as statement that injures someone's reputation.
Dear Fellow Readers of this mean and hateful blog, Please contact your local attorney and we can all file against this blog owner a slander, defamation lawsuit, and libel case.
Dear Blog owner, Please remove your blog.
END QUOTE
I'm shaking in my boots, lol.
I just wanted to update you about a new study that will be published soon about the DRX table,
I use the table in my practice and combined with other treatments like core excercise and cold laser therapy and H-wave stim I have seen very impressive results in my practice.
I had a orthopedic surgeon from Holland train with me last week and next week I have 4 Japanese doctors coming to learn my protocol for treating disc herniations without surgery.
www.drshoshany.com
DATA FROM A RECENT MULTI-CENTER PILOT STUDY UTILIZING AXIOM WORLDWIDE’S DRX9000™ REVEALS A DRAMATIC SUCCESS RATE OF 88.9%!
Clinical results to be presented at the 2007 annual conference of the American Academy of Pain Management.
The clinical results of an IRB-approved prospective, multi-center, phase II, non-randomized pilot study utilizing the DRX9000™ will be presented at the 18th Annual Clinical Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Management in Las Vegas, NV September 27- 30, 2007. The study, authored by Dr. John Leslie of The Mayo Clinic, was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the DRX9000 in the treatment of chronic lower back pain. Patients enrolled in the study had suffered an overall average of ten years of chronic back pain. After two weeks of treatments on the DRX9000 there was a 50% reduction in pain scores and upon completion of the entire six week protocol an amazing success rate of 88.9% was documented. The patients also reported an improvement in their Oswestry Disability score. Abstracts and copies of the presentation will be made available following the release of the study data at the American Academy of Pain Management
You gotta love claims that no one else can verify. Unpublished "research", in my opinion, is the lowest level of information out there.
Do me a favor, if/when the study is published, shoot me a copy of it and I promise to post about it. Good or bad.
Until then, it just what it is, unpublished data.
Hi. I'm 32,to yong not to live my life as i whant. I have a boldging disc, shoots pain in to my right leg. After reeding this arguments, I have no idea what to do.I study golf, and i have a hard time becouse of my back.I have trid many therapy but nothing halps.Would DRX??
I would definitely give spinal decompression a try before surgery. The company that has the studies to back up their claims is VAXD. You can go to www.vaxd.com to see locations in your area. The DRX does work in many cases as it incorporates the patented logarithmic curve found in the VAXD according to what I have studied and researched. The company that makes the DRX likes to copy other companies' intellectual property. That's all my opinion but I've been forced to research it in detail with their harrassing lawsuits by the DRX maker. The technology works as long as you do not have any of the contraindications. Go for it.
The state of California considers spinal decompression therapy a Physical Therapy modality so a chiropractor cannot use only spinal decompression in their practice. They have to incorporate it with manipulation per the CA Chiropractic Board.
the research leaves something to be desired. However, after working for 18 years with an orthopedist, physiatrists, physical therapists, physician assistants and other chiropractors such as myself it is clear that neck and back problems are very difficult sometimes, and that medicine and health care does a poor job helping many such patients. when i finally took the time to investigate the claims by talking to doctors and patients nationally and reading the available research, imperfect as it is, and now using it myself for the last year i can conclude that while i am still too often disappointed by the results, it is still vastly better treatment than i have seen in my previous 18 years experience. sometimes the truth isn't handed to you in a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial and you have to find it through imperfect means. sure the claims are sensational but that's true for epidurals, chiropractic, therapy and surgery too. the fact that patients find out, and which surprises them, is that present treatment of neck and back problems is poor. decompression is a big improvement and deserves a prominent role in the treatment algorithm. the fact that the free market wants and pays cash for decompression is an endorsement for its efficacy. try charging for other services without the teat of insurance to suck from. you'll find it ain't so easy. decompression doesn't help everyone and it will be oversold like everything else in this world that is sold. but it is better than other treatments for many people. as for traction, it simply isn't as effective for many people. that's why it never generated much interest and decompression has simply taken the same concept and engineered it to be more effective most of the time. Dr. Craig Castanet, Atlanta, GA
I have been using Spinal Decompression for over 10 years. I use VAX-D and the DRX9000. I can say without a doubt it is the most effective stand alone treatment for lower back pain available. Now like all good clinicians I have added other effective and comprehensive protocols to my practice including Mckenzie MDT, Spinal stabilization and MedX spinal rehabilitation. My program is for the chronic patient and anyone who feels that our results are pure luck or the consequence of the natural history of back pain are way off. The fact is treatments like epidurals which were found to be ineffective for back pain in a recent AAN review and surgery are the only other alternatives after a patient has failed conservative treatments. Spinal Decompression will have its day and when the research is up to snuff many prior skeptics will be surprised and their patients will be the only population to have suffered.
Randall Pruitt, DC, DACNB,DAAPM, MUAC
tiikrI went through the shots no results , relief for a week or 2 anyway was told my only other option was another back surgery.....I had a appointment with a specialist to explain the surgery in 2 weeks....my wife seen a ad for the drx9000 so we went to see what it was all about (i forgot to mention they were gonna put hardware in my back when i had surgery) well after 3 drx treatments i felt alot better im through the decompression stage and i'm now almost completed with the rehab phase......I FEEL GREAT!!!!!!NO PAIN AT ALL!!!!!!
I feel the only reson the drx is under fire is because it's taking money from hospitals,drs and the list goes on.....hey if you want to have surgery great go for it!!!!!i chose not to get cut again.
For five years I have had my back 'adjusted' but nothing really helped. The first treatment on the DRX 9000 worked wonders. I could tell in my feet that the nerves were relieved. I have no more numbness on the outer side of my feet and no tingling in my toes. Three treatments later I am convinced that stretching the spine is better than 'adjusting' It might not be for everyone but it worked for me. Bill W. NJ
I talked with a friend of mine this weekend, who has had back issues since he was 19 years old he is now 55! And he went to a place that used this machine for 3 months and he feels like new again!
So, I am having a friend of mine check it out for his use!
Maybe this can work for some folks!
Ken Dreger
There's an old saying..."Show me the money!!!". In the case of this gadget, "show me the evidence, derived from RIGOROUS STUDIES!!!!".
Thanks for publishing this blog. I received a "Second Notice" today from a Dr Steve Teta in Massachusetts. All the same crapola described in this blog - NASA, 86%, Even a "One last warning!" about winding up in a wheelchair and living the rest of my life in misery.
I looked up the DC on the state registration site and he appeared clean and legal. What I could not find were the actual reports he cited in his advertisment.
I think that sufficient doubt is presented here that I consider myself forewarned and will continue my course of treatment with the excellent orthopaedic and neurology professionals available in the Boston hospitals.
As a fellow PT and a long time sufferer of LBP due to dx'd multilevel desiccated disc and spondylolisthesis of L5-S1 I would like to ask Jason a question: having exhausted all the possible PT tx's, acupuncture, chiropractic tx and prolotherapy and still being in debilitating pain most of the time what would you do if you were me (and I do NOT wish this on anyone, of course, including you)?
Another question is: what DID the pts who came to your clinic say about the DRX tx? You are saying
"I initially became suspicious and concerned about the device when I had several back pain patients that were previously treated at the DO's facility. The ALL said that their treatment consisted of daily treatments for 6 weeks of spinal decompression in the DRX 9000, water massage (like you see in malls) and blowing up a balloon"
but nowhere do you mention the results these pts hopefully shared with you. Are you simply concerned about the money issue or do you dispute the fact that the DRX 9000 works? If it's the latter, what is your evidence that it does not?
Rigourous studies????? OH...like those studies that are funded by "big pharma"...Give me a break. $4,000 isn't "show me the money....try going to your dentist and getting a second mortgage on your home for some implants and whitening....that is "show me the money."
" katya sh., PT said...
As a fellow PT and a long time sufferer of LBP due to dx'd multilevel desiccated disc and spondylolisthesis of L5-S1 I would like to ask Jason a question: having exhausted all the possible PT tx's, acupuncture, chiropractic tx and prolotherapy and still being in debilitating pain most of the time what would you do if you were me (and I do NOT wish this on anyone, of course, including you)?
Another question is: what DID the pts who came to your clinic say about the DRX tx?.."
Well, they were seeing me AFTER spending 6 weeks and thousands of dollars with the DRX. So, suffice to say, their DRX outcomes were not good.
"Are you simply concerned about the money issue or do you dispute the fact that the DRX 9000 works? If it's the latter, what is your evidence that it does not?"
I am greatly concerned about the financial burden many of these people are incurring. Daily visits for 6 weeks for an UNPROVEN tx approach (compared to standard PT or even chiropractic) is absurd.
Speaking of unproven, I'm not the one making outrageous claims of efficacy for all types of low back pain with ONE treatment using the exact same protocol. The burden of proof falls on the manufacturers and clinicians using the DRX not the observer.
I am a chiro & PT and could not be more upset at how patients are duped into this treatment, change "traction" to "spinal decompression" as studied by NASA and you have patients (and a few ill informed professionals) lining up for treatment. I have the same concerns as the author of this blog. Patients in my area are charged thousands of dollars out of pocket for this treatment when a home traction unit, a great quality, can be purchased for a few hundred dollars. I think we are getting confused with the topic.
The concern for me is the cost. If the people who sell this treatment where charging a reasonable fee for one treatment session, if they were not having patients sign contracts or credit agreements, ALL OF THIS WOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE.
As the author of this blog states, I too see great results with treatment in 6-8 treatments. Some go longer, some go shorter...BUT I DO NOT MAKE PATIENTS PAY UP FRONT FOR MONTHS OF SERVICE!!! IF I HELP, THEN GREAT, IF NOT, THEN ALL YOU HAVE LOST IS A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS OVER 6-8 TREATMENTS (I CHARGE $35 / TREATMENT).
I think it is safe to say the author (AND I) are more concerned with how much patients spend rather than the claims. Charge a reasonable price and get people better, it's that simple!!
OR AT LEAST SHOW THEM A HOME TRACTION UNIT FOR $300 THAT MAY HELP!!!
My father, who is 61 years old and special needs due to a mental condition was duped into signing a contract with a local DRX 9000"doctor" in Chico, CA. He paid $8,000 up front for this "treatment" he read about in the paper (full page add touting FDA approval and NASA breakthrough.) After half the sessions, the pain was getting worse and we learned my dad had a tumor the size of an orange wrapped around a blood vessel and a nerve. Now my father is paying on an $8,000 contract at 12% APR and is facing chemotherapy and surgery for the real problem. The "doctor" said he would refund my dad half the money, that the treatments really "worked." We have yet to see the money. Please, please, please use caution before seeing one of these outfits.
After reading a few posts I think it comes down to money. The people who paid THOUSANDS for this feel the need to defend it, HECK...IT COST THEM PLENTY!! I am a PT AND CHIROPRACTOR and feel that...sometimes...traction will benefit patients, as it has helped some people posting here...THE HARD PART IS COMING TO GRIPS WITH THE FACT THAT YOU COULD HAVE THE TREATMENT COVERED BY INSURANCE IF IN A PT SETTING, OR BUYING A GOOD HOME UNIT FOR $500.....I would be hurt, and upset...FEEL THE NEED to defend an $8000 treatment if I suddenly found out I could have gotten the same results for $500. That is why we are getting so emotional, those of us who are trying to help the patients make responsible financial decisions based on available treatments, and those who OVERPAID by $7500 for TRACTION!!!! IT IS JUST TRACTION PEOPLE!!!!!!!
People have already tried traction without relief...they already tried the cheap $200 option and it did not work.
Do you think people just go and fork out high amounts of cash before exhausting the cheap options? That is not how the world works.
People exhaust all cheap options like traction, PT, chiro, exercises, etc.
If they don't work, then they have surgery.
Steps: Least Invasive to More Invasive.
1. Cheap treatments like Physical Therapy, Chiro, Self Treatments, Exercises, Stretches
No Relief, then
2. Decom p ression
No Relief, then
3. Injections
No Relief, then
4. Surgery
p.s. non-invasive procedures!
It is still early in the process, but the pilot studies show a
88.9% success rate at the Mayo Clinic.
This paves the way for the next step...which will be full blown double blind studies, conducted with large groups of low back pain sufferers...primarily those that suffer from lumbar disc herniations.
88.9% SUCCESS RATE!!!!!!!
YES!
I'd be interested in the citation of the study you posted about. Hard for others to judge to validity of your claims w/o were to see the study for themselves.
Of course, since you posted as "Anonymous" we have no idea how to contact you, and like the other "Anonymous" post, will most likely never hear from you again. Too bad.
Just attended a luncheon in which a representative tried to influence approximately 30 people to come sign up for treatments. Reading your posts was informative and makes me want to investigate the validity of this type of treatment further. As a student that will soon be in the role of provider, I want to be able to refer my patients to treatment modalities that are ethical and cost effective. My verdict on this is still out. Thanks again for debating this issue and presenting both sides.
Kristina U.
Boise Idaho
Before I tried to post objective physical therapists "under investigation", however you did not post it.
You just post what you want, which is not what the purpose of a blog is. That is fine, do as you wish.
You do a great job at search engine optimization so you can get your non-objective point of view in front of people.
again - great job with the search engines and only posting what you want :)
"Anonymous said"..
"Before I tried to post objective physical therapists "under investigation", however you did not post it."
Hmmm...I allow almost everything to go through. I HAVE rejected maybe 2 comments because they were a personal attack on me and had nothing to do with the DRX or the evidence against/for it.
And, of course, as you posted anonymously, there is no way of knowing what post you are talking about.
Your welcome to resubmit (if you really think I failed to post your thoughts) anything that has to deal directly with the DRX 9000 and it's ineffectiveness or believed effectiveness.
I am in a unique position that I do not see anyone else in. I am employed by a chiropractor who's primary business is decompression (drx9000). I also have a long insurance back ground.
I would like to encourage patients to push your provider to do a "pre-determination" of benefits to see if your insurance will cover decompression. There a a few. This will significantly lower your cost. I would also encourage all patients to try everything that is "non-invasive" and covered by your insurance. PT is covered, and it may be all you need. Decompression is (in most cases) an out of pocket expense.
My belief in decompression is based on what I have "seen". I believe in it. I have not had it, not needed it and hope to never need it, but I have seen the majority of our patients show significant results. When I say results, I do mean a reduction of their symptoms. I do not know their 'physical' improvements as I am not clinical.
I believe that you should do all you can to 'maintain' good health and good practices. I know I am rambling, I do not usually respond to blogs. It is an expense, there is treatment that you should try 'first' and you should have a good relationship with your Dr. to evaluate your care as you go through it. If you do not feel relief, ask questions. Educate yourself. Go on the internet, do research. It's your health, your money and your future.
I wish you all the best and hope you all find relief.
Thank You
It worked for me.
Which is a lot more experience based rehab than this blogger can say.
Your going to see a lot more of this treatment, word of mouth is the strongest type of advertising, especially through blog comments.
To be honest, I think most chiros don't like this treatment cause they cannot afford to buy one at 200K USD.
I had my treatment in Canada, +'ve results started at treatment #4, and continued. I had 2 'flair ups' after the initial 20 treatments, where i went back for 2 treatments in each flairup. After this, i figured i had done a great job at healing my disc, but my lower back muscles were shot (I was out for 2 years with the herniation) so I did isolation excercises on my back erector spinae (sp?) and now I'm a freaken machine. I do anything I used, plus more cause my zest for life is about a million times bigger than it ever was I'll never take my body for granted again.
Cheers, wish you all the best. I think my total treatment cost me about 10K in the end. Frick, don't buy that plasma TV, keep the car you have, and stop drinking those fatty sbux lattes and get your body healed.
Ryan.
So many of you doctors are afraid to listen to the results of the PATIENTS until some propeller head writes them in a report and kisses enough rearend to get them published.
LISTEN TO THE PATIENTS. IT WORKS.
I've never claimed there aren't people that have gotten better. However, to say it is from the DRX 9000 is a big leap. Why? No research that says it does the MAJORITY of the time. You can rub a rock over someones back and some people are going to get better.
It's called regression towards the mean. No matter what you do, symptoms tend to migrate back to baseline over time. And, hell, the folks using the DRX take advantage of that by convincing you you need 6 wks to get better.
Save you 10k and just wait six weeks and most of us will have improved symptoms.
Dear victims of the DRX9000:
Please note that the studies performed by Mayo, Johns Hopkins, and other prestigious centers were bought and paid for by Axiom Worldwide, the makers of the DRX9000. These studies change nothing. What they have done to innocent victims was deceitful and fraud, but since they are based in Clearwater Florida - home of their fellow Scientologists - they will most likely get away with this.
I was permanently disabled because of their marketing and the greed that I believe their program instills on the chiropractors who use their product.
Hi, I am an RN, BSN and I think you should try everything possible before you go and have surgery. I look for the cost benefit ratio. If I am going to be off a year or maybe permanently with surgery why wouldn't I try a nonsurgical approach first. The cost of something nonsurgical working or that has a potential to work should be evaluated. Evidence based for sure but my feeling is if snake oil can take away 10 years of shooting pain then I want snake oil. I want to run again. I want to be an ICU nurse again. Standard treatments aren't working. PT sucks. I loved Say Goodbye to Backpain and it relieved alot of my pain but I still have some of it. I want my life back and PT didn't do it for me and neither did epidural injections that have now made my diabetis harder to control. If I could do my DVD and get some other form of nonsurgical relief I would be more then happy to do it. I don't want to be a cripple and many people have said that this works. What if it does work? What if we are missing out on something amazing? Somebodies got to try this stuff. We loose to many people to back pain.
Be very careful about even considering calling an insurance company and asking if they pay. Some of you may notice my last name. I was the first Chiro or Dr. of any sort prosecuted for decompression therapy. I had approval from BC/BS in Ga. as well as recorded conversations with the customer service reps at BC/BS. I had the letter of a medical director from one of the BC/BS offices and a referral from him. None of that mattered when the feds decided to indict. With a 99% conviction rate, you can't win. So, if you get nothing out of this.......do not bill insurance. It cost me my license, all my assets, a relationship and a career. I now sell cars!
I've been on the DRX 9000 for a year and a half. I have had minimal results. I have sciatica and take Lyrica. I've been through MUA,PT,injections. The machine goes only so far, then it doesn't
finish the job. I don't know what else to do.
Greetings everyone,
My name is Gary Dixon and I am the VP of Sales and Marketing for Axiom Worldwide, the maker of the DRX9000. I have read the postings on this site and all I can say is WOW!. The misinformation, rumor, and innuendo being circulated here is amazing. Unfortunately, I cannot respond to all of it in one email. Therefore, I offer to answer questions to best of my ability for anyone interested in facts.
Kind regards,
Gary Dixon
Of course the problem with the DRX 9000 (or more, how it is marketed) is that it is all anecdotal, just like the comments here.
I see that the VAX-D got a paper published in a well read journal in which actual pt's with actual outcomes were measured. They still had to treat pt's with 24 visits over 8-9 weeks. Hmmm, drifting the way of regression toward the mean.
Jason,
Where do you want the clinical information sent to? I can also arrange a conversation with other PTs or the Chair of our Steering Committee.
Gary Dixon
Mr. Dixon,
My email is on the blog website. Understand, I've made no claim regarding whether people feel they get better with DRX 9000. Just that 30 visits and thousands of dollars is a farce for traction.
Don't send me basic science lit please. I know the principles behind traction. I know studies have found that after 30 odd tx's disc herniation size is less (no comparison with simple traction though), and that pain c/o are lessened.
If you have something published in a peer reviewed journal (and hopefully not a CAM journal) that compares the DRX 9000 vs a control (or vs standard traction would be even better) that uses a functional outcome measure (such as the ODI or RDQ).
Being published in a "cannon" journal a plus (spine, Arch phys med and rehab, etc).
Also, Mr. Dixon, can you leave a link to how others can contact you? I'm sure many back pain suffers may want to get information from another source.
What is your opinion on the ACCU SPINA traction machine? It has two FDA approvals that I know of. I have talked to many who have had good results on this.
I was searching for information on the drx 9000 and found this blog. My sister-in-law was going to sign up for a $11,000 bill of 30 visits.. this was gong to be reduced by $3,000 some sort of discount? She can pay $7,122 if she pays cash? She is on a limited budget and in ill health, but was willing to try anything for her back/leg pain. Her mobility is getting limited and was told she would end up in wheel chair at today's meeting. I was compelled to help her out. I'm curious about Mr. Dixon's statements but I can only guess he must make these claims being in Sales and Mrk. WHY does it cost so much, and what kind of refund to you get if it doesn't work? Looking at what we were presented with today it as thou SOL! I'm concerned that the elderly will be taken with these scare tactics...
It's expensive because the practitioner using probably mortgaged their practice on getting the machine.
Look, selling people treatment "packages" and using scare tactics - "...was told she would end up in wheel chair at today's meeting." - are hallmarks of a charlaton and is on the wrong side of ethical.
What if a surgeon said "I can fix you but it'll take 5 surgeries and you'll have to pay for all of them up front". We'd laugh. That takes our power of leaving and finding better treatment after a few sessions - and that's why they scare you into paying up front. Once they have your money, your screwed. Doesn't mean you might not get better - but you might get better by standing on your head, who knows the research on the DRX certainly doesn't seem to know.
Tell you sister to run as far as she can from this guy. Find someone that doesn't use scare tactics or push her to buy a treatment plan up front to treat her. Hell, even if it's still with the DRX, as long as she is able to pay per session and retain her power to leave and seek other care when/if she doesn't get the results promised to her.
Mr. Dixon,
The DRX-9000 was touted as a NASA invention by Nick Exarhos, your VP at Axiom. Google the article for yourself. It's in the St. Pete newspaper. Axiom stated the DRX9000 was "approved" by the FDA and had an 86% success rate. You know that Axiom was ordered to cease this false advertising. While your machine may work as well as the VAX-D or any other traction/decompression machine on the market, the fact that your company has been cited publicly for numerous false advertising violations says a lot about you and the people you work for. You can't just say it's not true and make it all go away. Axiom needs to accept responsibility and admit it was a marketing ploy (albeit on the low, low road), that originated at your company and should ultimately end there. It's all available to anyone who cares to research online at justia or PACER. The business of Scientology and the DRX-9000 are perfectly aligned in their greed.
I would like to respond to the comments regarding paying for services up front. I have friends who are dentists, orthodontists, and attorneys who charge for services up front. As a someone who is treating the individual, what would prevent someone whose teeth are begining to be corrected, but then decide against finshing the treatment plan? This would lead to poor outcomes as well as an unsatisfied patient/client. Paying for the service up front increases the chance that the individual would have success.
Apples and oranges. Now if the dentist wanted you to pay for 28 visits for something not well supported by research and that can be done in a 1/3 of the visits for cheaper...now that is a better comparison.
You keep having issues with the cost of the drx9000 treatments. Most patients who go to Physical therapy are usually going 6 weeks or longer depending on the condition, so what would that cost the patient out of pocket? Most PT's I have dealt with aren't cheap, and there are many instances when patients have gone 2 months with no results regardless of what "researched" techniques they used. What is the average cost to see you for a disc herniation? Standard protocol is 6-10 weeks of conservative measures until surgery is considered, so if I came to you for 6 weeks, what would that cost?
[quote]You keep having issues with the cost of the drx9000 treatments. Most patients who go to Physical therapy are usually going 6 weeks or longer depending on the condition, so what would that cost the patient out of pocket? Most PT's I have dealt with aren't cheap, and there are many instances when patients have gone 2 months with no results regardless of what "researched" techniques they used. What is the average cost to see you for a disc herniation? Standard protocol is 6-10 weeks of conservative measures until surgery is considered, so if I came to you for 6 weeks, what would that cost?[/quote]
LOL, where are you coming up with your numbers? I'm assuming you are not a PT, so that means you are probably a Chiro using the DRX 9000. You left an Anonymous post, so who knows.
So, let's educate you on my "Evidence Based Care":
For ALL low back diagnosis (sprain/strain, DDD, HNP, fusion, etc) those who reached their goals had an average of 7 VISITS to have an average of a 31 POINT DECREASE in their Oswerstry Disability Index. Let's say the average charge per visit (and this is the charge, not what was paid) is ~$110 a visit. So, that is $770 charged to reach their goals! 1/2 as much as it cost for the MRI their GP sent them to get to find a Dx of "degenerative disk disease".
Those who "platued" (ie didn't reach their hoped for goals) were seen an average of 9 visits; and although all goals not met, still had an average decrease in their Oswestry of 15 points. BTW, this group included only 4 people.
Overall, including the patients that were referred back to the MD, stopped coming, and had insurance problems, the average LBP patient that came into my clinic was seen 6 visits (most common 3 visits with a standard deviation of 4.57), and had a 44% improvement in their Oswestry score.
Who knows if disk herniation sizes changed, but we do know actual and perceived function improved; and we know radiologic findings do not coincide with pain, function, and ability.
In fact, the only people that come to my clinic that regularly spend 6 weeks or more coming are post op patients (eg, ACL-R, RCR, fusions, etc).
I'm sure you'll never read this, but hopefully others will research what they are trying to argue before spouting off.
I UNDERWENT 25 TREATMENTS ON THE DRX9000 IN A PERIOD OF 4 MONTHS, THE LAST OF WHICH WAS A YEAR AGO. FOR ME, THIS MACHINE HAS WORKED WONDERS - I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN BEFORE THAT I WAS ACTUALLY CONSIDERING OPEN BACK SURGERY, BUT THE DRX9000 GAVE ME MY LIFE BACK WITHOUT DEPENDING ON PAIN MEDICATION FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!
I think a sale rep for Axiom is on this board. What are you going to do after Axiom fails?
This machine works and doctors are losing money by not doing back surgery. The protocol that some doctors are using may be overkill though; my treatment was NOT every day for six weeks. It is totally different from regular traction because it doesn't rip your whole back apart. I've seen dozens of happy patients with this machine.
Good Article about the DRX 9000
The Truth Behind Space Age Cure for Back Pain-DRX 9000
http://www.livescience.com/health/070927_skeptical_back_pain.html
"I must admit that this "space age discovery" is a very effective decompression treatment: it decompresses the patient's wallet and does wonders for anemia of the chiropractic bank account!"
Report: AXIOM WORLWIDE/DRX-9000
Category: Chiropractors
AXIOM WORLWIDE/DRX-9000 DOES NOT DELIVER WHAT IT PROMISES
President & CEO Jim Gibson fails to respond.
I have had back pain for some time and found an interesting ad in the newspaper about a therapy called the DRX-9000 manufactured by AXIOM in Tampa Florida. I went to see a local Chiropractor, Christopher Houtakker, and Mountainside Chiropractic, Henderson Nevada.
This was supposed to cure my back pain. He did a few nuero tests and he confirmed what I told him. without x-rays we started treatment. He promised as “did the makers of this equipment, (DRX-9000) that my degenerative Disc problem would be fixed, disc repaired and any lost space at the L-5 area be fixed, in other words the padding loss would re-appear!Twenty five treatments later, no improvement, and no money back.
Several months later I had an opportunity to have an MRI and have all degenerative discs not just at L-5, and NO padding at L-5,S-1 and have been told by many Doctors, other Chiropractors and surgeons that promising me results without even an x-ray was indeed a hoax.
I wanted to go after the Chiropractor, Christopher Houtakker, Mountainside Chiropractic and I need proof that the makers of the DRX-9000 would not and did not make such outrageous claims of repair and restoration.
What did I get from AXIOM in Tampa Florida? NOTHING!
I wrote Jim Gibson, President & CEO:
He said they do not give Medical advice and if I keep faxing them they will sue me!
Stay far away from this company and the DRX-9000! Save your money and see a physical therapist.
Steve
Las Vegas, Nevada
U.S.A.
Has anyone ever had anything nice to write about the DRX or Jim Gibson or Axiom Worldwide? Why wouldn't Merck or a major drug or medical device company design a machine and make billions? It seems the only thing I can find on this company is lawsuits, disgruntled patients and disgruntled physicians. (Unless we're talking about Axiom's paid endorsements or self congratulatory press releases). There seems to be no mainstream media either. How can this company claim a cure for low back pain and not be given the Nobel prize unless it were true. Something fishy is going on with this company...
I am a PT and Chiro, I have posted before....I think the machine is a scam, you can read previous posts from me (I explain I am a PT and Chiro)...I couldn't agree more with the author, I get upset with myself if a patient is not WELL into recovery in 6 - 8 treatments, the most I treat is 2x per week, so we are usually done in 2-4 weeks...if you are seeing a chiro or PT who takes longer than this (again, some conditions will take longer, always need to account for environmental factors, activity at home / work...blah, blah, blah)...then you are not getting good care...finally, take a look at this link http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=drx9000&category0=
or go to ebay and type in DRX900...why are so many on sale for 25,000 -60,000? these things will keep dropping in price as practitioners who were duped into buying them dump them for anything they can get!!!!
PT and CHiro again here....AND, taking a picture of a disc / back (MRI) is a very poor indicator of pain and should not be used for diagnosis unless severe symptoms are present (myopathy / nueropathy)....diagnostic PICTURES / IMAGING mean very little and can steer you wrong....
Finally, 85-90% of patinets with LBP cannot be accurately diagnosed through MRI / Imaging, it's like taking a picture of your car to a mechanic and asking what is wrong...IT's FUNCTION PEOPLE!!!
A person slices their finger and they need medical attention. In 99% of cases, the laceration will heal by itself with minimal care.
A person has low back pain. In 99% of cases, the body heals with minimal treatment. These glorified traction machines such as the DRX and other "decompression machines" are taking credit for the body's natural healing ability. I have an idea. Why don't we invent a $150,000 band aid and take all of the credit for healed cuts and bruises our band-aid heals.
Axiom has taken complete advantage of medicine and made a complete mockery of science and at the same time made tens of millions off of the American public. This is an outrage to the Chiropractic community and the consumer. I can't believe the FTC, The American Chiropractic Association, the APTA or some other consumer group hasn't had the brass to come down on this quakery.
I went to one of Axiom's "show and tell" seminars and was just embarrassed to see fellow DC's jumping on the greed train.
Jason, do you know of any actions to try and remedy this situation or is our profession and/or the ACA or AMA going to just let this slide while the fraud continues unabashedly and public is shelling out massive amounts of money for simple traction? Or does Axiom have these groups in their pocket as well.
May I leave a couple of websites with a ton of info about Axiom and their legal troubles?
http://axiomworldwidelawsuit.blogspot.com/
http://axiomlawsuit.freeforums.org/
There are more links on these sites.
Axiom World Wide Loses in Federal Appeals Court
April 7, 2008
http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/ops/200711574.pdf
http://westflorida.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=47&bbb=0653&firm=90005480
BBB has rated Axiom as unsatisfactory. No further comment needed.
All of these decompression devices are currently under investegation.
The FDA is aware that these devices have not been cleared or approved by them for effectivness, safety,and can cause potential harm! Manufacturers, franchises, and Drs are bringing in the dough and misleading patients. Everyone is becoming wise and soon many Drs using these devices will have to answer for it.
FEDERAL APPEAL AFFIRMS AXIOM GUILTY OF
MULTIPLE MARKETING LIES
On April 7, 2008, a federal appeal court affirmed a federal judge’s findings that Axiom
Worldwide committed numerous instances of false advertising and trademark
infringement against North American Medical (“NAM”). For a copy of the full text of the
opinion by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, please click on this link:
http://www.namcorporation.com/pdfs/appealopinion.pdf.
Axiom and NAM are competing manufacturers of spinal-treatment devices. NAM sued
Axiom and certain of its officers and agents in federal court in July of 2006 seeking
damages for various misconduct by Axiom, including illegal use of NAM trademarks and
repeated false advertising.
On March 29, 2007, federal court Judge Camp issued an order specifically finding
numerous marketing claims by Axiom to be literally false. Their false statements
included: 1) “Axiom’s DRX 9000 is patented”; 2) “Axiom owns one or more patents
directed to portions of the DRX 9000”; 3) “the DRX 9000 is ‘FDA approved’”; 4) “the
DRX 9000 resulted from a joint collaboration between Axiom and NASA engineers”; 5)
“NASA engineers developed the DRX 9000”; 6) “part of the DRX 9000 was discovered
by NASA”; and 7) “the DRX 9000 contains or embodies NASA technology.”
Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy: does the scientific literature support efficacy claims made in the advertising media?
Dwain M Daniel1
1Parker Research Institute, Parker College of Chiropractic, Dallas Texas, USA
Corresponding author.
Dwain M Daniel: ddaniel@parkercc.edu
Summary:
There is very limited evidence in the scientific literature to support the effectiveness of non-surgical spinal decompression therapy.
Mr. Gary Dixon has been fired by Axiom Worldwide according to rumors in the industry.
I have a very good friend who is 95% better after treatment with the DRX9000. This woman was in pain most of the day and night but now can function in a normal capacity as a 66 year old who has survived cancer and has diabetes.
All companies tend to embellish their products. The TV is full of them. Any NON INVASIVE treatment is worth the time and money. After all NOT ALL treatment are effective 100% of the time.
I had therapy on the DRX 9000 a year and a half ago. My results were FANTASTIC!! I simply refuse to believe that this is a fraud because of the number of people who have benefitted from it. Before my treatment, I was not able to work! I couldn't enjoy my grandchildren and spent a lot of my time either in PT or trying to sleep. There is no way to describe the benefit of actually getting your LIFE back!! ANY amount of money is worth that!!
Cindy N.
I went through Accu-Spina therapy for disc herniation and it was the best money I have ever spent. I was miserable and so sick of medications that made me feel like a walking cadaver.
The treatment I was on was very different than the one you mentioned. My doctor changed my treatments,the whole program took about 2 months. There were follow up visits too; 1 month later, then 3 months later.
I've been doing a lot of research in this area of the drx and competitors in the decompression space. I've seen a lot of comments from patients that it's successfully worked on them, patients that it's not work for them. I've seen lots of comments from doctors who have this machine and several others in their office and are candid about the comparisons of effectiveness. The one thing that definitely comes up is the cost. It's really hard to charge a "reasonable" amount for the service when the machine is so darn expensive. It's literally like buying a house for a doctor!!!
It's not like the doctors are buying the machine so they have an automatic entry to a new house or a new mercedes with all the "easy" money that's going to be rolling in. It's really hard for a doctor to make the machine make economic sense. For it to really make sense you have to run it like an assembly line. It only is most cost effective when it's running all the time during the day.
And doctors that have the machine have to talk to each other to a) find out how their patients are responding, are the other doctor's patients getting the same results as their own and b) how are they marketing the DRX9000 so it's not such a money loser. It's really hard to get patients to sign up for a $4,500 treatment ($8,000 and $9,000 is outlandish unless you have a guarantee) that they are going to have to pay for. So the machine goes underused and loses money for the office. But they keep plugging away because they see that it does work and patients do respond to it. They just need to figure out how to get more patients in the office that it will work for so that it makes economic sense to keep the machine.
And it doesn't work for everyone. But from the "real world" results I can see, itt does work for most people. And the results can vary from extremely dramatic to "slightly better than before". Some people can actually play golf again after year and years of not be even close to doing that kind of exercise.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to go for it. I'm going to a Saratoga Clinic http://www.saratogadrx.com/
In talking to someone who works there and has seen the results on their patiets, it does seem to work most of the time. Now it's too bad if it doesn't work for everyone or you've let your back get so bad that it's going to take a LOT to get it back to where it should be. Not even surgery will do that. Kind of like when you spill something on the rug. It's a whole lot easier to fix it before it starts to really set in. Too, as old age sets in problems will happen.
It's interesting that in some cases workers comp is actually starting to pay for DRX9000 services. That's a start.
Any kind of traction is probably going to help. Though in some cases it actually makes things worse. Like anything, the more expensive it is, the more likely you're going to get the maximum results you're paying for.
I really do think that this machine will become mainstream someday. Until then, there is going to be a lot of "well, what do you think of this." Does it work? More so than surgery, but it's not for everyone.
Even back surgery doesn't work for everyone. And even back surgery has disasterous results. But being non-invasive, a failure with DRX is going to be a whole lot less of a failure than with surgery. Though when you're screwing with the spine, things can happen (not so good things.)
Even a successful surgery can have bad ramifications due to scarring years from the "success". It seems to me the results will wear off over time for the original reason that they happened - so maintenance will probably be part of the long term regime. So you have to repeat to keep the results.
I'd have to tell anyone looking at this that it's definitely not "snake oil" and has helped a lot of people. It's an expensive form of spinal decompression which is a semantic form of traction. Lesser forms will work and may be "enough". Even disciplined excercise will help.
But it's not for everyone. And most of the people that do use it find that by the final treatment, they're better off than when they started. Those are people with chronic long term pain. It's not just "well, it would have gotten better anyway with time". The machine made the difference.
And some it did nothing. Very few are worse off.
Alan
www.alankauth.com
Alan,
Thanks for your comments. Just so everyone is clear, some points from me:
1. We don't know if none, most, some, or all people get better because no outcome (ie improvement in function, not just a radiographic finding of decreased HNP size) has/have been done.
2. "Doctors" don't buy these. Chiropractors do. Despite chiropractics attempt to convince the general public otherwise, they did NOT go to medical school, they do NOT know how to treat sick people, and they are just as much "doctors" as I am.
3. Helping and worth the money are two different things. As I've stated MANY times, I don't dispute people anecdotal claims that they got better with the DRX. I do dispute that traction gets the majority of people better, more than 50% of the time, and better than proven - less expensive - conservative care (eg PT/chiropractic spinal manipulation, strengthening, education, modalities, etc).
4. I do NOT support spinal surgery over exhaustion of conservative care. I do strongly oppose a manufacturer and psuedoctors taking advantage of those suffering from what they may believe to be some never ending back pain.
Hi Jason,
Axiom, the manufacturers of the DRX9000 have made, in my opinion, several marketing and sales blunders. I'm no Axiom apologist.
That being said, I do own a DRX9000and have been using it very successfully for three years. When used APPROPRIATELY, it's a wonderful tool.
Jason, you and I both know the vast majority of patients with low back pain are going to get better using typical conservative measures: PT, chiro, etc. These are not the folks that are in need of this type of treatment.
The typical candidate for non-surgical decompression presents with chronic LBP that has failed to resolve using the more traditional (and less costly) conservative measures.
I'd like to respond to your most recent posting on May 26, 2008.
1. There have been outcome assessments done. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez
I'm sure you'll scoff at 94 patients, but I can assure you that larger studies are in progress.
2. Your attack here is pretty juvenile for someone that holds himself out to be a Doctor of Physical Therapy, but I'll respond nonetheless.
To be the best of my knowledge, MD's bought over half the DRX units sold within the US last year. Internationally they (MD's) make up 90% of sales.
3. So you don't argue that fact that people get better with the DRX, you just think they would have gotten better with less expensive techniques? Let me reiterate: The patients that are getting better with DRX have ALREADY HAD OTHER LESS EXPENSIVE CONSERVATIVE CARE. They've had PT, chiro, strengthening, education, modalities...etc. All of which have failed to resolve their pain.
The patients I consult with are at the proverbial 'fork in the road'. Their only other options are surgery OR decompression.
4. I disagree with you here. You absolutely DO support spinal surgery over the exhaustion of conservative care. Let's be honest, I don't believe you'd even consider decompression therapy if one of your patients failed other types of conservative care. Would you rather them undergo a laminectomy or worse yet, a PLIF procedure?
I'm open to answer any questions you may have regarding this type or therapy including who's a candidate, who's not, contraindications, etc.
After treatment, my chiro and I will review pain levels analogous to the target levels. Additionally I plan on getting another Lumbar MRI afterwards to see if the levels we focused on had less stenosis. I have had many years at my current level and many MRI's that show my spine slowly getting worse even with PT/standard Chiro, so I can discount any positive results as being associated with the effects of time.
After treatment, my chiro and I will review pain levels analogous to the target levels. Additionally I plan on getting another Lumbar MRI afterwards to see if the levels we focused on had less stenosis. I have had many years at my current level and many MRI's that show my spine slowly getting worse even with PT/standard Chiro, so I can discount any positive results as being associated with the effects of time.
I had my first appt with a DRX9000 clinic today. They asked me to return with my husband next week to discuss visits and cost. Office receptionist told me to expect somewhere between $3000-$10,000 and 20-30 visits! After reading this blog I am TOTALLY confused. I've tried all other modalities. I have three choices: live with the pain, take chance with DRX or take chance with XLIF surgical procedure in October. I'm stumped!
I would like to know where I can purchase a $200-$500 home traction unit as mentioned in these blogs. I live in Sacramento, CA area. Thanks
Does anyone have an answer for me?
Ok, I have read each and every one of the blogs on this site and none of them addresses my particular situation so, I am going to ask for advice from Jason and whoever else wants to respond. I am a 38 yr old female. I am a RN and therefore I don't feel that I am stupid to the medical field but am lost on what to do about my continous back pain. I had a 2 level anterior/posterior lumbar fusion, or a 360 in Oct 2007. I was having radiculopathy down one leg and have spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, and slight scolosis. Well, the radiculopathy is now gone. (thank God!) However the LBP continues. Now I am on oxycontin for the continous pain and norco for breakthrough pain. I completed physical therapy.
I need to mention that I also have a sprained ankle since Sept of 2007 with severe nerve and tendon damage. I have had an EMG done and they say that it is healing, but very slowly. I know it is effecting my back recovery
because of my gait when walking but my orthopedic surgeon says there is nothing I can really do about it. They want me to do PT for it but I don't because what they have me do at PT, I can do at home. It is just stretching and strengthening exercises 2x a wk and I do that at home more than that. They say this condition of my foot/ankle and leg will last at least a yr.
Back to my LBP. I don't know if I should try the DRX9000. Everyone has tried it prior to surgery. I want to know if it would help post surgery. I got a flyer that says "provides relief from post surgical pain".
Due to my ankle problems, I can't walk as much as I need to (if I walk a 1/2 a block) or it swells up like a balloon.
If I can get a pay as you go treatment plan, would you go for it.
I have also had epidural steroid injections prior to surgery and even had one after surgery this month,July '08. PT prior to surgery also.
I am so tired of taking pain meds and not being able to do things like I use to. This LBP is limiting my life activities. Sometimes it is so bad I can't go to work, or I am in tears, or nauseated because the pain is so out of control. I see a pain specialist and my surgeon and a psychiatrist because of obvious reasons and the latter because I am so depressed about the pain. I am also on lyrica and cymbalta for the nerve pain in my leg/ankle/foot and cymbalta for the pain and depression.
Any suggestions for me?
Thanks for any input,
Don't know what else to do.
Dear Anonymous RN,
Lumbar interbody fusions (ALIF/PLIF) with instrumentation are a contraindication to DRX9000 treatment.
The patients that have undergone previous discectomy/laminectomy without success are often candidates. These procedures do not fuse adjacent vertebral segments, nor to they involve instrumentation (hardware).
Reading your post, it's likley you would not have been a candidate before your fusion, as spondylolisthesis is another contraindication.
If anyone knows of a patient who was injured on the DRX9000 (for any reason), please send an email with as much information as you can to stopaxiom@live.com - your help is needed to help two patients who were severely injured on this machine. All information will be kept confidential. Thank you in advance.
I have had 10 treatments on the DRX 9000 and it has alieviated the chronic pain I'd had 15 years. If you talk to other patients who are undergoing the treatments, you will find similar results. Many of the people who have used the DRX are FBI agents who cannot use drugs and injections to aleviate the pain. In fact, Anthem Ins covers the DRX session for Federal Employees.
Why would anyone want to rush to get surgery when the success rate is 30% and many people experience to relief.
I've read several blogs here "both for and against" using the DRX9000.
These blogs, like most blogs, are usually anonymous or they just give you a first name and an initial for the last name, and then some city and state. Everyone knows how much spin gets put on everything. We see it every day on the NEWS,Local and national, CNN, FOX, ABC,NBC,CBS. How the government puts a spin on everything, Both Democrat and Republican. It doesn't matter. Dis-information, Mis-information. Anything and everything to confuse the consumer. It gets to the point you can't tell who's telling the TRUTH, I mean the Whole TRUTH, not fabrications, or altered information, deceptions, false advertisings worded in a way that they are not bound by law, and can say pretty much anything and claim it's a fact. Approaching life with the attitude "There's No Right or Wrong, Just Opinion". You have to ask, who has the most to gain, or the most to lose? I agree that the amount they want to charge you for DRX9000 treatments is outrageous, $5-$7,000 for like 28 treatments. That's just rediculous. K(Back in Med-evil times they used to put you on the rack for free) now you have to pay over $5,000???? Their justification is, if the patient is willing to have surgery (costing $30,000 - $70,000)they would be willing to fork over $5,000... Just because they can, doesn't mean they should charge that much. I don't know if the machine works or not, I haven't used it yet, but I can't afford that much. For you Pro DRX9000 Doc's, if you really want to prove it works, why not reduce the price to compete with Chiropractors, Prove your machine is superior to traditional treatments. Let the machine speak for itself. I think the one doctor in an earlier blog might have something when he said "some doc's get the machine to make quick money". Yeah, I feel that way with the Chiropractic profession, especially when I see a group of them leave early from work to go play golf. While patients keep arriving to depart with their hard earned money or making the Insurance companies foot the bill (Don't let me get started with Them, I could write for days about how crooked they are), in hopes that adjustments to the spine will give them relief.
Medical Doctor's ( as Kevin Trudeau once said" Are only trained for 2 things, " to cut body parts out of you, and to prescribe pills"). Then there's the Physical therapist, who tell you to do a lot of stretches of some sort or another, then there's the Chiropractor, who can't tell you to use drugs, but when they aren't helping you, they kind of suggest seeking possible medical help. What's up with that??? Then of course you have the firm believers of the DRX9000, who would tell you that the Chiropractor can't really help you, and of course they even have worse to say about the PT's and the MD's. So, do you look from the Top down, or from the Bottom Up??? Who's lying??? Again, who has the most to gain??? You can look at it from either way. I guess for some, they have found relief from their pain. I am happy for you if you have. But I don't know where the truth is or who's telling the WHOLE Truth.
I guess I'm a Skeptic of alot of things, based on our society, and what it has shown us. From the top down. Who do you trust??? Who Can you Trust??? I will try to be open minded about new treatments or even alternative treatments that are out there.
Intervertebral discs go bad, because they dessicate (dry out) due to wear and tear, particularly excessive or improper wear and tear. Imagine a rubber band that is old and has lost most of its elasticity. You are not going to rejuvenate, nor rehydrate a cartilaginous disc, either the annulus or the nucleus, by stretching it. DRX-9000....
lolololololol
http://www.freshpatents.com/Vertebral-disc-annular-fibrosis-tensioning-and-lengthening-device-dt20080703ptan20080161931.php
"USPTO Application #: 20080161931
Title: Vertebral disc annular fibrosis tensioning and lengthening device
Abstract: A vertebral disc annular fibrosis tensioning and lengthening device that restores the loss of disc height as a result of disc degeneration and other factors. The vertebral disc annular fibrosis tensioning and lengthening device includes pedicle screws having heads with cup-shaped cavities. The pedicle screws are threaded into the vertebral bodies of adjacent vertebrae through the pedicles so that open parts of the heads of the pedicle screws face each other. A spring is inserted into the cup-shaped cavities in compression so that the spring bias forces the pedicle screws apart, thus increasing the height of the disc space. (end of abstract)"
Hello all:
Back in late June I posted here that I would be taking a treatment regimen that involved among other things 26 treatments on the DRX9000
The first stage included diet changes(at least 96 oz. of water, some fish oil, and other alternative herbal anti-inflammatories), daily heat before and cold/electro after the DRX, wearing a corset while standing, and usually standard chiro adjustmnets after each treatment 3-4 times a week. Near the end of the DRX reg. the doctor asked me to only wear the belt 5 hrs. after the treatment and to begin walking 30 min a day when possible without the corset.
After the DRX stage was finished he gave me both a series of home exercises and has me do passive movement exercises on a divice called the SpineForce. I found that while I was just doing the DRX, I tended to be sore for about 1-2 hours after the treatment but during the evening my back felt much more fluid in its motion and more sensitized. Everything from my waist down was more "alive" feeling.
The daily condition of my back improved markedly after the spine force treatments began, and from my conversation with the other patients and the practitioner this is typical. During the drx treatment, improvement was intermittent, but once I started the proprioceptive exercises on the spineforce "wobbleboard thingy" (technical term) I began waking up with less back pain consistently. I believe this is because of the combination of the 2devices as I have had ample PT/Chiro in the past and never improved like this.
As I mentioned in my previous post I took a post treatment MRI: the results as far as rehydration are marked and clearly visible even to me. In addition to rehydration the practioner noticed that extruded disc matter had receded and relieved pressure off longitudinal tendon along my spine and the sack that contains the nerve roots. I intend to find another spine specialist skilled in reading MRI's to obtain a second opinion.
I am a teacher of the Alexander technique, which uses awareness and intention to achieve a better co-ordination of mind and body. One learns to lengthen the spine and release excess tension, and relief of back, neck, and shoulder pain is usual. The British Medical Journal has just published a study which found positive results.
Here is a link http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/aug19_2/a884
I found this blog after hearing that a friend of a friend was paying $3800 for 5 treatements on the drx9000.
A course of lessons in the Alexander technique costs less, and brings many other benefits.
Bill Keech
jw_keech@yahoo.com
Interesting in these days of the financial crisis that this board discusses VAX. It seems that these unproven products are tremendously overpriced and probably not worth the money doctors are paying. Sounds similar to the housing bubble and banking misdeeds...
Hi everyone, I am a chiropractor that has recently looked into the Drx9000 utilization. I must say that both the author of this blog and all his audience have very plausible points. I do agree that the technology of DRX9000 very much resembles its counterpart your everyday traction tables and is very highly priced... this has created a market place for abuse of both doctors and patients, and the associated resentments. I recently received a treatment on a DRX9000 machine to subjectively understand its mechanical capabilities; With all its claims, and the hardware that is contained within the machine, it simply is pulling on a harness strapped on to your waste with a pulling angle specific to patients vertebral level of injury. Therefore, I would have to assume that whatever the claims are, the actual control of patients spinal maneuvering is done by a steel cable attached to a belt and the angle at which it pulls... not much different than your average traction table!
The machine looks big and impressive, but definitely not worth 200K. Just a few years ago the MRI machines that cost millions have been mass produced and currently you receive a MRI scan cash out of pocket for 2 to 300 vs. thousands in the past. Shouldn't this also be the trend for DRX? it seems not; as a matter of fact the cost of their machines keep climbing! what advancement in their technology have they made, if any, to their product to justify this? Having said this, I think like any practitioner I like to offer the best of everything to my patients and my suggestion is if you really would like to offer this service, buy one used for 40 to 50K and offer the treatment for alot less!!! I have purchased and use cold laser therapy for management on my patients most of the time at no extra charge. These toys cost me 20K out of pocket. I know that alot of you might think this is unfair to those that charge for this service, but in my practice most of my patints are poor and their clinical outcome is very important to me. I will not stop at anything to get them well.
In respect to guarantees of results, I do receive circulars from several PT and Chiro pain management centers where DRX services are promised to work or 100% of monies they have charged will be reimbursed! thus I think it is up to the practitioners to place faith and trust in the public by offering such guarantees to remove this stigma and negative cloud that hangs over all our heads!
As far as EBP and all the research in the world conducted by who ever and what ever funded them to benefit their cause, the only important fact in my practice is the communications that are established between I and my patients. One should read and take everything they say with a grain of salt because what they propose and state today will be challenged and turned over tommorrow by someone else.
Also I believe that majority of reseachers are failed practioner sitting behind their desks with very little interaction with symptomatic public, and will stop at no expense to publish extrordinary, fluffed up facts to make themselves a name and a pocket full of cash!!!
And Finally I think that when a person is in distress from pain, no amount of money can be placed on relief from that pain. At the same time better judgement and clinical skills should be practiced by the clinician to place people in the right treatment plan. I think the State boards should step in to regulate and uphold the ethical practices of their respective profession to ensure no one, the clinicians or patients, are abused in any manner.
Hi Dr. Harris,
I like your post. It seems like a lot of health professionals have added their comments as well as the general public.
I am a chiropractor in Texas and am currently looking into the DRX 9000 model versus the Vax-D to add into a multidisplinary practice. I have used the active 3-d traction table before with many benefits experienced by patients.
I have recently been interested in the DRX model because I have seen many MD practices utilizing this product in my region. However, my concern is future clinical research on either of these two products. I have found two studies that are cited by the Official Disability Guides (ODG) that cite both products as having some indication for chronic lumbar pain: Macario A, Richmond C, Auster M, Pergolizzi JV. Treatment of 94 outpatients with chronic discogenic low back pain with the DRX9000: a retrospective chart review. Pain Pract. 2008 Mar;8(1):11-7.
Beattie PF, Nelson RM, Michener LA, Cammarata J, Donley J. Outcomes after a prone lumbar traction protocol for patients with activity-limiting low back pain: a prospective case series study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008 Feb;89(2):269-74.
Both studies cited as 4b categories which is a medium ranked study. Both studies discuss the need for randomized controlled studies. As per the ODG they cite both as powered interspinal traction for the lumbar spine and note that the Vax-D is 'non-recommended' with no mention for the DRX model as 'non-recommended.' They do state that the DRX is similar to the Vax-D, however and cite that the DRX demonstrated preliminary beneficial results for chronic lumbar pain.
I would like your comments on these recommendations, by the ODG.
thanks,
Dr. Torres
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