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Research & Resources


Research Documents Success!

papers“Medical research reveals that patients informed that they required back or neck surgery have a 92% chance of avoiding surgery with aggressive physical therapy using modern technology.”
Brian Nelson, MD (Orthopedic surgeon, Physician Back and Neck Clinics, MN)

The AFFL Spine Strength Restoration Program utilizing MedX® technology is based on over 20 years of research led by the nationally recognized Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Florida College Of Medicine. There are currently over 100 clinical articles and studies that document the success and efficacy of this therapy, many of which can be found in scientific journals including:

  • Spine
  • Orthopedics
  • Physical Therapy
  • American Journal of Sports Medicine
  • Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
  • Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

The following peer-reviewed studies represent just a few the many that clearly show how this method of treatment can be effectively used to reduce pain, improve spinal function, and in many cases eliminate the need for an invasive surgery. While not all chronic spine patients will benefit from this type of therapy, research has shown that approximately 80% will achieve outcomes that have been previously unattainable with other methods of treatment.

Study 1:

Can Spinal Surgery Be Prevented by Aggressive Strengthening Exercises? A Prospective Study of Cervical and Lumbar Patients
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Vol 80 pp. 20-25, 1999
BW Nelson, MD Carpenter, TE Dreisinger, M. Mitchell, CE Kelly, JA Wegner.

Summary and clinical relevance

Even patients with severe pain were able to exercise vigorously without danger.

At an average of 16 months after completing rehab, 35 out of 39 previously recommended for spinal surgery were able to avoid it by undergoing an aggressive exercise program on their neck or low back. The study included those with cervical/lumbar herniated disc and lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Study 2:

The Clinical Effects of Intensive, Specific Exercise on Chronic Low-Back Pain: A Controlled Study of 895 Consecutive Patients with One-Year Follow-Up
Orthopedics 18(10): 971-981; October 1995
BW Nelson, EJ O’Reilly, M. Miller, et. al.

Summary and clinical relevance

76% of patients had good or excellent results.

Prior to their evaluation, patients had seen on average three physicians and failed six different treatment options including, for example, chiropractic, epidural injections, facet injections, ultrasound, traction, medication, and electrical stimulation.

Results were independent of diagnosis. Spinal fitness was crucial, regardless of underlying condition.

Patients completing the MedX program had dramatically less (68%) medical reutilization the year after discharge than the comparable control group patients treated with passive modalities.

Study 3:

Restorative Exercise for Clinical Low Back Pain
Spine 24(9): 889-898. May 1999S
S. Leggett, V. Mooney, L Matheson, BW Nelson, T Dreisinger, J VanZytveld, L Vie.

Summary and clinical relevance

Separate clinics (California and Minnesota) using similar exercise-only protocols were able to achieve comparable excellent results with comparable patients.

Reutilization was dramatically reduced at both clinics to nearly identical levels, thus validating the results of each. In the year after completion of treatment only 12% of the patients at the clinic in Minnesota (Physicians Back and Neck Clinic) needed to re-enter the health care system for spinal problems.

Additional abstracts and information can be found at SpineUniverse.com

Additional Strength Therapy Resources

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