What is the "Burton Report"?

[injured betty]

Originally Posted by standingman

OK. Got the report. I had seen a number of the studies summarized when an ESI was proposed to me. I declined at that time--for those and other reasons.

I don't agree about docs, however. Burton is himself a doc. He is advising another approach, which may be wonderful, but from which he also earns a living.

I've found some docs to be less terrific than others, but, luckily, I haven't found one who was exploitative. No doubt there are some, as in every other profession. I'd guess at about the same percentage.

Standingman

Agree, Burton is a doctor, but heis not trying to exploit anyone and he is offering an inexpensive solution to back pain.

Even before reading his report, I had wanted an inversion table. I am looking for one right now. I honestly think that an inversion table works. I read that you can do in ten to twenty minutes on an inversion table what it takes all night to do, nourish your disks. $399, which is what a good table goes for in our local paper, is a small price to pay for a healty back.

I have not read the entire site as I have not had time. I didn't take away from the report that he was trying to sell a product, more that he is trying to sell ideas. I read his biography. He went through a lot to get where he is. It was a battle for him. But then, all great thinkers, who have alternative ideas have to fight a battle.

There are so many doctors out there making money off of the backs, literally, of today's population. Back injuries and back problems are escalating at an astronomical rate. What did they do in the old days when no one was doing back surgery and we didn't have MRI's?

In my opinion about 99% of back surgery done today is unnecessary.

[freshwaterjim]

my epidurals turned out badly also ,put my vote as NO EPIS

[larryp]

To all,
I read some of the Burton Report tonight and find it very interesting. I have had 7-8 ESI's in the past 13 years and didn't really like them. They didn't help me at all but I had no adverse effects after each one. I agree that it is not natural or healthy to inject the body with these chemicals but when the pain is bad enough you try anything. The whole Medical institution needs an overhaul but I wouldn't know where to start. If not dealt with soon it will collapse our society. By the way as I said one will do anything to reduce back pain. I bought an inversion table ($400) and used it for a year with NO results. I gave it to my daughter.
Larry

[injured betty]

Originally Posted by larryp

To all,
I read some of the Burton Report tonight and find it very interesting. I have had 7-8 ESI's in the past 13 years and didn't really like them. They didn't help me at all but I had no adverse effects after each one. I agree that it is not natural or healthy to inject the body with these chemicals but when the pain is bad enough you try anything. The whole Medical institution needs an overhaul but I wouldn't know where to start. If not dealt with soon it will collapse our society. By the way as I said one will do anything to reduce back pain. I bought an inversion table ($400) and used it for a year with NO results. I gave it to my daughter.
Larry

I couldn't agree with you more on this issue regarding the medical institution. There is no easy starting point. One of the hard parts of medicine is that is costs so much for docs to practice these days due to high malpractice insurance and a lot of people trying to get by in this world without working and looking for someone to sue. This makes it hard for the docs to make a living so they do (this is my opinion) procedures that are not necessary.

There are also a lot of people out there who don't sue but who go to the doc with complaints that are not real and the doc has to believe them and they they get some kind of money from it.

You have your docs who are afraid of getting sued, the docs who are pill factories, the docs who specialize in, say, backs, and get a ton of money for it.

I wish that I owned stock in pain management or back surgery.

I was reading your signature. Do you think that if you never had surgery that you might be better off today? Why the Prolotherapy and did it help? Mine did. I have not actually talked to anyone else who has had it done.

After reading the Burton Report, if you had it to do over again, would you have had the shots? I had them in my shoulder, two of them, five years apart and my shoulder still hurts. I also had surgery on it to remove bone spurs but they grew back. I did some reading on them and it turns out that they are caused by something that is wrong in there and no one has ever addressed the problem so I got a broom stick, by husband cut it down for me, and I made up my own PT to help it.

You have had a lot of problems with your back. I hope that some day it heals for you.

I am sorry that the inversion table did not work for you. I am going to give it a try though as I have read a lot about it. I don't have nerve damage, yet, so I am hoping that it will keep my back healthy. I do have the Total Gym and the big ball that I work out on and it helps. I have really worked on my abs. The ball is great as I lay over it, face up, and it stetches out my back.

[Alagal]

Good Morning.
About corticosteroid injections. I now have in my possession the reported adverse reactions to the steroid Kenalog. My husband was injected with this in January of 2003. If you are thinking about getting them please ask for the physicians insert that should come with every bottle of this. There are so many side effects that when the company faxed it to me there were ten pages. Do research before hand. These doctors are only in this as a money maker.
Kenalog and Depo Medrol ARE NOT approved by the FDA to be administered intrathecally or epidurally. When talking to the company Apothecon a sister company to Bristol Meyers Squibb who makes Kenalog the technical assistant was very plain that they do not advise this to be used this way. But who knows what the reps for this company are telling these doctors who have probably not even read the whole insert. Please sign no consent form without inquiring about the insert. It may make them mad but it really is in your best interest. Thanks for listening.
I am talking from experience.
Deb