Case Study: Dr. J., a 65-year-old dentist, presented to our clinic complaining of severe hip and low-back pain. Dr. J. had been an avid golfer, skier and amateur hockey player. He tearfully confessed that his life seemed like it was over since the development of his back condition. He also complained of pain in his neck and upper back during his work day. He had almost given up hope after two years of unremitting pain. Examination revealed a large, edematous, encapsulated mass located over the area of the right gluteal region. This area was approximately the size of a grapefruit, and was very tender to the touch. His hip range of motion was significantly restricted on the right. The lumbo-sacral articulation was hypermobile, exhibit- ing excessive joint play to manual challenge. This finding is fairly typical from our observations, and appears to represent a protective response to restriction in other large structures, such as the pelvis or visceral fascia in the trunk. Normalization of these restrictions usually restores joint stability in the region of L4-S1 almost instan- taneously. This also seems to occur with unstable knees, possibly related to a neuromuscular reflex associated with the popliteus muscle. Manual treatment was directed to the osseous structures of the femur, ilium and sacrum, as well as visceral fascial related to the right kidney. Improvements in hip and lumbar ranges were noted immediately, along with stabilization of L5-S1. Interestingly, the large mass on his hip was dramatically reduced immediately after the first treatment and continued to diminish over the following six weeks. Additional treatment involved microcurrent, laser therapy and mild stretching. After four treatments, Dr. J. reported that he had been able to resume golf without any pain. Within two months he was able to resume all of his previous activities, and is now able to live a normal, pain-free and active life. HARVARD RESEARCHER TAKES AN INTEREST In early 2007, I received an e-mail from a gentleman stating that his back condition had responded favourably to some of the self-help approaches outlined in my book. He expressed an interest in following up, in person, to more fully resolve his con- dition. He identifi ed himself simply as a physician from Boston. Dr. John H. Page, MBBS, MSc, ScD, ar- rived at my offi ce in Aurora, Ontario, and it became evident that he was not just a physician. He is, in fact, a research sci- entist and an assistant professor in epi- demiology in the School of Public Health at Harvard University. When I examined him I was able to identify several other components of his condition, and resolve them satisfactorily. One component of his condition involved an injury to the right hip – a restriction involving the greater trochanter, which resulted in a typical www.canadianchiropractor.ca enlargement of the neck and head of the femur. Following treatment, the size of these structures significantly diminished, which is routine when matrix repattern- ing is applied to this type of injury, and his hip range-of-motion, and low-back condition dramatically improved. The changes he observed intrigued Dr. Page, and he decided to stay for several more days, observing patients under our care. He quickly recognized consistent improvements in bone and joint integ- rity, normalization of ranges of motion, achievement of significant improvements in musculoskeletal and fascial symmetry and tone, and relief from many condi- tions, which had defi ed many other con- ventional approaches. As a result, Dr. Page decided to return on several other occasions and develop a proposal to conduct research into the clinical and scientific ramifi cations of the matrix repatterning technique. Matrix Repatterning – Brief Overview Matrix repatterning is a diagnostic and therapeutic approach that has been used for the past 15 years to treat individuals with functional disorders and/or symptoms of pain. The technique recognizes that the whole body, including sub-cellular structures, cells, organs, and bone is connected through the cytoskeleton, and con- nective tissue through the principle of tensegrity. Pres- sure, by normally functioning hands of the practitioner, is applied in specific vectors in relation to tissue resistance, to effect structural changes in various tissues, including fascial elements surrounding organs and within bone. It is thought that these structural changes occur through the effect of pressure induced piezoelectricity, and the resul- tant release of cellular tension at the molecular level. GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER My clinical experience suggests that the fascia around the heart may be a primary restriction in many patients. Upon correction of these primary re- strictions, I have noted that several patients’ cardiac murmurs appeared to have normalized. Dr. Page, during his period of observation of the use of the matrix repatterning technique, sub- sequently confirmed this with several patients. Around the time that these obser- vations were being confirmed by Dr. Page, the following article, regarding a new study on a blood test, B-Natri- uretic Peptide (BNP) for cardiovas- cular function, surfaced: CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | APRIL 2008 • 17
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