Alabama Workers Compensation Features MicroLight Laser in March Newsletter

Pinson, AL - March 17, 2003 - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), the most common repetitive-stress injury, is a manifestation of nerve and tissue damage from fast, forceful and seemingly harmless repetitive wrist and hand motions. Repetitive movements can cause inflammation of the tendons that pass through a narrow tunnel in the wrist called the Carpal Tunnel. Those tendons enable the hand to open and close. The median nerve that also passes through the Carpal Tunnel carries impulses from the brain to the fingers. Inflamed tissue in the Carpal Tunnel can squeeze the median nerve, causing significant swelling and debilitating pain.

Dr. Gray has been part of a clinical study group for the past 7 years for non-surgical laser treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. He has treated several hundred patients with CTS. “We now have a state of art multidisciplinary facility consisting of medical doctors, physical therapists, and chiropractors. We are a one stop shop for the non-invasive treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This is a facility that a compensation adjuster can send their clients’ employee and be assured that the employee will get what they need and not have to go to three or four different facilities and the almost certain lost communication,” stated Dr. Gray of the Central Alabama Spine & Rehab.

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), approximately 366,000 CTS surgeries were performed in 1999, a 300% increase from 1991. However, both surgical and non-surgical treatments generally have not enabled CTS sufferers to return to work. At General Motors, about 1% of workers who undergo invasive CTS surgery permanently return to their previous jobs. As a result, CTS costs General Motors an estimated $250 million per year, including worker compensation payments.

In response to the dramatic growth of CTS among its employees, General Motors conducted a controlled 36-week double-blind clinical study using the ML 830™ to treat 116 employees who had CTS (under its former designation “MicroLight 830”) in conjunction with a physical therapy program. This study showed a significant improvement in grip strength and range of motion among workers treated with the ML 830™ when compared to workers treated with a placebo laser. A prominent college of medicine in Houston, Texas, conducted a later double-blind study in 2000. That study showed 70% improvement in the active group.

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