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“We trust that the magic of sound, will contribute an ever greater measure to the relief of human suffering.”
Robert Assagioli M.D.(1888-1974)Founder of Transpersonal Psychology

Hello Lovelies,

How are you feeling? I am feeling better than I have in a very long time and I owe it to the healing power of sound waves (in the specialized form of extra corporal Shockwave therapy, and to the healing ways of LA based Dr. Gabriel Rubanenko an orthopedic surgeon, father, and gem of a guy with a thriving practice devoted to helping people heal without resorting to the knife.

Sometimes surgery is the only way. I know that from experience and thank god for the laminectomy that untethered the nerves that control the muscles of the front of my thigh from the extrusion of herniated disc material. Post surgery even though the nerves were freed again they were permanently damaged. 50% femoral motor nerve capacity. Rectis Femerus not involved in walking, nor the glute twins max and mini…. Thank god for my 20 combined years of Somatics and Yoga which kept (and still keeps) me from falling.

Regeneration of nerves is a slow business. An inch a month. Recovery time = time nerves were compressed which in my case equals close to 4 years. To make matter worse, I lost the entire first year to complications following surgery which made rehab impossible. In the meantime, my muscles grew even weaker and more atrophied which led to a recalcitrant case of hip bursitis…Ouchie. I could barely walk, lie on the affected side or bare weight- so sitting was hell-and I was basically house bound. I was a hanging on by a thread when I first hobbled into Dr R’s office which is conveniently located near the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art!

Each celestial body, in fact each and every atom, produces a particular sound on account of its movement, its rhythm or vibration. All these sounds and vibrations form a universal harmony in which each element, while having it’s own function and character, contributes to the whole. Pythagoras (569-475 BC)

The technique of using shockwaves to break up kidney stones has been around for nearly a quarter of a century now, and in the process of treating thousands and thousands of patients it was found that many people undergoing the procedure had other unrelated aches and pains disappear. It was at this point that scientists began to consider that shockwaves may have an effect to heal other sorts of tissues. In orthopedics these sound waves shock and induce tissue repair and regeneration. The success rate ranges from 65% to 91%, and the complications low and or negligible. The vast majority of the published papers show positive and beneficial effects.

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This is great news for those of us with overuse injuries!  FDA (USA) first approved ESWT for the treatment of proximal plantar fasciitis in 2000 and lateral epicondylitis in 2002. It is a novel non-invasive therapeutic modality without surgery or surgical risks, and the clinical application of ESWT steadily increases over the years. Currently it is primarily used to treat sports related over-use tendinopathies tennis and golf elbow, plantar fascia tendonitis of the shoulder, knee, etc.

” There is a scientific statement to the effect that this earth is a vast harmonic wave system that is built and sustained by unheard music.” Corinne Heline (1882-1975)

Now, less than 5 months after beginning the series of Shockwave treatments, I am bursitis free and am able to attend the neurological physical therapy that I need for full recovery! I know that I am not the only one out there who can benefit from the relatively inexpensive, non-invasive and still little known treatment. Before Shockwave, I’d had to resort to steroid injections to control the pain and inflammation. But they only provided short-term pain relief, weakened my immune system, and didn’t help jumpstart the healing process. In fact they put me at risk for further injury of my already weak tendons. Things were bleak until Dr. R gave me a comprehensive program for recovery which included Shockwave therapy.

One of the best things about Shockwave is that it provides immediate pain relief for most people, and yet the healing effects on the injured tissues continue long after the treatments end. I can’t thank Dr Rubanenko and his devoted staff including Yeta, Demitri, Dr Gharibian, and Amy enough.  So if tendonitis, bursitis, or other overuse injuries are keeping you from doing the things you love and need to do, this may be the miracle you are looking for. It was for me.