MRI claimed to ease arthritic pain
A 73-year-old retired mining engineer from Staffordshire is gardening and even dancing for the first time in years he says after a revolutionary treatment has relieved him of debilitating arthritic pain.
A 73-year-old retired mining engineer from Staffordshire is gardening and even dancing for the first time in years he says after a revolutionary treatment has relieved him of debilitating arthritic pain.
Bill Chapman suffers from osteoarthritis in both of his knees, a degenerative joint disease caused by abnormal wearing of the cartilage that covers and acts as a cushion inside joints.
Affecting an estimated nine million people in the UK, osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability in people older than 55.
The chronic effect of Bill's condition left him with very limited movement in his knees and often resulted in severe pain when trying to fulfil everyday tasks such as carrying shopping or getting in and out of a car.
Mr Chapman, who is from Cannock, said: "The pain I was in really affected my everyday life. Simple things like getting on to a chair to change a light bulb were out of the question and I had to stop doing some of the things I loved, like tending to my garden. In fact I could not stand or walk for longer than five minutes without needing to rest and stairs were a real problem."
It was when the pain was at it's greatest that he was referred to pain therapy specialist, Nicky Snazell, who's Staffordshire clinic specialises in the reduction of pain and injury treatment.
"When we met Bill he was in tremendous pain for the majority of the day, even at rest his joints caused him significant discomfort.
"It was obvious that we needed to treat his knees and improve his quality of life." said Nicky, a world-renowned therapist and physiotherapist.
Following a thorough assessment of Mr Chapman's condition, Miss Snazell and her team suggested a course of magnetic resonance treatments, a state-of-the-art method of repairing damaged cartilage by using a development of MRI technology.
Widely used in Germany and Austria but, as yet, rare in the UK, magnetic resonance treatment (MRT) is a pain-free procedure which uses highly complex magnetic fields in the same way as an MRI scan, but rather than producing an image of the body it stimulates hydrogen ions and regenerates cartilage, improving joints and relieving pain.
Miss Snazell said: "The technology was developed in Germany in 1999 after patients undergoing MRI scans claimed to have improved symptoms, it is now used by 170 surgeons across the country and used to treat the German Olympic ski team.
For more information on the Nicky Snazell Clinic, at Wolseley Bridge near Rugeley, call 01889 881488 or email info@nickysnazell.com
