MAST Therapy: The Spine Surgery London’s Results

The Danish researchers performed a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial using 169 patients in each limb. This is a massive undertaking. When we first encountered them, over two years ago, only part of their results were through and so, necessarily, we pursued this new form of treatment with considerable caution.

We have now treated some 25 patients in this way. 12 of the patients have completed sufficient follow-up for their results to be analysed. We too have detected significant improvements which, if you assume that their pain was fixed, are statistically significant – even in a sample as small as 12.

By clicking the button below you will be able to move through a series of slides detailing our data. 

How have our patients fared?

We hope that you will have seen from the previous subsection the statistical results in our small sub-group of patients. We have found statistically significant improvements in pain scores for patients with persistent severe chronic low back pain when using MAST.

There are two anecdotes that are worthwhile reporting:

One patient gave up the therapy after a week because of very severe thrush. The general practitioner, entirely understandably, suggested to the patient that “there is no evidence I am aware of that taking antibiotics for chronic low back pain has any effect at all. You should stop”. She did and the pain got worse though the thrush did go away. A year later she re-attended The Spine Surgery London with appalling pain. The MRI scan showed that the Modic change had developed substantially. She is now undergoing a course of antibiotic therapy, but with prophylactic thrush treatment in place.

The second tale is of a patient who returned after a successful course of MAST therapy and described what the Danes have hailed as a normal result – “my old back pain has returned. I can take him down the gym, do exercise, and he goes away. That appalling back pain that stopped me going to the gym and was with me all day, every day, has gone away. Thank you.”