Nerve pain treatment with INF - Anyone tried this?

Posted by sash @sash, Oct 15, 2021

Loma Linda University Health
https://lluh.org/services/neuropathic-therapy-center/our-services

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

@cgs

I've talked with the manager of Loma Linda Medical University neuropathy Clinic and they start out doing a lot of tests and a lot of ultrasounds as well as checking for inflammation from anything that you eat or anything that you're exposed to or intake the way I understand it before they even start doing the massage and teaching you how to do things at home 3 to 4 hours a day for 10 days for less than $4,000 is really inexpensive it would probably cost that much to go in the hospital for one or two days and although it's not covered by Medicare or Insurance because it's not coded, it's a Cutting Edge new technology and I'm hopeful that I can somehow go out there and get help for my neuropathy because my Gabapentin that I depend on has a limit. My doctor has told me and I don't want to reach that limit and start taking a lot of other different medications and I would like to see the nerves rejuvenated as Loma Linda has stated they've had some success and also they include some testimonies from people that have been there and had the treatment . they sent me a folder they sent me some information about where to stay if I come out there, so I think it's very very reasonable price wise they give you a free call and a free video consultation with one of their physical therapy MDs and they sent me the packet on Loma Linda's clinic and their neuropathy operation. I think that it is a very very good leap of faith for an incurable disease that most doctors say your nerves are dead and all you can do is take pain medicine.

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@cgs -- First of all this INF is not a new treatment. According to their website it was invented in 2006: " In 2006, Mark Bussell, DPT, developed a physical therapy technique called intraneural facilitation (INF) to relieve nerve pain, numbness and tingling. Since then, he has treated more than 4,200 patients with a high degree of success."
Secondly, if they have been treating people with a "high degree of success" for the last 17 years then why does no one know much about this treatment? Where are the thousands of patients telling their successful stories from the last 17 years? Why isn't this treatment copied and duplicated around the world? And if it is so simple it can be taught to patients then why is there only one YouTube videos about it and that is done by the inventor, Mark Bussell. (57 minutes long,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Fjw2lhK6o

To me this has some of the hallmarks of a professional scam. I need to see at least 36 positive reviews which would make it statistictly relevant.

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@crossette

@cgs -- First of all this INF is not a new treatment. According to their website it was invented in 2006: " In 2006, Mark Bussell, DPT, developed a physical therapy technique called intraneural facilitation (INF) to relieve nerve pain, numbness and tingling. Since then, he has treated more than 4,200 patients with a high degree of success."
Secondly, if they have been treating people with a "high degree of success" for the last 17 years then why does no one know much about this treatment? Where are the thousands of patients telling their successful stories from the last 17 years? Why isn't this treatment copied and duplicated around the world? And if it is so simple it can be taught to patients then why is there only one YouTube videos about it and that is done by the inventor, Mark Bussell. (57 minutes long,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Fjw2lhK6o

To me this has some of the hallmarks of a professional scam. I need to see at least 36 positive reviews which would make it statistictly relevant.

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Why not call Loma Linda Medical University neuropathy Clinic the call is free and the video consultation with their physical therapist MD is free and you can ask them all the questions I did they sent me a packet and information and they also I've called back again with other questions and talk to the manager so it would be best if you talk to them about it they're the ones that told me that it's new Cutting Edge technology that they're using and they told me about really unusual and really good results that they're having with people that came in with no feeling and after a few treatments they were doing much better and also they teach you things to continue on the treatment at home they also do a lot of testing for things that are causing you inflammation for they do a lot of ultrasound they do a lot of I can't explain everything on here to you you need to talk to them and then you can either you can either take it up or reject it

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OK, so THEY told you about the "really good results". Let's hear from the patients. The website says they have treated over 4500 people. There must be at least 2 dozen out there. I want to hear it from THEM, not the salesman. So far here in the forum we have one second hand report and no one else.
Do not trust anyone that is the salesman without getting actual backup from the users.

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@shirleys55

Although INF treatment can be used to improve other issues. My friend's issue was definitely Neuropathy and he achieved 35% reduction of his pain? The fact that he is getting full nights sleep daily now and his feet feel more grounded when he is walking, yes some of his balance is improving. Plus through INF he has reduced a lot of medication (all which have various side effects) which I think has also helped the balance.

Some of the other issues INF can treat are:
Chemotherapy Induced Neuropathy; Diabetic Induced Neuropathy; Avascular Necrosis (AVN); Dropfoot; Migraines; Concussions; Phantom Limb Pain; Chronic Nerve Pain; Fibromyalgia; Balance Disorders; Restless Leg Syndrome; Chronic regional pain syndrome; and Sciatica

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Your report is encouraging. I am wondering how your friends neuropathy is doing now that it’s been 1 year since treatment? Is he still at that level from July 2022, or gotten even better? or hopefully it has not gotten worse?

Has he been able to keep up with the home therapy treatments? How old is he and what was his A1C, if his problem was diabetic neuropathy.

I am 78 y/o male. last A1c (May 17,2023) was 7.2, too high. So I’m getting that lowered and may give this a try if I can feel confident that the improvements he experienced is typical. And how long does it last. I am especially concerned of my balance issues and wonder if his balance is getting better. I have been in contact with the folks there and have reviewed their information on line. Lot’s of encouraging info there too. But like a few others, I am a bit hesitant to spend the money. But, Since Loma Linda University and Medical Center has an excellent reputation, i find it hard to believe they would risk that by running some type of scam out of the back door.

Thanks.

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The reason insurers and especially Medicare do not cover it because has not been a proven therapy with clinical trial evidence of efficacy. The number quoted of 4500 is rather small and the therapy may have been effective for those patients. Everyone reacts differently to therapy and not all obtain results but $4500, that’s a big NO.

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@crossette

@julkin I tend to agree. I am 3000 miles away from Loma Linda and wondering why this "successful" treatment which has been available there for years, has not been taught and published everywhere. If it is so easy to do that they teach you to do it yourself then a simple video could be used to teach it. I'm going to call them and request that. Will let you all know what their reply is.

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I have a phone interview tomorrow with them. I tend to be skeptical as well. Why aren't there other therapists being taught this procedure after all this time? Why doesn't insurance cover this? Why hasn't it been written up in medical journals? So many unanswered questions. I will ask them tomorrow.

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@crossette

@cgs -- First of all this INF is not a new treatment. According to their website it was invented in 2006: " In 2006, Mark Bussell, DPT, developed a physical therapy technique called intraneural facilitation (INF) to relieve nerve pain, numbness and tingling. Since then, he has treated more than 4,200 patients with a high degree of success."
Secondly, if they have been treating people with a "high degree of success" for the last 17 years then why does no one know much about this treatment? Where are the thousands of patients telling their successful stories from the last 17 years? Why isn't this treatment copied and duplicated around the world? And if it is so simple it can be taught to patients then why is there only one YouTube videos about it and that is done by the inventor, Mark Bussell. (57 minutes long,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Fjw2lhK6o

To me this has some of the hallmarks of a professional scam. I need to see at least 36 positive reviews which would make it statistictly relevant.

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I agree! Something doesn't ring true.

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@crossette

@cgs -- First of all this INF is not a new treatment. According to their website it was invented in 2006: " In 2006, Mark Bussell, DPT, developed a physical therapy technique called intraneural facilitation (INF) to relieve nerve pain, numbness and tingling. Since then, he has treated more than 4,200 patients with a high degree of success."
Secondly, if they have been treating people with a "high degree of success" for the last 17 years then why does no one know much about this treatment? Where are the thousands of patients telling their successful stories from the last 17 years? Why isn't this treatment copied and duplicated around the world? And if it is so simple it can be taught to patients then why is there only one YouTube videos about it and that is done by the inventor, Mark Bussell. (57 minutes long,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Fjw2lhK6o

To me this has some of the hallmarks of a professional scam. I need to see at least 36 positive reviews which would make it statistictly relevant.

Jump to this post

I agree, it has scam written all over it. BTW, does insurance cover this great treatment?

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Okay, I had phone meeting with their clinic. Asked all pertinate questions. This treatment is new, 2017. Not enough data and evidence to aquire insurance coverage. They are currently working on putting together a program to instruct other therapists on the technique. I asked to speak to past patients who felt it was successful and she said she would inquire about this request to her manager who was out on vacation. It seems the protocol is manipulation of different areas of the body with acupressure also, and dietary restrictions depending on the patients blood work up. I was left feeling ify about the whole thing. I wasn't impressed by her, the therapist at all. She seemed impatient towards the end of our conversation, as if she just wanted to end it. Almost as if, I wasn't going to sign up at this moment so it was time to move on. I am pretty intuitive about this kind of thing so I'm trusting my instinct here. If I am wrong they should really should use someone else on phone because she really had no warmth or people skills. I really don't expect to hear back from her supervisor. I say that because she was going to send me mire information within 5 minutes of the end of our phone conversation and I have yet to receive it, and that was from yesterday, Monday Aug 14th

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I went down to Loma Linda in mid July for their initial, no cost evaluation and treatment. The folks I talked with were very nice people. The therapist said at the beginning that the treatment procedures may seem like some kind of “hocus hocus”, because it involves placing only very light pressure on several different pressure points. And that proved to be true. But after the 1 hour session, I felt no difference, no improvement. The treatment did not seem to be a highly skilled process, so I also wonder why they are not teaching more therapists how to do this, and get more treatment out to the public who is much in need of therapies that work, even if it is not successful for all patients. Many treatments and medications are not 100% effective, but if it works for some people, then let the patient try without traveling to this one location only. I was very disappointed. I also had to pay a little over $500 for air fare there & back, hotel and ground transportation. But that was of course my choice.

But there was no charge and no high pressure tactics from LL for me to sign up for the full treatment.

I still feel there may be something to this I guess as LL has too great of a reputation to run a scam. (or maybe not?)

But as so many of you are saying, there is just something not right because of the claims of success, yet we are hearing only a handful of patients testimonials who experienced success for an extended period after treatment. So if this really is producing the results, they need to get a better marketing and advertising campaign and business plan.

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