Treatment for Arthritis of the Spine

Treatment for Arthritis of the Spine

Since the age of sixteen, I have been suffering from pain in the lower back up to the tailbone. Due to very stressful work activities in business such as driving and sitting a lot, this back ache developed into a constant problem (pain).

In 1955, in Johannesburg, an orthopedic specialist prescribed and recommended that I wear a corset but the results were not successful. To avoid further damages to my back, it was suggested by my doctor and physical therapist in a hospital in Berlin in 1957 that I do more swimming and walking. So, I continued with swimming and walking including therapeutic massages.

Severe pain was reduced by pain reliever injections if necessary (once per year). Starting in the 1960s, I received Chiropractic adjustments for my lower back in Germany by a local Back Institute providing non-surgical back pain treatment for about 20 years. During this time, I had a car accident which worsened the symptoms in my lower back.

In 1988, I moved to South Africa and continued my business activities in Cape Town. In the years after my bypass operation in 1989, I had several muscle spasms in the lower back. I have tried chiropractic and physiotherapy but I have had no real relief. The orthopedic department in the MediClinic in Constantia found out through x-rays that nothing could be done to relieve the pain due to the fact that the problems occurred throughout the years by wear and tear and the past accident.

Due to the hands on treatment by my Osteopath Dr. Ashburner, the pain was reduced to a minimum and has provided relief of muscle pain and better blood flow in those areas. I am visiting Dr. Ashburner’s office now for maintenance to avoid any muscle spasms and severe pain. I feel confident that his treatment is helping me to live a virtually pain-free life.

Friedrich Wilhelm ten Doornkaat, born 1926 in Germany (age 85)

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