Detailed Explanation of the wong way theory

Physiologists have long maintained that pain has both a beneficial and protective purpose. Pains alerts the body that soft tissue has either / been injured or being traumatized. The sooner one can remove the noxious stimuli (mechanical, thermal or chemical) the less tissue injury occurs.

 

Although these facts have been well established surprisingly very little effort has been directed toward treating the pain by removing the noxious stimuli. With the exception of treating pain from soft tissue injury as a result of a mechanical and or thermal stimuli (removing a splinter or withdrawing a finger from a hot stove). In mainstream medicine, nearly all efforts are directed toward managing pain with drugs and devices which masks the causative factors or treat the symptoms.

 

The Wong Way  tm is a process of treating pain that is the result of soft tissue injury. These injuries are most frequently found at tendonous or ligamenteous attachments to the bone via tiny root like projections that bury themselves deep into the cortical layer of the bone. These are called Sharpey’s Fibers, and are named after their discoverer, Dr. Sharpey. Tendons and ligaments are composed of long collagen fibers. As these fibers approach the periosteum (dense fibrous connection tissue and

highly vascular) they surround the bone and blend into the periosteum and bury themselves deep into the cortical layers of the bone.

The human knee is the most complicated joint. Only humans have such a knee that distinguishes us as being able to stand erect and walk on two legs, but second to that for complexity and risky design must be the flexibility of the spine involving the interspinous ligaments. These ligaments limit the flexibility of each vertebrae. Since the spine is an extension of the brain and this delicate membrane is enclosed inside a bony sheath our backbone requires great flexibility. It's obvious this is always in a position of high risk to injury.

Collagen fibers are individually weak but collectively strong, capable of withstanding hundreds of pounds of stress without tearing. However, these same fibers can tear readily from an unexpected motion such as a whiplash injury. The weakest link in the entire musclo-skeletal system is the Sharpey’s Fibers as they attach to the periosteum & bone.

 

 

Because the periostoum is highly vascular, any injury to this tissue may result in the rupture of tiny blood vessels and capillaries, spewing the contents of these vessels into the intercellular spaces. Simultaneously, the injured tissue and cells release certain noxious chemicals which in turn stimulate certain pain nerve endings called “C” fibers which results in pain.

 

Types of Pain Fibers

There are two types of pain fibers when stimulated are capable of causing pain:

1)         “A” Delta fibers, and

2)         “C” Fibers.

 

1)      “A” Delta fibers are myelinated and comparatively large as compared to the “C” fibers which are non-myelinated. An “A” fiber transmits sharp stabbing pains. The site of injury can readily be localized within a millimeter. “A” fibers are found most abundantly in the subcutaneous tissue and are most sensitive to mechanical and thermal stimulus. A fiber pains are easy to diagnose and treat. The oblivious treatment is to remove the mechanical or thermal stimulus and allow the injured tissues to heal. 

2)      “C” fibers are very small as compared to the “A” fibers. They are characterized by being slow, aching, dull, throbbing, burning and slow to react to the stimulus. These fibers are widely dispersed throughout the body and are found accompanying all the blood vessels, lymphatic, sensory and motor nerves as well as all the peripheral automonmic nerves. The source of the pain transmitted by “C” fibers is difficult to localize since the pain is radiated over a large area.

 

Types of Pain

There are two different types of pain when classified as to their origin:

 

Neurogenic pain

Neurogenic pain is the result of a stimuli transmitted by an “A” Delta or a “C” Fiber and causes very specific types of pain.

Because “C” fibers are widely dispersed throughout the body, they account for the vast number of pains that patients experience. “C” fiber pains are more challenging to diagnose and treat as compared to “A” fiber pains.

Neuromuscular pain

Immediately following an injury, the injured tissue releases certain noxious chemicals (together with the contents of the ruptured blood vessels) that accumulate to form a pocket of noxious chemicals - known as edema. These chemicals stimulate the pain fibers to travel to the pain centers in the brain and simultaneously stimulate the motor neurons causing a withdrawal response. This withdrawal reflex causes the muscle to contract. Because of the sustained contraction of the withdrawal reflex, the muscles may develop spasm. Localized muscle contractions may become extremely painful and in many cases more painful than the initial site of injury. These localized muscle spasms are known as “trigger points”. Although there are many health professionals that focus their treatment on trigger points, results are temporary. In short, a neuromuscular pain is the result of a neurogenic pain. Treating the neurogenic pain also treats automatically treat neuromuscular pain

Treatment of Soft Tissue Injury

There are three basic interventional approaches that can be used to treat “C” fiber pains.

1) Oral Medication. The use of drugs to break up noxious chemicals (or prevents the synthesis of some of these chemicals). Such drugs as Motrin or aspirin are commonly used. Non steroidal drugs are effective in reducing inflammation. Powerful pain medications are used to block the pain stimulus from reaching the pain centers in the brain. These methods do little to remove the causative factors and only treat the symptoms.

 

The Wong Way  tm encompasses two approaches:

  • Injection of cortico-steroids and local anesthetic and
  • Non-invasive laser light therapy.

 

2) Injection Method using the Wong Way  tm. A small amount of cortico-steroids is mixed with a local anesthetic and is injected into the site of the soft tissue injury giving immediate pain relief.

 

3) Wong Way  tm. The Laser Light approach is by far the most effective, non-invasive and physiologic approach in treating pain. When the laser light beam is directed toward the site of the injured tissue, an opiate like substance is release in the spinal cord and two areas in the midbrain. These substances are known as endorphins which block the stimulus to pain centers and thereby reduce the pain from 80-100 % in 30-40 seconds. Simultaneously, the sympathetic nervous system relaxes the smooth muscles of the lymphatic vessels and re-establishes the normal pumping action of the lymphatic vessels evacuating the noxious chemicals. In both approaches of treatment, immobilization plays a very important role in the healing process as well as being able to achieve maximum results.

 

Faulty Posture

Faulty posture plays an important role in the understanding, diagnosing and treatment of neurogenic and neuromuscular pains. As mentioned, a neurogenic pain causes a withdrawal reflex. In the case of a frontal headache, the neurogenic pain causes an abnormal posture of the head and neck in an attempt to withdraw from the noxious stimulus at the supra-nucal line of the occipitalis bone. A sustained withdrawal may result in either an occipital and or frontal headaches. In most cases of faulty posture it is difficult or impossible to make a correction in posture until the noxious chemicals are removed. Once the muscles are relaxed the faulty head and neck post

ure can be readily corrected and immobilized with an appropriate head brace.