January 3, 2005

Dear Dr. Miskovich,

I am writing to give you my perception of the treatment I have been receiving from your office. When l first came to you on 11/09/2004 I was having pain in my mid-back which was causing severe spasms that radiated downward, to both sides and up ward into my neck causing head aches and pain that would travel down my left arm into the palm of my hand. I was also having pains in my chest on the days when the spasms were at their worst. I had just recently returned to work prior to my visit to you.

I have had these symptoms since my accident on 2/17/2004. I did not work from April to October because my employer did not have a light duty position for me. In October I was given a truck driving position which requires loading a trailer with wood chips using afront end loader smoothing out the load with a pitch-jork. (arping the load and delivering it to various locations. I also drive a log truck which involves loading the truck with a hydraulic loader and strapping down the load. The bouncing of the truck, using the clwch pedal, shifting gears and all the twisting involved in loading and driving really aggravate my back pain and spasms.

When I first started treatment I was taking several Tylenol tablets during the daytime to get through the day and taking vicodin and soma at night so 1 could sleep. At that time and for the first month or so I could only sleep 2 to 3 hours a night.

At this point in my treatment I have noticed that the severe spasms do not come on as quickly as when I started treatment, I still always have the pain in my back. but I can get farther into the day before the pain and spasms get too severe. The amount ofstrenuous activity, and number of trips 1 make a day have a lot to do with my pain levels. Trying to compare equal work days from the beginning of treatment to now I would say I have seen a reduction in my pain levels. The spasms that used to radiate downwards have greatly improved and only come back on the really bad days. The
spasms that would spread sideways have improved to the point of spreading on~\' a couple inches tV each side of my spine, and I rarely get the chest pains. I slill gel the upward spasms bUI no longer gel the pain going down my left arm and I don't get the head aches like I did in the past. I only get the head aches on bad days and they don't seem to last as long. I also don't need as many Tylenol 10 gel through the day, I still use the vicodin and soma at night lime which allow me to get 6 t07 hours of sleep a night. If I try to sleep with out the meds. I have a hard time falling asleep andwi// Ivake up wilh pain after only about 3 hours.

I also nOliced when I come in jor trealmen! after work I 'll have a lot of pain lI'hen I come infO Ihe office and I do gel an immediate reduction in pain levels during Ireatmenl. I do think this treatment is helping my condition, while improvemenf is slow I have been able to continue working this limitecf.' dUlY pm'ilion. I knolV I am nol ready /0 relUrn to my normal position as an eq/lipmenr operator al this time. Ihat job requires a lot more twisting and conSlanl jarring and bouncing. Also the amount of extra physical labor that is requiredfor hauling, maintenance, and operation of the equipment we use is a 101 more Ihan my back can endure at this present time. All of the olher physical therapy treatments I have done in the past wear unsuccessful.
If you thinkjarlher treatmen! will help Ihe improvement I have received so for, I would like to continue treatment !f it is covered by insurance.

I am lookingjonvard to the day when I can return to work and come home without being in so much pain that I can function and enjoy my family.

Thank you,

H. F.
Pittsburgh, PA

November 21,2004

To: The American Back Center,

I was only in my early thirties, when after years of abusing my back with heavy lifting the pain in my lower back was so bad that rest and over the counter remedies did nothing to ease the pain. I finally went to my family doctor who prescribed pain pills and muscle relaxers. With no improvement I then saw an Orthopedic surgeon. He also gave me pain medicine and ordered Physical Therapy. Some therapy would give me temporary relief but the pain would return before long and always seemed to be getting worse.

Over the next twelve years I was referred to eighteen different health care facilities. I saw Orthopedic Physicians, Physical Therapist, Chiropractors, and Pain Clinics where I received pain injections and nerve blocks.

I was finally thinking about quitting work because I couldn't live with the pain anymore.
It was only a fifteen-minute ride to work for me, but by the time I arrived I couldn't even get out of the car. A fellow employee asked if I had ever heard of VAX-D. I did some research about VAX-D and then called for an appointment.

I started VAX-D in November 2002 with an evaluation by Dr. Miskovich and a review of my MRI. Dr. M. felt he could help. At first I was skeptical, but thought, what do I have to lose, I had tried everything else. I started with four sessions a week and wearing a back brace during the day. Within a month I noticed results and kept thinking, this is too good to be true. By the summer of 2003 I was able to take a nine-hour car trip to Connecticut and still felt great.

It's been two years and I still feel wonderful. I see Dr. M every two or three months just for maintenance VAX-D treatments. I am so grateful for VAX-D and to the entire staff of The American Back Center that I have recommended it to other friends and co-workers. All are just as satisfied.

L. E.

Ambridge, PA

June 6, 2002

To: American Back Center

Since 1991 I have had three surgeries to repair repeated herniated disks. I had a fourth surgery one week after the third surgery to repair the scar tissue damage caused by the previous surgeries. Before each surgery I tried both physical therapy and some chiropractic, but they did not give me more than minimal, short-lived relief from the excruciating spasm pain that ran down my hip and lag all the time.

In December of 1999 I was miserable and in such pain again, with another herniated disk, that I was ready for yet a fifth surgery, desperate to get some relief. Luckily, during that time I learned about Dr. Miskovich's VAX-D therapy and the American Back Center. I was a skeptic at first, but I have been coming here since then, and never had to undergo another surgery, because I have found almost total relief. For the first few months I had VAX-D several times per week, but since the beginning of April I've tempered my treatments down to once or twice a month.

Relief came within the first three weeks and now after several months I am almost totally free of any pain and will never consider surgery again! I am so completely happy that I found the American Back Center I recommend it to anyone considering any kind of neck or back surgery. Please try this first! I was a skeptic in the very beginning, I had given up on being pain-free, but this works!

My quality of life is one that I never dreamed I would have again. My wife and kids are thrilled, too! They have their old husband and dad back again!

Sincerely,

P. Q.
Squirrel Hill, PA

February 9, 2000

To: Dr. Dennis Miskovich

I wanted to let you know that I am very pleased with the very professional and effective treatment I received at your clinic in Monroeville for the herniated disc injuries I sustained in my car accident in October of 1999. Initially I consulted with the family doctor and the treatment was exercises. No MRI or x?rays were taken except for what was taken at the hospital. My chief complaint at that time was low back pain with left thigh numbness. After about one month of this type of treatment my condition was going nowhere and my doctor suggested I might need surgery. This is when I consulted you at American Back Centers, P.C. in Monroeville. I was very pleased and impressed with the thoroughness of the examination and the explanation of my condition. This is even more significant because I was not a believer in chiropractors. You ordered an MRI and that revealed that I did have a herniation of my L4-5 disc.

To say the least, I have had excellent results with treatment at your clinic and I am very impressed with the VAX?D therapy. What impressed me most is that I was discharged after only ten weeks of treatment and I am able to resume my normal lifestyle. I am grateful to you for saving me from surgery.

I would highly recommend to anyone with a herniated disc to try VAX-D first before considering any other treatment, including surgery or injections.

Sincerely,

D. Y.
McKeesport, PA