CLINCAL RESULTS
RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME
An high intensity 43 year old male athlete introduced his situation with the following statement. “I play hard despite having had multiple knee surgeries. I have an ongoing issue with leg cramping. I have tried multiple therapeutic interventions, and do what is recommended and the leg cramping hasn’t improved.”
Effortless Exercise™ with a TREDLR™ was recommended for therapy in his home. Two weeks later a follow up visit resulted in a report that the leg cramping stopped occurring after two days of engaging Effortless Exercise™, however, it was obvious that he was skeptical that this simple and easy to use therapy could be the cure for his leg cramping that had been endured for an extended period of time. Nonetheless, the Effortless Exercise™ regimen was continued for another five weeks without incidence of leg cramping.
The subject discontinued the Effortless Exercise™ regimen during a move to a new residence. The move occurred over a three week period of several weeks when accessing the TREDLR™ device for therapy was foregone. Having relocated and foregone the Effortless Exercise™ regimen the subject reported that his leg cramps had returned. He recommenced the Effortless Exercise™ regimen. Two weeks later the subject commented as follows: “I was skeptical about this technology despite the fact that this was my only new intervention, but the cramps stopped within two days of my resuming use of the TREDLR™. This therapy really works!”
VENOUS STASIS ULCER
A 94 year old female who presented with a venous stasis ulcer approx 2.2 cm x .6 cm located on her left shin, mid lower leg. She also had diminished ankle range of motion, with a total available range of 27 degrees. Initial TREDLR™ use was limited to 200-300 treds/day, which increased steadily as her ankle range of motion improved to over 40 degrees of motion. Concurrently her left ankle strength was improving from a grade of poor to a grade of fair in less than 2 months . No other range of motion or strengthening interventions were utilized during this time.
Her vascular surgeon was skeptical that her ulcer would heal due to her overall status, but deemed her not to be a surgical candidate.
The ulceration reduced to 1.4 cm x .4 cm within two weeks, and was completely healed after 10 weeks of using Treadwell’s protocol for treating venous stasis ulcers.
CLAUDICATION
A 52 year old male with a prior history of cardiac stint implantation (1999) underwent a quadruple cardiac bypass surgery in late summer of 2004. Following his surgery, he began his ambulatory therapy as recommended by his surgeon. This was hindered by leg cramping and intermittent claudication of his lower legs at intervals of 200-300 feet of ambulation, requiring his stopping to allow his leg pain to ease before another walk of the same distance. Three weeks following the surgery, he began using the TREDLR™ using Treadwell’s protocol. Within 4-5 days, he was able to increase his ambulatory distance, achieving distances of 800-1000 feet before symptoms manifested. After two weeks he was able to ambulate as much as he desired (usually a mile or greater) without onset of leg pain.
During a follow-up interview in 2014, he related that he diminished his use of the TREDLR™ from the prescribed protocol for a six-month period, and began to experience symptoms of intermittent claudication with ambulation once again. He returned to prescribed protocol for TREDLR™ use and the symptoms went away within one week. He continues to tredle with the prescribed protocol to mitigate his symptoms.
COMORBIDITY (EDEMA, WEAKNESS, RESPIRATORY DISTRESS, CHF)
A 92 year old female, had been on a maintenance physical therapy regimen for approximately 3 years, engaging a physical therapist twice weekly to keep her independent functional status and support continuing to live at home. In early September 2014 the therapist noted a decrease in her ability to tolerate exercise and ambulation and increasing breathlessness with exertion. Also noted was an increased level of edema in her lower extremities, more pronounced in her right leg. After 2-3 weeks of witnessing her weakness, breathlessness, and lower extremity swelling slowly progress, and with prior experience in observing this downward spiral suggestive of congestive heart failure (CHF), which often would culminate in a fall in this population, the therapist met with her sons who function as her care providers. The therapist recommended increasing Effortless Exercise™ sessions with her TREDLR™ to meet the standards of Treadwell’s CHF protocol. Until this point in time she had engaged Effortless Exercise™ with the TREDLR™ sporadically for three years. Her sons agreed to get her on the prescribed schedule, which was implemented immediately. The next visit by the therapist was 4 days later, at which time less breathlessness was noted with exertion. The second visit, 7 days after initiating the CHF protocol, breathlessness was no longer noted, and her tolerance for exercise and activity returned to pre-episode levels. Edema in the legs was also decreased, visibly and by palpated tension in the lower legs. The patient has had some level of lower extremity edema for several years that has caused a loss of elasticity in the tissues, allowing the appearance of fluid accumulation to be present. The patient’s gait showed immediate improvement with respect to foot clearance and step length. This was also observed and noted by her sons.
dition Case Study (Edema, Weakness, Respiratory Distress, CHF)
ARTERIAL DISEASE
A 67 year old professional who spends most of the working day on her feet. She regularly engages in a gym workout (2-3 x weekly) using multiple pieces of equipment. She complains of pain in her legs, primarily at night which she described as an “achiness” which often disrupted her sleep. Previous attempts to gain control of this problem had included acupuncture, supplements, yoga, tai chi, thermal agents, prescribed medications, and multiple exercise regimens. None of these interventions successfully relieved her pain. She reluctantly tried the TREDLR™, and noticed a change in her pain profile the following day. She reported shortly thereafter that she is fine when she is able to use the device as per Treadwell’s recommended protocol. She also reports that her legs start to become uncomfortable on the third day of her failure to use the TREDLR™. She has included its use in her three times weekly gym regimen because “I don’t like exercising when my legs cause me discomfort as they do when I have not tredled”
BLOOD CLOT / COMPRESSION HOSE / EDEMA
A 76 year old female who describes herself as an active person resides in an independent living facility. ”I am not at all sedentary.” She has been suffering from a blood clot in her left foot that first appeared suddenly in mid 2014. Since that time she has been wearing compression hose daily, but her foot has continued to exhibit redness and swelling (edema) which have been both uncomfortable and troubling to her as there has been no change in the pattern of her symptoms. She recently began using the TREDLR™ as an activity offered in the independent living facility. She noticed a marked change in her symptoms within a few weeks of beginning regular use of the TREDLR™. Her foot was no longer swollen or uncomfortable and the redness was gone. She stated that “As long as I tredle four times per week for fifteen to thirty minutes I have no swelling and am no longer having to wear the compression hose. The hose are difficult to apply, uncomfortable to wear, require hand washing, and are expensive.” She related that using the device is pleasurable, as she either socializes with others who are sitting in the area in which the TREDLR™ is located or she reads while tredling. “I would never have imagined obtaining relief in such a simple manner, but I am very thankful that we have this device”
PARKINSON'S DISEASE
A 78 year old male with diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. He began use of the TREDLR™ in early March 2014. Due to profound weakness of his ankle muscles in both plantar and dorsi flexion, graded poor for his left ankle and poor/trace for his right ankle, he could perform 15-20 treds on device with his left, and 10-12 on his right. He performed one foot at a time, and could do 3 reps each. After approximately 8 weeks his numbers increased to 150 treds on the right and 50 on the left, for 3-5 cycles. Although not upgradeable, from a manual muscle perspective, he has exhibited decreased lower leg swelling (edema) and a decrease in body weight by 6-8 lbs., presumably from decreased bodily fluid retention. Overall endurance for activities of daily living has increased proportionally. Abnormal muscle tone from Parkinson’s has not been an issue while using the TREDLR™, often noted when attempting use of bicycles or similar pedal devices with this population. He uses the device 1-3 times daily.
COMPROMISED LOWER EXTREMITY CIRCULATION
An 83 year old female presented with a diagnosis of poor circulation in both lower legs, more noticeable in her right leg, with purplish discoloration and +2 edema in her right leg and +1 edema in her left leg. She also complained of random leg pains during the day and at night, which she stated occurred almost every day. The Treadwell System™ protocols for lower extremity circulation plus gait and balance issues were use along with conventional physical therapy interventions for gait, strengthening, and balance. Using the Edema Scale the measurement decreased by one grade in each leg after 4 weeks, and discoloration of legs improved to a more flesh colored tone after 1 ½ weeks of incorporating the TREDLR™ protocols. She reported a “noticeable” decrease in leg pains during the first week of therapy, and complete cessation of leg pains after 2 ½ weeks of including the TREDLR™ protocols. The decrease in leg pain would not necessarily have occurred without the inclusion of the Treadwell System™ protocols in the opinion of the writer.
NEUROPATHY / VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY / RLS
A 89 year old female had been active until the conditions of her legs have begun to impede her ambulation. Her decrease mobility caused a decline in function and made her a fall risk. Therapeutic intervention, which included Treadwell’s TREDLR™ protocols for gait and balance improvement, venous insufficiency and restless leg syndrome were initiated. Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms were resolved within 2 weeks, with the patient relating her leg cramps at night had stopped. Using the Edema Scale the measurement of her lower legs decreased from +3 to +1 within 4 weeks, and she was able to ambulate 150 feet without leg pain after 3 ½ weeks. This distance was prohibitive due to leg pain at the beginning of her physical therapy intervention. She also related that the “toothache like pain in her legs was much improved at the 3 ½ week interval.” The patient was discharged after a 12 week physical therapy regimen with no Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms (evening leg cramping). The “toothache like” pain in her legs was “virtually gone” as reported by the patient. There was no onset of leg pain when ambulating over 300 feet. She used a cane for out of house ambulation “just for safety” as compared to needing to use a walker for all ambulation at the beginning of her physical therapy intervention.
GOUT
A 54 year old male had experienced periodic episodes of gout in his left great (big) toe during the past 4-5 years. Onset of episodes manifest with pain, swelling, and inflammation of the metatarsal phalangeal joint of the great (big) left toe. Episodes usually persisted for 7-10 days, during which time ambulation is limited by pain, making work prohibitive for this carpenter by trade. Onset of an episode was manifest by inflammation, and the surface temp of his left great toe metatarsal phalangeal joint, measured with an infrared thermal device, was within a range of 93.5 to 94.2 degrees Fahrenheit compared to the uninvolved right great toe which measured 83.6 to 84.1 degrees Fahrenheit. The patient used the Treadwell System™ protocol two days consecutively. The temperature of his left great toe metatarsal phalangeal joint was measured to be 84.6 to 90.0 degrees Fahrenheit at the end of each session. The symptoms of the gout attack were totally relieved on the third day. He was able to ambulate without pain and return to work.
DIABETES-FASTING BLOOD SUGAR
A former hazmat transporter, was forced into early retirement by IDDM (insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) in his early fifties. He maintained a strict diet and medication routine, and measured his fasting blood sugar level every morning. His blood sugar levels consistently were in the 125-130 mg/dL range.
He agreed to engage Effortless Exercise™ with the TREDLR™ using the Treadwell’s IDDM protocol and to record values of fasting blood sugar levels as he had been doing.
The morning after his use of the TREDLR™ for Effortless Exercise™ his fasting blood sugar measurement was 105 mg/dL. For the next two weeks his results stayed within the 98-105 mg/dL range. He made no other changes to his daily routine.
After two weeks he discontinued his Effortless Exercise™ sessions. His measurements then returned to the 125-130 mg/dL range.