Stimulation of Bone Repair Using Matrix Repatterning
By Dr. George Roth, DC, ND, CMRP
Over the years, I have explored various therapeutic concepts from the fields of chiropractic and osteopathic medicine. Each technique provides a theoretic framework to support its concepts but, to my frustration, none of them appeared to agree with each other. For the past 40 years, I have been on a quest to achieve more consistent, objective and measurable success within my own practice and I felt that there had to be certain universal principles, which would explain the underlying structure of the body and its response to injury. Eventually, my search led me to explore developments in the field of cellular and molecular biology. Emerging science regarding the cytoskeleton1 and the extracellular matrix2, as well as the developing field of electrobiology3, inspired me to develop a form of therapy, consistent with these scientific principles. The result is the current treatment system, called Matrix Repatterning, which I have been developing and teaching to practitioners from around the world for over 30 years.
The basic approach in Matrix Repatterning is to determine the precise location of tissue injury (Primary Restriction), using the now established evidence that these injuries create a measurable disruption in the generation and/or conduction of electrical current. Treatment is based on the application pressure to induce a piezoelectric influence, along with a biologically compatible electromagnetic field to induce the restoration of current at the injury site. This combined form of therapy has demonstrated consistent and measurable orthopedic and neurological outcomes4. It has also been recognized as an important intervention in the treatment of TBI5.
Recent x-ray evidence has demonstrated the effectiveness of this gentle form of manual therapy to restore the structural integrity of the body. It appears that Matrix Repatterning is literally capable of restoring the normal shape of bone in arthritic joints, allowing the joints to heal, in only a few short sessions.
Case Study 1:
“Steve” is a teenage hockey player, who experienced significant pain in his left knee for over 2 years, before receiving Matrix Repatterning (MR). Six MR treatments were provided over a 2 month period. After this series of treatments, there was a significant change in the size of his knees, and a marked reduction in pain. He was subsequently able to return to hockey and resume all of his normal activities. His parents remarked how delighted they were as they could once again “hear the sound of Steve running up the stairs”, instead of hobbling slowly and painfully, as he had for the previous 2 years.
In comparing the two sets of X-rays of Steve’s knees below (Figures 1, 2), a measurable reduction in the size of the femur and tibia in the left knee. Actual measurements by orthopedic specialists monitoring the condition, confirmed a reduction in the width of the femoral distal head and the tibial proximal head, of almost .5 centimeter. Note also that the medial aspect of the joint space has been restored.
Recent evidence from the University of California, revealed by the powerful Atomic Force microscope, under the direction of physicist Paul Hansma7, has clarified the cellular effects of injury within bone, resulting in enlargement (Figures 3, 4 below). This verifies what has been proposed by the developer of Matrix Repatterning, Dr. George Roth, for many years. Normalization of the shape of the bone appears to restore the joint space, which may allow for the re-growth of articular cartilage, and thus more complete healing of the entire joint complex.
Case Study 2:
Allie* is a teenage girl who has struggled her whole life with a debilitating structural bone condition. Her issues began at approximately 1 year of age when she broke her right tibia, near the distal growth plate. The tibia did not grow normally after that injury, causing a leg discrepancy of 4 cm by the age of 9. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with a serious bone disorder called polyostotic fibrous dysplasia.
At age 9, she had a significant surgery to lengthen the affected leg. One year after this surgery, while recovering in an air-cast, she broke her tibia again. Despite an endless array of further invasive surgeries (including the insertion of a Fassier-Duval rod), medications and the use of a bone stimulator, the problems persisted and she was told that her leg would continue to deteriorate. By the time she was 13, Allie was suffering daily from pain and often walked with the use of assistive devices.
With the news that her condition could only go from bad to worse, her mother sought out something different, in hopes of relieving some of the pain. She found Oliver Hartan, a local Certified Matrix Repatterning Practitioner. X-rays were taken at the surgeon’s office before the treatment plan began. After 6 treatments, over a period of 4 months, new X-rays were taken that revealed something that no one had expected. The images showed new healthy bone. The only treatment she had received during that time was Matrix Repatterning.
The following case involves the treatment of a child with a history of fibrous dysplasia of the right tibia, which affected the growth plate in the distal epiphysis, leading to its premature closure. The difference between the right and left tibia, at the age of 9, was 4 cm. A leg lengthening surgery was subsequently carried out and an Ilizarov external fixator was applied to the tibia for a period of 8 months, lengthening the tibial shaft by 6.7 cm. The fixator was then removed and the patient was casted until late February 2014, followed by the use of an ‘air cast’. In April 2014, the patient sustained a fracture to the right tibia, while wearing the air cast. She was re-casted until September 2014 and then switched to an air cast once again, which she wore until March 2015. The integrity of the tibia failed to progress, so in March 2016, her surgeon inserted a Fassier-Duval rod inside the right tibia.
Over the next 8-12 months, the rod became problematic, resulting in significant pain and limitation of movement. In addition, despite the use of an Exogen bone stimulator for approximately 8 months, the tibia failed to ossify properly, as evidenced by radiographs taken on March 15, 2017 (see Figures 5 and 6 below). At that time, the patient was in a great deal of pain and unable to walk without the assistance of crutches.
On March 22nd, the patient began a series of 6 Matrix Repatterning treatments with a Certified Matrix Repatterning Practitioner. On July 7th (4 months after the previous study), radiographs were retaken. These studies revealed evidence of significant bone regeneration (see Figures 7 and 8 below). The patient, 14 years of age following her treatments, is pain free and ambulatory without the need of assistive devices.
Radiograph Evidence:
