Soft tissue injuries are commonly treated with the rest of the injured area (sometimes immobilization), physical therapy, ice for twenty four hours to the injured area then heat for the remainder of the healing period, occaisional anti-inflammatory agents and/or analgesics. The length of time from the onset of injury' until resolution varies from eight (8) weeks to six (6) months.
Any symptoms or signs of impairment after six months.can be considered chronic.
Allife was used on twenty-two patients with soft tissue injuries. Twenty-two were improved within one-week. Three patients obtained no relief at all. Pain was relieved in the patients who had positive results. Also in the same group range of motion of affected joints was improved markedly during the initial week of therapy.
Materials and Methods
Allife is a preparation made from pokeweed extract (phytelacca americana),
burdock root extract (actium minus), water, and isopropyl alcohol 12.5% as a
preservative.
Burdock root has tradionally been used in the treatment of ulcers, herpes, rheumatism, and other skin diseases. It has also been employed in the treatment of sprains, bruises and other soft tissue injuries. Pokeweed extract has been used by immunologists as a mitogen causing an increase in white cell multiplication. Folk medicine uses of pokeweed have included scrofulous abscesse and hard abscesses. Together the main ingredients may work to decrease inflammation in an injured area and to promote healing by increasing the number of white cells present . Though isopropyl alcohol is used as a preservative, it also has a cooling effect on the injured part.
Twenty-five patients aged fourteen to sixty-eight were treated for soft tissue injuries of the neck, back, shoulders, and extremities. Seven males and eighteen females made of the study population. This experiment was not a double blind study. The preparation was tested to see if there were any beneficial effects such as sprain relief or decrease in the recuperation period.
Injuries were grouped as mild, moderate, or severe. If range of motion an area was limited to 50% of normal or less, then the injury was felt to be severe. Muscle spasm, edema, pain, and tenderness were also usual findings in the severe category. If the range of motion was greater than 50% of normal but less than full with pain, edema, or muscle spasm, then the injury was classed as moderate. Mild injuries were those with a full range of motion, minimal pain on movement, and without muscle spasm or swelling.
Results
Nine of the patient's injuries were in the severe category, eight moderate
and nine in the mild group. Two patients with moderate injuries and one patient
with a mild injury were not affected at all. Five patients reported transient
relief lasting from three to four hours with their pain and discomfort returning.
Eighty-eight per cent of the patients improved with Allife added to various
combinations of the commonly used therapeutic regimens discussed in the above
introduction. Eight patients' 32% expected total disability time was cut in
half.
The only reported side effects were mild stinging sensation in two patien't's. The preparation did not have to be discontinued.
Comments
It appears that Allife is beneficial in the treatment of soft tissue
injuries and speeds up the healing process. Further research needs to be done
in the form of double blind studies to more effectively document the usefulness
of this preparation, It shows considerable promise in the treatment of soft
tissue injuries and deserves the attention of physicians interested in treating
minor trauma and those doctors involved in sports medicine.