Non-invasive injury and pain management expert shares QUICK HEALING disCovery

By John Bassetti

bassetti@vindy.com

“The concussion is one of the most important topics today for high school coaches; we would welcome an article from you on the subject.”

That was the message from Rex Lardner, managing editor of Gridiron Strategies, to Dr. Ray Petras, a pain management practitioner in Scottsdale, Ariz., who has had success in treating people with his patented “Talk Away Pain” method.

Gridiron Strategies is published six times a year by American Football Monthly Media.

Before attempting a response to Lardner, however, Petras, to satisfy his curiosity, decided to research traditional treatment methods for concussions.

“While conducting a brief literature search, I noticed that there are not many treatment options, except rest and Tylenol,” a surprised Petras said.

One reason stemmed from his work with affected individuals, one of whom was seen in August.

“I had an [cross country] athlete come into my office 31/2 weeks after his concussion,” Petras said of an accident [water skiing] unrelated to cross country. “In five minutes, using some instructional and visualization techniques, his headache was gone, his nausea left as did his dizziness,” said Petras, a Campbell native.

“Five days later, he was cleared by his doctor to participate in his sport. That was four weeks earlier than expected,” added Petras.

A Mayo Clinic staff definition of a concussion — via online source — is as follows: “Concussions are common, particularly if you play a contact sport, such as football. But every concussion injures your brain to some extent. This injury needs time and rest to heal properly. Luckily, most concussive traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are mild, and people usually recover fully.”

The 16-year-old’s visit reminded Petras of work he did on a woman in St. Paul, Minn., about a decade ago.

“After he [the high school cross country runner] left, I started thinking about when I was in Minnesota,” he said of a women’s soccer player who was hurt during a header.

“She had a concussion and they sent her to me. Within that session, her headache was gone. Then they [doctors and trainers] talked to me because they were concerned because she didn’t have any pain and they didn’t know what to do.”

Petras, trying to stay neutral or non-committal when dealing with medical doctors, told them: “It’s OK if you feel they need other treatment, but they shouldn’t have to hurt during that time.”

Once his part was done, Petras abstained from offering a revised recovery time frame.

His reasoning was based on the original diagnosis and its magnitude.

“If it called for six weeks of rest, that’s fine, but when the process is accelerated, they didn’t know what to do,” he said.

Another example of Petras’ work was in June 2010 when a high school baseball player made an appointment in hopes of improving his performance and subsequent chances for a college scholarship.

In the meantime, however, the first baseman sustained injuries when a batter-runner crashed into him.

“Two days after his accident [June 25], I taught him visualization techniques to eliminate his pain and speed his healing,” Petras said of the player who received a broken wrist, a concussion with amnesia and a cut in his eyelid and brow requiring stitches.

“His pain immediately decreased,” Petras said. “On June 29, the day before his appointment with an orthopedic physician, he had another session with me. During this session, he practiced visualization techniques to further speed his recovery.

“The next day — exactly one week after his injuries — the athlete saw an orthopedic surgeon. His mother said that when the surgeon saw the X-ray, he asked if the injury was one-year or older. When told it was one week old, he could not believe it. The following week — two weeks after the wrist was broken — the orthopedic surgeon removed the player’s cast. He indicated that he had never removed a cast earlier than six weeks before. It was amazing,” said Petras.

Over the years, Petras has had believers and disbelievers. He’s especially frustrated when his credibility is called into question.

“If the Mayo Clinic sent out a news release that they think they may have a new treatment for concussions, what do you think would happen?”

Petras knows he doesn’t have the same clout, but his work is becoming more and more known and appreciated as a much-needed approach to overall health and well-being.

Maybe his days of toiling in obscurity while defending the validity of his treatment are over.

In the meantime, Petras is writing that article on concussions.

His e-mail is drpetras@reliefforyou.com.