Simple Explanation of Laterality Flashcards and Mirrow Box for Nerve Pain

Funny you should write, I had my first filled out laterality sheet to fax you today and left it at home, duh.  I will scan and email it later.  Doing so so, esp with the hip.  Dr. M had me get a full body bone scan this week and I get results Monday.  I asked them to please look at my foot/heel too, which they did.  I will let you know of results and/or send you copy of the report.  I am taking Dr. H's meds like a good girl and am starting to work with my mirror.  It's all a little confusing still...can you recommend some simple to understand reading about the laterality and mirror work?  Like what is it supposed to do exactly?  Thanks so much.
Kris (name changed)

http://www.drblakeshealingsole.com/2012/12/crps-initiation-of-flashcards-for.html

Kris, If I find something, I will try to send it to you. It is simple to my simple brain. All about rewiring the nervous system. Something about how nerve pain leads to nerve avoidance of the area and at the same time nerve hypersensitivity. The body both tries to protect the area by making the nerves more sensitive, even to normal non-painful stimuli, and tries to avoid the moving the area by shutting down parts of your brain that use that area (this leads to muscle weakness and joint stiffness, and basic disuse stuff. The laterality cards and mirror try to wake up the brain to feel and move that area again.And it definitely does. See how simple it is!!???!!!!! Rich

Thank you I LIKE SIMPLE!  I sit in front of my mirror and move the foot....reinforcing that it doesn't hurt, even when massaging the heel and arch...so it is pretty simple.  The cards I am so much better at...but I miss the same ones each time.  Even tho I study them....my brain still gets confused.  LOL.  Thank you and I will send my filled out sheet this weekend.  Be well!

CRPS: Follow Up Sympathetic Block and Laterality Flash Cards

Hi Dr. Blake,

Still doing okay. 

The big flare has stayed settled down, and my foot is definitely improved since the block--I can walk more easily than before (though still can't tolerate my tennis shoes on for long, so I mostly wear my Montrail flip-flops which seem to have the perfect soft cushioning for me. (I would encourage anyone with a neuroma that is improved when standing on a soft surface to try them.)

And my forefoot may be slightly less hypersensitive to heat: I experimented last night with momentary partial immersion in (really just touching the surface of) some hot-ish water yesterday (which previous caused instantaneous excruciating pain and muscle spasm in the foot) and it was more tolerable. I didn't push it on the experiment, but I would say it feels less absurdly hyper- hyper- than before.

So with both these improvements, and with your encouragement (and also my husband's encouragement) I called today to schedule a MWF series! (Hubby said: This is one very few things, of all the zillion things you've tried, that actually helped you: why wouldn't you do this again ASAP? :-)

However Dr. S is out of town this week and his assistant (with whom I schedule) says this recommendation is not in my chart so she cannot schedule me till she talks with him this afternoon. She seemed very unfamiliar with this protocol and thought I couldn't possibly be correct, so he must not do it this way with very many people. Anyway it makes some sense to me (in theory) so I am going to go ahead and schedule it after she gets the okay, hopefully for as soon as next week!

I assume if something along the way feels wrong to me after the Monday block or after the Wed block I could cancel the remaining one or ones in the series.

I am excited and hopeful about this! And Dr. S made me very comfortable when he did the first procedure so I have less anxiety than before. I'm more worried about getting the IV in (which caused me to almost pass out last time!) than the block.

Your story with RSD and also your knowledge of RSD has aided my understanding of the role of these blocks and importance of doing them sooner rather than later, so again I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Also I continue to do the laterality work (I now use the NOI app on my phone) many times daily, as it is on the short list of things that definitively have helped. It also helped me recover from the post-block  flare, when all four extremities hurt: I did both the feet and hands apps, and I believe that helped settle down the other limbs. Thank you so much for that lead on such a valuable, simple, inexpensive, non-invasive tool-- more docs should know about this.

With gratitude,

Kim (name changed)

Dr Blake's comment: I am encouraging Kim to have a series of sympathetic blocks to help her CRPS and also her constant positive feedback on the NOI group laterality flashcards. Please see my other posts on CRPS. 

CRPS: Initiation of Flashcards for Laterality

This is an email from a patient I sent 49 flashcards on Laterality for CRPS. The patient describes her initial response well. The first 30 days at three times per day are to be logged and sent to me every 10 days. This dramatically helps with the re-wiring process needed in CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome).

Right Foot or Left Foot?? Looks easy? Not if the Nerves are not sending the right signals back to the brain.

Hey Dr Blake:

I did get the flashcards. My husband wrote the correct answer on the back corner of each one, so if I'm doing it by myself I can check the answer and sort them into 2 piles of correct and incorrect answers, or whoever is working with me can do the same. I also downloaded a metronome app for my iphone, so I or the test giver can time 3 seconds accurately. As I get better we can increase the speed.

I got only 35 correct the first time and 37 the second time (we didn't get three sessions in yesterday). I did feel both feet tingling during and after each flash card session, which I take as a good sign that my brain is sorting out the connection to the feet.

I will do mirror therapy today as well, and see how that goes. 

What a strange disorder. I am worried that it's gone on too long and so I will never recover, but I know I shouldn't think that way.

Thank you again for your kindness and help. 

Kim (name changed)

Here is the Log that Kim is following:

Laterality Flashcards

Test: ______out of 49 (3 second holding of each photo)

                      Session 1                  Session 2                Session 3

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

Day 6:

Day 7:

Day 8:

Day 9:

Day 10:

                   Please fax or email to Dr Blake after 10 days

Day 11:

Day 12:

Day 13:

Day 14:

Day 15:

Day 16:

Day 17:

Day 18:

Day 19:

Day 20:

                   Please resend new results to Dr Blake

Day 21:

Day 22:

Day 23:

Day 24:

Day 25:

Day 26:

Day 27:

Day 28:

Day 29:

Day 30:

Dr Blake's Response: 

     Kim, Thank you for the great feedback. Here is the checklist I need you to fill out and email or fax back to make sure we are on the same page. God's speed with the Re-Wiring!! Rich Go through the checklist and put any thoughts on what you are doing right now to address each area. Some will be confusing. Thanks for all the articles you gave me. I will use them to update myself and my checklist, etc.

Patient: ________________          Date: ______________

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Checklist

    Identifying the Source of pain

     

     

    Mechanical Means of Breaking Pain Cycle

     

     

    Oral Medications to Break Pain Cycle

     

     

    Topical Medications/Applications to Break Pain Cycle

     

     

    Alternative

     

     

    Nutritional

     

     

    Rehabilitation of Limb Function

     

     

    Being Productive as possible

     

     

    Co morbidities

     

     

    Other