Living with RSD: Life After Diagnosis Guest: Mitchell Yass, P.T.

Dr. Mitchell Yass, hailed as the "miracle man" by patients who travel to see him in his Long Island facility, is poised to be the leading national advocate on the diagnosis and treatment of pain. Mitch is a licensed Physical Therapist, founder of PT2 Physical Therapy and Personal Training, and author of Overpower Pain: The Strength Training Program that Stops Pain without Drugs or Surgery. His pain resolution program is a phenomenon helping thousands of people avoid unnecessary drugs and surgery. Yass determined that the problem often lies in misdiagnosis. Throughout his career he has proven that most pain is not the result of structural abnormalities such as herniated discs, arthritis, stenosis, or other physical changes that show up on x-rays or MRI's, but of muscular imbalance and weakness. Yass has proven that these structural abnormalities are completely independent of the pain being experienced, and require no medical treatment. Yass' core difference in approach is his ability to correct muscle problems so that his patients avoid unnecessary surgery or use of prescription drugs to mask the pain. Even when pain is experienced in a joint, the cause is a misalignment of the joint surfaces creating abnormal joint surface rubbing due to muscle weakness. In fact, he has resolved the pain in over 95% of his patients through strength training. Yass is quick to note that surgery is sometimes necessary when the cause of pain is structural, although his experience has shown this to be in the minority of cases. Studies are confirming that surgeries are consistently on the rise, yet a large percentage of them have proven to be unnecessary or ineffective. Recent studies are also showing that structural abnormalities such as herniated discs, stenosis, degenerative disc disease and meniscal tears can be found in as many people with no pain as those with pain. Yass' advocacy of strength training is backed by leading medical organizations.