• 85 million Americans are affected with dysfunctional pain syndrome (Newsweek, 2004)
• Patients with back pain spend 60% more on annual out of pocket health care costs than patients without back pain. (Newsweek, 2004)
• According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) 85% of all people have back pains at some time in their life. Back pain is the most frequent cause of activity limitation in people younger than 45 years old. (http://nih.gov)
• Estimates from National Institute of Nursing Health (NINH) estimate that in 2003 148 million people will have chronic pain conditions and associated annual direct costs will rise to $798 billion dollars. (http://ninr.nih.gov/ninr/about/legislation/caphillpain.htm)

Thermal imaging is an ideal tool for the evaluation and identification of unresolved pain problems.  One of the only non-invasive means of observing the body’s autonomic regulatory mechanisms, Infrared imaging (IR) aids in assigning the point of origin for many pain problems. Additionally, thermal imaging is an ideal way to monitor the efficacy of most therapies, ensuring that costly and unnecessary procedures are reduced and effective treatment delivers improved autonomic function.

Pain issues remain a significant cause of high-cost medical intervention - often, either ineffective or unnecessary.  Only Infrared Imaging can effectively diagnose complex regional pain syndrome, type 1 (CRPS 1) - a costly - often incurable cause of pain if not discovered early after injury. 



Currently the quantitative sudomotor reflex test (QSART) - measuring sweat levels - is used to aid in diagnosis of CRPS-1. Proper administer is key, and the QSART also lacks specificity.  As opponents to IR have rallied around the sensitivity but lack of specificity that infrared displays in breast analysis  (unable to differentiate infection from neoangiogenesis of cancer) the QSART is also highly sensitive, but not specific in  CRPS-1.  CRPS is not the only condition where sodium levels or provoked sweat can occur.  Increased sodium level can be detected other pain provoking syndromes such as small-caliper fiber neuropathies, which differentiate themselves from CRPS in treatment and outcome.

Performed as a regimen of diagnostics, infrared analysis and QSART can together improve the efficacy of detection until IR is accepted as the test of choice - if not because of its specificity in this instance, then due to the reduced cost and ease of conducting an infrared exam. 

The determinate differentiation of IR as the exam of choice is the proper performance of the AFST (autonomic functional stress test) as part of the infrared exam.  Without the AFST, the infrared exam lacks all necessary evidence in differentiating the cause of pain.  The observance of deltaT differentials in temperature - once considered the key indicator in Infrared testing for CRPS, do not reveal the specific information that the AFST test can reveal.    Drs. Conwell, Gulevich et al in their study Stress Infrared Telethermography is Useful in the Diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Type I (Formerly Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy). SJ Gulevich, TD Conwell, J Lane, B Lockwood, RS Schwettmann, N Rosenberg and LB Goldman. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 13:50-59, 1997, successfully demonstrated that the inclusion of the AFST was the key in differentiating various pathologies of the nervous system related to chronic, difficult-to-diagnose pain problems.


 
Trillennium Medical Imaging (TMI) embraces the use of non-contact infrared imaging as a cost-effective tool in the analysis and evaluation of treatment in many, if not all unresolved pain issues. Demonstrating the physiological imbalance  - most often in advance of the structural evidence - infrared imaging deserves its place among accepted medical tools.   Especially due to the non-invasive nature of this type of evaluation, the patient is not subjected to undue harm, or potential future issues created with too much or indiscriminate use of ionizing radiation.  Infrared can assist in the justification of these and other tests and procedures if necessary. 

TMI encourages the use of Infrared by the licensed practitioner to ensure patients are receiving concomitant care appropriate to their complaints.  Unlicensed practitioners are unable to offer additional solutions or treatments once a problem is identified, or ruled-out with the infrared exam.

TMI instructs in the applications and use of infrared imaging so that the practitioners can effectively use and patients can have confidence in the information gathered with infrared imaging.