Estimates suggest that more than 20% of the world’s population suffers from pain, while each year, 10% are newly diagnosed with chronic pain. Pain has become a “silent” epidemic for which the medical community has no answers.
Rowan County, N.C. native Emma Myers had never been without extensive nerve pain since the age of 4. Instead of spending her childhood playing and having fun, Emma Myers’s mobility worsened to a point where she could no longer use her right arm and leg and became wheelchair-bound.
Inspiringly, Emma Myers’s journey reflects the struggles faced by many.
Emma’s condition is unfortunately not unique. Over the years, hundreds of patients like Emma have entered The Spero Clinic in Lafayette, Arkansas. In many cases, those patients arrived when crippled with chronic pain, caused by a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS.
From Debilitation to Hope
Emma Myers: A Journey of Resilience
Unlike traditional medicine, The Spero Clinic has taken a different approach to treating conditions such as CRPS. Spero’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Katinka van der Merwe, conducted extensive research into the causes of CRPS which she published in her book, Putting Out the Fire.
She found that, at the core, CRPS is associated with an imbalance and malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. This system regulates all functions of the body and its organs and affects muscles, nerves, organs, and systems. If the autonomic nervous system fails or is blocked in any way, it will cause all sorts of mayhem in the body.
Based on these findings, Dr. Katinka developed a unique treatment model to repair and reactivate the nervous system, which began the healing process of hundreds of CRPS patients.
Understanding CRPS
CRPS can set in at a young age, sometimes even after a minor injury or surgery, and is characterized by over-the-top pain levels so severe. This condition is also called the “suicide disease.”
Like Emma, the average CRPS patient will go misdiagnosed or undiagnosed for years before they find The Spero Clinic, the only clinic of its kind in the United States.
Newfound, Lasting Hope
For Emma, this meant a new hope of recovery. Yet, the road was not easy for her.
According to Emma’s mom, “Dr. Katinka Van Der Merwe at Spero told us that Emma was one of their most difficult cases to date and it hasn’t been easy. They were very impressed with Emma’s attitude and the fact she was never willing to give up. They were very clear that her persistence played a big part in getting where she is today.”
Now, Emma finally can do all the things that she couldn’t do since early childhood. The wheelchair has been discarded and she’s ready to live again.
Visit www.thesperoclinic.com or call (479) 304-8202 to learn more about The Spero Clinic.