What is Clear Passage Physical Therapy^®?

Clear Passage Physical Therapy^® is a network of high quality physical therapy clinics. We use a unique manual physical therapy protocol (Wurn Technique^®) to treat chronic pain and dysfunction, including post-surgical pain, small bowel obstruction, and female infertility. All of our therapists are trained, certified, and licensed in the Wurn Technique®. None of our treatments involve drugs or surgery.

Patients come to Clear Passage clinics from around the world and from all walks of life. Many have conditions that have not resolved after traditional therapy, medications, or surgery. Most patients attend after reading our literature; they feel our therapy makes good sense. Thus, it is not surprising that a good percentage of our patients are healthcare professionals themselves.  Our therapy has shown good results in published studies and is completely natural.

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What is the Wurn Technique^®?

The Wurn Technique® is a unique hands-on physical therapy protocol, developed over 20+ years of study and clinical research by Belinda Wurn, PT and Larry Wurn, LMT. The protocol includes over 200 individual techniques, designed to reduce and eliminate the adhesions that form wherever the body heals. As a manual physical therapy protocol, it works without the risks or side effects of surgery or drugs. Studies on the effectiveness of this work show success treating conditions previously treated only by surgery or drugs; these have been published in highly respected medical journals.

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Why is this therapy unique?

Every body heals differently after injury, surgery, and tissue trauma. Physical therapists who are certified in the Wurn Technique® are trained to evaluate the entire body. This holistic view, coupled with extensive patient history and feedback, helps us understand the physical forces preventing patients from leading the life they envision. Our focus is to decrease the powerful adhesive pulls that cause pain or dysfunction – no matter where they occur in the body. Read more about what we believe.

Our therapy is different from other manual therapies for several reasons:

1. We have lived the experience. Our work was born from the need to find a non-surgical answer to debilitating pain in our founder, over twenty years ago.
2. Our background is broad; our focus is logical and methodical. We studied rigorously with top manual physicians and physical therapists in the US and abroad. From that strong foundation, we worked hard to develop and refine our own work, to effectively treat the adhesions causing Belinda’s specific pain and dysfunction. When Belinda was able to return to work, we continued to develop and refine our work to treat others with specific pain and dysfunction complaints.
3. We test our work. Independent physicians and scientists measure the results of our therapy. Positive results of the Wurn Technique® have been published in highly respected medical journals, and accepted into the US National Library of Medicine. Citations about this work appear in WebMD’s Medscape General Medicine, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Fertility and Sterility, and other peer-reviewed journals, including Contemporary Ob-Gyn, and Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Many healthcare providers call our work pioneering. We are committed to testing and publishing results of our work, in peer-reviewed journals.

We train and rigorously test our therapists for knowledge and clinical skills. We base their certification on strong manual and palpatory skills, and on test results after several weeks of study. Each must demonstrate good understanding of the material in a 600 page Therapist Training Manual written by our founder, Belinda Wurn, PT, and her training staff.

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What does therapy feel like?

Sometimes, therapy can feel like a deep stretch; other times, the work can be very light, as it follows the subtle rhythm within the sheath that surrounds the spinal cord. Visit our 'What Treatment is Like' page, and watch a video where patients discuss their experience with therapy. Depending on the diagnosis and treatment area, the therapist may work to improve motility – subtle organ movements. At other times, she may ask the patient to flex large muscles, or move in certain ways, to improve the body’s symmetry and function. We keep good communication with patients at all times, to maintain their comfort level, and to make sure they understand our intent, and our findings. We educate most patients in techniques to prevent reinjury, and to maximize results.

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Who may benefit from this therapy?

The best candidates have any of the conditions in this guide, or histories indicating possible adhesion formation. These histories include:

• surgery in the pelvis, abdomen, back, hip or neck
• a fall, trauma, accident, or sexual abuse
• infection or inflammatory process (e.g. endometriosis, appendicitis, PID)
• radiation therapy

We are glad to review medical history questionnaires and then consult with applicants (at no charge) who may be interested in our therapy.

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Who is not appropriate for this therapy?

Inappropriate candidates include those with a present active infection, cancer, blood clotting disorders (such as hemophilia), immune disorders (including HIV), abnormal or large cysts, obese patients with body mass index (BMI) over 36, and solely male factor infertility (for infertility patients). Women whose fallopian tubes have been closed surgically and never reopened or whose tubes have been removed may be appropriate for our pre-IVF therapy, but not for natural infertility reversal.

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How do I apply for treatment?

All applicants must first complete a medical history form, available at every page of our website (www.clearpassage.com) or through our National Headquarters at 352-336-1433. You may submit your completed form to us online, by mail, or by fax to 352-336-9980. Once we review your medical history, we will notify you to advise you if therapy is an appropriate option for you.

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How do I arrange a personal consultation?

Our therapists will gladly answer your specific questions by phone or e-mail, but we need your completed medical history form before we consult with you. After we thoroughly review your reported medical history, we can give you information that is more specific to your situation, and give you a realistic sense of whether our therapy may assist you to meet your goals.

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Who can perform this treatment?

The Wurn Technique® is unique in the world; it may only be performed by professional staff who are trained and licensed by Clear Passage Physical Therapy^® to perform our patent-pending work. These designations insure you receive the certified therapy that has been developed and researched for well over two decades.

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Where and how can I get this treatment?

We have several US locations. While local patients may choose to spread therapy over several weeks, most patients visit Clear Passage clinics from out-of-town, and receive our full 20-hour therapy over five days (e.g. Monday-Friday.) Patients with extensive history of surgery or adhesions may benefit from additional therapy. Our clinics try to save a few hours the following week, for these cases.

From the initial evaluation through therapy, discharge, and follow-up, every aspect of treatment is thorough, private, respectful, and focused on each patient’s individual needs and goals. Call our National Headquarters at 352-336-1433, or visit www.clearpassage.com to find the location you prefer.

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Does the medical community accept this work?

Due to published studies on our therapy, physician acceptance is growing steadily. At this printing, our Advisory Council contains doctors from Harvard, Columbia, and Northwestern Medical Schools, among others.

Physicians recognize that physical therapy is a conservative approach. Since there is such a low risk of complications, most physicians encourage patients to attend, or to make their own decisions regarding therapy. Patients with recent onset of pain should be screened by their physician for the few conditions that would prevent treatment, such as active infection, cancer, or abnormal cysts. We are glad to consult with your physician to explain our work or discuss your case (with your consent).

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Will my health insurance cover treatment?

Our therapy addresses adhesions and microadhesions which cause pain and poor function. We treat the adhesions. Decreased pain and increased function are secondary to our adhesion treatment.

While you will pay us directly for our services, your insurer may reimburse you for part or all of your therapy. You may feel more comfortable about possible reimbursement if you call your insurer to clarify your benefits before coming to our clinic. You can generally find out exactly how much your insurer will reimburse, before you ever commit to therapy. Please refer to our Insurance Page for details.

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How can adhesions affect fertility?

Adhesions can block fallopian tubes, decrease function of the fimbriae or ovaries, or restrict the cervix, making a difficult passage for sperm. Tiny adhesions may cause uterine spasm, inflammation, or otherwise decrease the uterine wall's ability to allow implantation, causing a miscarriage after fertilization. Ovarian adhesions can decrease hormonal function.  We have a strong focus and good results treating the above conditions in our patients.

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What kind of pain is caused by adhesions?

Adhesions can cause chronic, unexplained, or recurring pain anywhere in the body. Frequent pain complaints we treat include post-surgical pain; longstanding back, hip, and neck pain; frequent debilitating headaches; pelvic and abdominal pain or cramps; pain from endometriosis, menstruation, or intercourse; full body or unusual pain patterns; and tailbone pain. Functional problems include infertility, poor digestion, constipation, loose bowels, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and small bowel obstruction (SBO).

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Questions We Receive about Specific Conditions

Fibroids
We have no evidence that this work can prevent or decrease fibroids. It does appear to decrease the scarring and adhesions that often follow myomectomy surgery. These adhesions tend to glue down your uterus where you were cut, decreasing your ability to sustain a pregnancy. From there, adhesions sometimes spread to other areas of the reproductive tract. In short, this work can reverse many of the negative effects of past fibroid surgeries, but it does little or nothing to existing fibroids. Top of Page

Frequent headaches
Headaches have a myriad of causes. Interestingly, we often see a strong connection between chronic headaches and the lower part of your spinal cord, especially near the tailbone. The spinal cord is surrounded by a very strong sheath of fascia, called the dura. It starts at your tailbone, surrounds your spinal cord as it goes up within your vertebrae, then attaches again at the base of the skull. Then, it goes into your head, surrounds and infuses with the tissues of the brain. Top of Page

When this structure gets tight anywhere along that route, it can cause problems, pain or unusual symptoms anywhere along your spine, including the two ends. These may include painful intercourse, constipation or difficulty sitting for long periods (from the pull at your tailbone), or severe headaches (from the pull at your skull & brain). It may also affect your FSH levels, as it torsions the bone which holds your hypothalamus and pituitary glands. We address all of this in therapy. Top of Page

Adhesion related disorders
We have seen some wonderful success treating post-surgical adhesions and adhesion related disorders (ARD). While much of our material (and national attention) centers on our therapy for infertility, the same adhesions which cause infertility also cause pain. In chronic (long-standing) pain cases, we find adhesions are almost always involved, and generally the primary cause of the pain. We generally do very well with adhesion related pain and dysfunction. Top of Page

Blocked fallopian tubes
We have recently completed a study on the positive results we are seeing opening blocked fallopian tubes. Our success rate with these cases (61%) compares favorably with medical techniques, but without the risks or side effects of drugs or surgeries. We have similar success rates opening tubes with blockages which are proximal (near the uterus), distal (by the ovary) and mid-tubal. Top of Page

Pre-IVF considerations
The pregnancy success rates we are seeing with our pre-IVF patients have been significantly higher than the national average. These are patients who come to us to help prepare the uterus and cervix for IVF transfer. The US national average for IVF pregnancies after transfer is 41%. When patients received this therapy first, that number increased to 67%, a 63% increase. In other words, your success with a post-therapy IVF appears to be about 63% higher that the national average (based on CDC tables).Top of Page

Failure to ovulate, irregular periods
We have only seen a few women with these complaints. We have seen success with several types of hormonal based infertility, including failure to ovulate. We feel that these conditions are sometimes caused by mechanical restrictions at organs and endocrine glands which secrete or trigger hormone releases. These mechanical restrictions are exactly what we treat.

We do not yet have enough data to make any scientific claims about reversing failure to ovulate. Following therapy, we have seen follicles recommence in ovaries that had no follicles for several years. These anecdotal successes are very promising, and we will continue to investigate this very intriguing result. Top of Page

Vaginismus (tight, small opening at the vagina)
We have seen that we can help most cases of vaginismus. The spasm and associated adhesions which can form as a response to that spasm are mechanical processes,- which is exactly what we treat. Once we have decreased the mechanical dysfunctions, the organs should work more normally. With that, we would hope to see a return to fertility, like many of the other patients we have seen. Top of Page

Polycystic ovaries and PCOS
We have seen good responses in women with PCOS, including decrease of visual male pattern anatomy, return of normal menstruation and return of fertility. We believe that much of our success with these women is the fact that we treat physical components of the endocrine system in the head, as well as in the pelvis. We also treat the dura – that strong element that surrounds the spinal cord between the coccyx (tailbone) and the brain. We have seen very positive results treating these elements in women with hormonal dysfunction. Top of Page

High FSH
We have witnessed overwhelmingly positive results in clinical pilot cases of women with high FSH, diagnosis of premature ovarian failure, advanced reproductive age, or “old eggs” (a rather offensive diagnosis, we feel.) In clinical trials, over 90% of the women we treated with high FSH showed significant improvements, including full-term births. Please complete a questionnaire, then call for more information on our results in this area. Top of Page

Planned tubal reversal
Our entire focus is the freeing of scar tissue, and we have opened totally blocked fallopian tubes. We should have a reasonable chance to increase the function and the flow within tubes that have been surgically reopened and reattached. We would want to wait 10-12 weeks after any surgery to treat you. Top of Page

Other Specifics Regarding Therapy

Treatment Programs, Costs and Financing
We do not treat by the hour, we treat by the program. We are highly focused on attaining your objective, maintaining program consistency, publishing research and results based on those programs. For most patients, 20 hours of therapy is all you will ever need. Once we have freed the area, there is no further need for therapy. Some patients who are very adhered request more than our 20 hour recommendation. We usually allow you to schedule additional therapy by the hour, if you like. Top of Page

Financing is available through CareCredit. Read specifics about financing options.

Weekends, evenings - Frequency of therapy
Performing this work is physically and mentally demanding. We regret that we need our weekends and evenings free.

Treatment frequency does not seem to matter greatly, in figuring success rates, according to our NIH PhD researcher. Therapy may be received in one week, or spread over weeks or even months. We would prefer to allow the body more time to recover from each session, but due to our locations, some women do not have the option of spreading therapy over time. We find that we generally achieve extraordinary changes, in either case. Top of Page

Explain your success rate percentages
Initially, we had four infertility reversals in a row,- a 100% success rate, but with very few patients. Then, we treated four women with total bilateral occlusion, opened two of their tubes, but none became pregnant. That dropped our success rate to 50% (four births of eight women). This was still a very respectable number, and our numbers were growing. Over time, our success rate for full term births has ranged between 50% and 74%. Read more in our published studies.

Unlike IVF or IUI (when you know the next month if you have failed) we have to wait 12 to 24 months to let nature take its course, to know whether we have failed. [Twelve months is used by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC); 24 months by the World Health Organization (WHO)]. We have now seen at least 150 babies born or expected by 'infertile' women, using this technique.

Perhaps this is the best way to think about it: Our success rates appear comparable to medical techniques, without risks sometimes associated with drugs or surgery. You also avoid the additional adhesions which are the natural by-product of surgeries.

The worst that ever happens with therapy is nothing. Our patients commonly speak of greatly decreased back, intercourse or menstrual pain. We often hear stories of increased sexual function (increased lubrication, quality, intensity and duration of orgasm).

In the end, if therapy is not successful, we have credible data that a subsequent IVF will be twice as likely to produce a pregnancy, once you have gone through therapy first. In other words, if you do not become pregnant from therapy, your success with a post-therapy IVF appears to be about double the national average (based on CDC tables).Top of Page