It is now well known that therapy using frequency-specific microcurrent is used in both grassroots and professional sport. This is also the case for DOSB sports physiotherapist and osteopath Frank Leutz in Oberzent in the Odenwald.

In this podcast episode on LuXXaMed frequency-specific microcurrent therapy, I spoke to Frank Leutz about his experiences with the use of frequency-specific microcurrent therapy. From alkaline wraps for detoxification and elimination to the treatment of acute and chronic conditions, microcurrent therapy is used at Rehaplus-Odenwald.

“Rehaplus and Vitaplus are based on a holistic approach combining therapy, rehabilitation, sports health and fitness. Our perfectly coordinated team tailors treatment and training programmes to each individual’s specific needs.” (rehaplus-odenwald.de)

For several years now, Frank Leutz and his team have been relying on microcurrent therapy, including as part of his rehabilitation programme for the treatment of arthrofibrosis:

“Arthrofibrosis (from the Greek arthron, meaning ‘joint’, and the Latin fibra, meaning ‘fibre’) is a pathological proliferation of connective tissue resulting from a cellular dysregulation. In 5–10 per cent of patients, new scar tissue forms continuously and excessively following knee joint surgery, leading to severe pain. […] Cells are constantly renewing themselves in every body. When tissue is damaged – for example, due to surgery or complications during healing – excessive cell breakdown occurs, which negatively affects the flow of energy in cells, organs and tissues. Tissue trauma primarily results in cell death followed by cell regeneration, whereas intoxication leads to a blockage of energy production and a blockage of transmembrane transport. Microcurrent therapy gently restores the balance of this energy flow with the aid of microcurrents.” (rehaplus-odenwald.de)

00:00:00
Interviewer: Hello and welcome to a new podcast, a new episode. Today we’ve got another lovely interview – I’ve been looking forward to this for quite some time, especially to being back in the Odenwald once again, specifically to visit the physiotherapist, osteopath and alternative practitioner Frank Leutz in Beerfelden in the Odenwald. Thank you very much, Frank, for taking the time and for letting us have a little chat here today.

00:00:24
Frank Leutz: Yes, Patrick, it’s my pleasure! Here in the Odenwald, I’m the owner and operator of the companies ‘Rehaplus’ and ‘Vitaplus Odenwald’. You’ve already mentioned my professional interests. So, how did I get into microcurrent therapy? I’ve been a therapist for about 20 years and, during that time, I’ve taken a critical look at many things: I’ve gained experience with laser therapy. I’ve had experience with bioresonance, magnetic field therapy and ultrasound therapy – and there’s nothing wrong with any of those, strictly speaking – but the major and, above all, the sensational successes – some of which I can’t even explain exactly – were linked to microcurrent therapy. That’s why I’ve known the Walitschek family for about ten years now. It’s become a bit more than just a business partnership. It’s developed into a friendship, and I’m convinced by the system and the devices – which is why the new ‘HD2000+’ is arriving here right now.

00:01:38
Patrick Walitschek: Brilliant! What else should I add, say or ask? The ten years is about right, yes. I see it exactly the same way – that a friendly rapport has developed, a partnership. We do cover a lot of ground, and that would actually be one of my questions – something we might be able to address later on – the topic of arthrofibrosis. I’d just like to mention that very briefly so that we can definitely come back to it later. I reckon quite a few listeners are interested in that. Something else I’d be interested to know: how did you discover microcurrent therapy for yourself in your practice? You’ve got a team, you’re not working alone – it’s a very large practice, after all – so how do you organise things in practice? How did you implement it in the past, and how has it developed since then?

00:02:34
Frank Leutz: Yes, it’s actually been constantly evolving. From the Klinikmaster, through the ‘LuXXaMed 1000’, right up to the ‘2000’ model today. That’s how it’s developed within my team as well. In the past, a lot of it was down to trial and error. Now, of course, there are proper protocols in place, so that the lymphatic therapist utilises microcurrent as an adjunct to lymphatic drainage. As an osteopath, I also like to use it to restore autonomic balance at the wrist when treating craniosacral disorders. So everyone has found a way to integrate microcurrent as a secondary therapeutic intervention into their holistic approach, which is what we pursue here at ‘Rehaplus’. We have a rather multifaceted team; you have a rather multifaceted device – and they go together very well.

00:03:29
Patrick Walitschek: You just mentioned its integration into osteopathic treatment. So that the listener can picture it: you use wristband electrodes, put them on as a therapist, then synchronise with the current from the device and carry out the osteopathic treatment. Is that correct?

00:03:53
Frank Leutz: Exactly. For many osteopathic treatments, having the support of microcurrent is simply perfect; for example, in craniosacral therapy, visceral therapy, the organ programme, the detoxification programme, the various detox programmes, or even autonomic nervous system balancing programmes for children with ADHD. It’s incredibly versatile when combined with skilful osteopathic techniques – and in some cases, the results achieved are truly sensational! I’m very pleased with the combination of osteopathy and ‘LuXXaMed’.

00:04:36
Patrick Walitschek: You just mentioned the detox programme, which is really fascinating – albeit time-consuming. That involves combining it with alkaline wraps. What has been your experience with this?

00:04:52
Frank Leutz: We love the alkaline wraps in our practice, even though they’re very time-consuming and require a lot of therapist time and materials. That’s all true. But if you ever get stuck with a patient and suspect that a 60-year-old painter has, over the course of his life, inhaled substances that aren’t exactly beneficial to his health, and you reach a certain limit with the therapy, – a certain resistance to treatment – then we simply slip in two or three full-body wraps and lo and behold: Suddenly, a whole new approach to the patient has opened up, through detoxification using the whole-body alkaline wraps – which we refer to here as ‘mummy wraps’. And when it comes to arthrofibrosis, we are very keen to apply these as partial-body wraps to the arthrofibrotic knees prior to treatment; and we achieve very good results there too. This is perhaps comparable to the effect of applying a cold quark wrap to the highly inflamed knee of such an arthrofibrotic patient – it relieves the tension and allows them to breathe a sigh of relief. It is precisely this sense of relief that patients experience after the partial-body pain wrap. We achieve very good results with this treatment locally on the joints, for example on arthrofibrotic knees. As a specialist clinic, we have therefore specialised in this to some extent, and the treatment has been continuously refined by a multidisciplinary team. With arthrofibrosis, the key is to target and reduce the stress cytokines. This can be achieved on various levels, including the mental level. In other words, there are also course programmes, mental balance exercises, resilience training and so on, combined perhaps with manual therapy to gently and carefully improve mobility in the knee joint itself. This is combined with a specialised medical exercise therapy, ‘LuXXaMed’, and osteopathy. At the moment, we’re still working on the idea of trying leech therapy on these knees, and all of this is yielding sensational results when combined – and the ‘LuXXaMed’ plays its part in that too.

00:07:18
Patrick Walitschek: For you, the microcurrent from the ‘LuXXaMed’ has its place within a comprehensive treatment programme; it’s an integral part of it, and that means one thing doesn’t rule out the other. Would you also see it as a case of give and take between the individual components?

00:07:37
Frank Leutz: Yes. As I said, this multifaceted team is utilised almost in its entirety in a holistic treatment programme. Even the wellness department, and even a foot reflexology massage, have their place here and can be used very effectively for arthrofibrosis in a targeted manner. Within this broader context of holistic treatment, the ‘LuXXaMed’ has now also become an established part of our practice – we’re currently planning to conduct a joint study specifically on arthrofibrosis, and through this we hope to provide evidence-based proof that it makes sense to use the device.

00:08:18
Patrick Walitschek: To round off the topic of arthrofibrosis, quite apart from microcurrent therapy in general: I’ve now attended your arthrofibrosis symposium three times. Unfortunately not in 2020, as it couldn’t take place then, and you’ve already told us a lot about the concept, but there’s even more to it with you, if I’ve understood you correctly – it’s, if you like, a proper spa stay.

00:08:57
Frank Leutz: The man behind the ICD-10 code for arthrofibrosis is Dr Traut from Bad Oeynhausen; I attended a training course with him myself. Up until then, we’d referred to these knees as ‘stupid knees’, and Dr Traut simply gave this condition a name: arthrofibrosis. Thanks to Dr Faust, it has now been scientifically proven and has been assigned an ICD-10 code, meaning it has been recognised as a medical condition, and we have subsequently developed a treatment plan. The training courses that used to take place in Bad Oeynhausen now take place here in the Odenwald at Rehaplus Odenwald, together with Dr Traut and a naturopath specialising in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), namely Tobias Dreher. Alongside the arthrofibrosis surgeon Dr Lars Hypenthal from Heidelberg Sports Orthopaedics. With yours truly as an osteopath and microcurrent practitioner, who also gives presentations on the subject, and with you, who introduces the audience to the ‘LuXXaMed’ technique during this training course – and as a result, it has now become a very well-rounded programme. Unfortunately, the training course was also cancelled last year due to the pandemic, but we hope that it will be revived in November this year and that we’ll be able to offer our training course here again in the usual way.

00:10:27
Patrick Walitschek: Great! If patients suffering from arthrofibrosis are listening to this podcast, or therapists who’d like to learn more about this topic: where can they find information from you?

00:10:41
Frank Leutz: We have Janosch Winkler at reception, and anyone who contacts him at ‘www.rehaplus-odenwald.de’ will get all the answers they need. Should a question require a scientific answer that we are unable to provide, Dr Traut is always available to provide an answer or act as a point of contact and carry out the initial assessment. As a doctor, he naturally has access to laboratory facilities, so he can confirm arthrofibrosis not just based on clinical assessment, but also through a laboratory test. Please ring us directly at the centre or send an email to Mr Winkler, and they’ll be happy to help you.

00:11:29
Patrick Walitschek: Just to clarify: in the web address, the ‘Plus’ is written out in full, correct?

00:11:29
Frank Leutz: ‘Rehaplus’ as one word, ‘minus odenwald dot de’.

00:11:41
Patrick Walitschek: Great. I’ll definitely include a link to this in the show notes and in the blog post that accompanies every podcast. But this is for those who are listening whilst driving and are therefore only following along by ear. A quick note: We’ve had the last ten podcasts fully and professionally transcribed. We’ll be having this episode transcribed in full as well. So you’re welcome to read them, but as I said: all the relevant and important links can also be found in the show notes. I’d be delighted if, in future, we could perhaps do a special episode on arthrofibrosis and go into it a bit more depth, but the aim of today’s podcast was really just to hear, in general terms, how you use microcurrent in your practice and what your experiences have been. I think the wraps are a very good and important approach, and of course this combination of osteopathic treatment and microcurrent therapy too. I think that’s rounded off our episode – partly in general terms and partly in more specific detail – and I’d like to take this opportunity to say: Thank you very much!

00:12:32
Frank Leutz: Thank you too, Patrick! It was great fun. I’d love to do it again any time!

00:12:58
Patrick Walitschek: Yes, it was great fun. Brilliant, we’d love to do it again! Thank you very much for tuning in, and see you next time!