What is Spinal Decompression?
Spinal decompression helps treat painful symptoms from low back and neck pain. It does this by elongating the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal discs. The therapy is FDA-cleared and has been around for many years.
What Does Spinal Decompression Treat?
Many of the issues treated are caused by auto accidents, sports accidents, and age-related degeneration such as:
- Herniated Discs
- Bulging Discs
- Pinched Nerves
- Sciatica (leg pain)
- Degenerative Discs
- Spinal Stenosis
- Post-Surgical Pain
There are countless research studies about the success of spinal decompression. It has shown to be a successful alternative to surgery for patients suffering from back issues. Sometimes physical therapy, acupuncture, and medication fail. When that happens, patients can still get dramatic results from spinal decompression. And pain relief can be in as little as a few sessions.
What are the Treatments Like?
At our clinic, we use the Lordex 3000 Spinal Decompression Machine. Our doctor develops a treatment plan based on the individual patient’s needs.
At the beginning of each session, we fit you with a harness attached to our decompression machine. Our doctor sets up the program for the length of time and amount of counter-weight required for you. You simply lie on the table and let the machine do the work.
Each session is a combination of gently pulling and releasing your spine. This creates negative pressure (i.e. decompression) between the spinal discs. Bulging discs and extruded disc material are drawn back into place. This takes the pressure off pinched or irritated nerves. Nutrients, oxygen, and fluids flow into the disc to revitalize healing.
During your session, you will feel a slight lengthening of your spine. Your discs will begin to release pressure. Some patients have reported mild discomfort during the first few sessions. These are usually patients with an extensive disc injury. But their discomfort generally subsides upon the next visit.
If you do feel any discomfort, our machine has a manual safety switch. This allows you to stop at any time. Each treatment session lasts approximately 20 – 45 minutes. The treatment process is safe and relaxing.
What is the Typical Treatment Protocol?
Our doctors will determine a treatment protocol that’s right for you. It’s based on a combination of your body weight, tolerance, severity, and duration of symptoms. This helps ensure the best and longest-lasting results.
A typical spinal decompression treatment protocol consists of about 12–20 sessions over four to six weeks. Some conditions require fewer visits; some need more. Many patients report pain relief during the first few treatment sessions. Most experience dramatic pain relief after completion of their prescribed treatment program.
Why Choose Spinal Decompression Instead of Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy may help reduce disc pressure for symptomatic relief. But spinal decompression is the only proven method that achieves negative pressure. It is a deeper, more thorough approach to pain relief.
When you pull on the spine, it triggers a proprioceptive response. Muscles that surround the vertebrae and discs tighten to protect them from injury. This makes it challenging to open up the discs when undergoing physical rehab.
Spinal decompression bypasses this response. It is a slow pulling on the spine and relaxing the back over an extended period of time. This allows the discs to reposition without tension. Muscles in the back do not tense up blocking the healing process.
For best results, make sure to get professional treatment. Use a commercial spinal decompression table and seek a physician with years of experience. Cheaper models and home remedies simply don’t give lasting results.
How Long Will It Take to See Results?
Based on our years of experience, we have noticed that the overall success to be very high. This is excellent considering most of our patients have “tried everything else” with minimal or no relief. It sounds hard to believe, but once you try it, you will see how effective it is.
Do I Qualify for Spinal Decompression Therapy?
The following conditions may qualify you for spinal decompression treatment. We require an initial consultation to determine if you will make a good candidate for this therapy. Candidates for spinal decompression therapy include the following:
- Diagnosis of a herniated, bulging, or degenerated disc
- Back pain persisting for more than three weeks
- Recurrent pain from a failed back surgery that is more than six months old
- Persistent pain from arthritis
Who doesn’t qualify for spinal decompression therapy?
The following conditions may disqualify a patient for spinal decompression treatment:
- Hardware in the spine such as screws and rods
- Pregnancy
- Prior lumbar fusion less than six months old
- Metastatic cancer (cancer that has spread to the bones
- Grade 3 and 4 spondylolisthesis (Grade 1 or Grade 2 spondylolisthesis are treatable)
- Recent compression fracture of the lumbar spine
- Pathologic aortic aneurysm
- Pelvic or abdominal cancer
- Disc space infections
Consult your physician if you have any questions about the conditions above or to find out if you would qualify for spinal decompression therapy.
Can Spinal Decompression be Used for Patients that Have had Spinal Surgery?
In many cases, spinal decompression treatment is not harmful to patients that have had spinal surgery. Many of our patients have found success with treatment after a failed back surgery. Although, if a patient has had multiple back surgeries the success rate may go down, or disqualify them.
Are there any Side Effects to the Treatment?
Most patients do not experience any major side effects. The most common side effect is a dull, achy soreness for the first week or two as the body becomes accustomed to being stretched and decompressed. Spinal decompression stretches muscles in a lengthening direction which the body is generally not used to. Very rarely do patients have an increase in the pain that they came in with.
Patients with acute, severe disc herniations may experience some pain during the first week or two until the herniation retracts back in taking pressure off of the nerves. Regardless of the mild soreness experienced in the first week or two, most patients experience 50% relief or more of their pain around the end of the second week.
Overall, spinal decompression is considered safe and comfortable.