Does Spinal Decompression Hurt?

Spinal decompression is safe and likely effective non-surgical treatment cleared by the FDA for the relief of lower back and leg pain and neck and arm pain. An overwhelming majority of spinal decompression patients experience no pain. Many times my patients consider their treatment time as extra time to multitask, power nap, listen to music, or read. Disc decompression therapy is safe and gentle intermittent traction of the neck or lower back with primary intent to restore and enliven the disc to its proper alignment and function. It does not take a lot of pressure to enliven the disc. Disc decompression is a gentle and safe treatment, once the doctor has examined you and ruled out conditions that are contraindicated.

Make sure your doctor does a through history and examination to rule out conditions that are contraindicated for spinal decompression such as aneurysm, acute fracture, gross osteoporosis, previous surgery with metal implants, tumors, and other conditions that make the spine unstable. Of course women who are pregnant should not be treated with decompression. A thorough examination is essential for the doctor to determine if and how spinal decompression should be performed. For the small percentage of patients who experience pain it is caused by: 1) traction reaction 2) improper position on the spinal decompression table, 3) too much or little pressure, or 4) the treatment is too long. Traction reaction occurs when the patient has reactive muscle spasms following treatment and is typically short in duration.

In my clinic, the patient is given a "safety switch" to help the patient have immediate and ultimate control to end the treatment anytime they are uncomfortable. Should there be any discomfort or pain the patient has full control to turn the traction unit off and end the treatment.

So here is your check list to make sure spinal decompression is painless:
1. Have a thorough examination and history.
2. Report pain to the doctor or staff any time you experience pain.
3. Make sure each time you have the safety switch in your hand during the entire treatment.

Then relax and enjoy the extremely safe and likely effective results of spinal decompression.

Disc Decompression Therapy: Improving My Results

Here is the picture: You were minding your own business, carrying on about your everyday duties (lifting, bending, and stooping) or having fun and playing hard in recreational sports. Then it happened! You experienced pain in lower back and now it is radiating down into your leg. Or maybe you have been in a car accident and now suffer neck and/or arm pain. Your have tried a long list of treatments including: prescription drugs from your family practitioner, specific exercises from your physical therapist, chiropractic adjustments, and epidural spinal steroid injections for the herniated disc in the lower back or neck. Still there is no lasting relief of your pain.

Now your list of possible treatment options has narrowed. Doctors say you need spinal surgery, but that is scary and that will be your last resort. Disc decompression therapy, more commonly known as Spinal Decompression (non-surgical), is the best non-surgical treatment option left. Here is what you know: disc decompression therapy is 1) extremely safe, 2) likely effective to give you relief of lower back and leg pain or neck and arm pain, 3) FDA cleared, 4) affordable, and 5) and is your last non-surgical approach to resolve the problem and get back to the life you have been missing. So how can I improve my results with Spinal Decompression?

The most common and detrimental mistake patients make during Spinal Decompression treatment is continuing with compressive activities of the neck and especially the lower back. Spinal Decompression applies a negative pressure to the disc and an intermittent pumping effect of Spinal decompression causes the dehydrated and brittle disc to re-hydrate with nutrient rich fluid allowing the disc to repair and enliven again. The intermittent traction stimulates disc cells, called fibroblasts, to rebuild the cartilage of the disc which is necessary to hold the thick and sticky liquid of the nucleus in place. When being treated with Spinal Decompression think about the tiny cartilage cells growing and trying to knit together. Placing the disc under more pressure can allow the new tissue to tear repeatedly postponing repair and treatment success.

It is best to AVOID COMPRESSIVE activities: 1. Sitting for long periods - driving long distances, long airline flights, or enjoying a movie without getting up. 2. Standing for long periods - especially on concrete or other hard surfaces. 3. Carrying heavy or awkward items. 4. Avoid lifting, but if you must use proper lifting technique. 5. Put recreational activities on hold except for walking short distances that do not cause pain. Especially avoid weight lifting and high impact exercises of any type.

Know your positional preference. If you are treated face up more than likely extension (bending backwards) will make you worse. If you are treated face down then bending forward will probably aggravate your condition. Be patient and alert to any activity that causes your pain to worsen. If and when you return to exercises make sure you use proper form and do not exercise in a direction that opposes your treatment's positional preference.

Remember the disc can rebuild and repair quickly with proper treatment. Spinal decompression treat does not last forever. So be patient, avoid compressive activities, and return to exercise only by your doctors direction and guidance. Otherwise, you have a great recipe for treatment failure, increased cost, greater levels of pain, and make yourself more susceptible to more invasive and costly treatments.

Can Disc Decompression Therapy Guarantee Results?

The answer is no. Due to complexity of the human body medical treatment can never guarantee a 100% result. Whether you have surgery, epidural injections, exercises, chiropractic adjustments, or disc decompression therapy (more commonly called spinal decompression), all treatments have successes and all treatments have failures. Disc decompression is "likely effective" to reduce lower back pain and/or leg pain and neck and/or arm pain and increase your activities of daily living without spinal injections, drugs, or surgery.

Spinal decompression therapy is designed to help the disc rehydrate, regain function, and restore the function of the herniated disc. Disc decompression therapy can help injured disc to build new cartilage, rehydrate, and help you regain function of injured disc.

The best way to assure a good result with spinal decompression is:

1. Find a doctor who is knowledgeable, experienced, and certified in spinal decompression.
2. Proper patient selection and exclusion of patients who would not respond well to treatment is essential for successful treatment.
3. Some research studies have success levels ranging from 80-90%. However, be aware treatment success can vary from doctor to doctor and the success levels an individual doctor may have can vary from time to time and patient to patient.

You can improve your chances of successful treatment with proper doctor and patient selection. Over all spinal decompression is safe and likely effective to help you resolve your disc injuries and regain the life you have been missing.

Don't suffer with neck pain, arm pain, lower back pain, and leg pain. Disc Decompression therapy is extremely safe, non-surgical, cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), likely effective, and affordable.