Spinal Decompression

Your spine consists of 24 vertebral bones that lay on top of each other. Between each of these vertebrae are gel-filled shock-absorbing discs — along with tendons, muscles and ligaments — that provide stability to your whole skeletal frame. Within the spine is your spinal column, the main trunk of your nervous system.

When you start developing back pain, it may be just a pulled muscle. But more often, the pain is due to something in your spinal framework shifting out of alignment. You may experience the pain in other parts of your body, like your hips, instead of or in addition to your back. All pain that originates in your spine can turn chronic, leading to psychological depression.

Your physician offers a range of pain management procedures. While there are surgical procedures to relieve back pain, spinal decompression is often a physical therapy treatment that’s especially effective if the pain’s in your neck or lower back. The process opens up your spine, relieving the pressure at the pain points. It’s proven effective as a non-invasive treatment for relieving pain.

Preventing Back Pain

The doctors advocate prevention first. Be prepared to discuss preventive measures for your back pain to protect your spine or keep your pain from getting worse. Making healthful lifestyle choices minimizes your chances of injuring your back. These changes include:

• Losing weight If you’re obese. Every extra pound puts pressure on your spine when you walk.
• Treating obesity-related diseases. The additional weight makes you susceptible to diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, all of which hinder speedy recovery from injuries.
• Lifting heavy things incorrectly. Use your legs rather than your back. But make sure to bend at the knees to avoid knee pain.
• Quit smoking. Every puff narrows your blood vessels, which leads to many detrimental consequences. Smoking also increases your chances for cardiovascular disease.
• Avoiding sitting or driving for long hours. Take frequent breaks to stretch your spine. Get up and walk around. While some occupations put your spine at risk because of heavy lifting, the jobs that force you to sit for hours at a time are just as dangerous.
• Observing good posture. Be aware of how you walk, stand and sit. Keep your back straight to avoid stressing your lumbar spine. Good posture prevents back pain.
• Doing back-healthy exercises. To keep your spine healthy, warm up before exercising. Ask your therapist for exercises that stretch and strengthen your back muscles.

When Should You Consider Spinal Decompression

You can opt for a surgical procedure to address your back pain, but it’s not usually the first choice to fight back pain. Our facility offers non-invasive spinal decompression for medical conditions that include:

• Sciatica, which causes pain, weakness and tingling sensation in your legs
• Bulging discs and herniated discs, where the gel-like substance of the disc irritates a nearby spinal nerve
• Degenerative disc disease, a gradual erosion of your discs that cause them to lose their weight-bearing ability
• Posterior facet syndrome, a condition that develops due to the degeneration or injury of the discs, causing your vertebrae to shift into misalignment
• Radicular pain, which is caused by damaged spinal nerve roots
• Spinal stenosis, a condition that narrows a section of your spinal column, putting stress on the nerves inside

How Spinal Decompression Works

The non-surgical process uses a system of pulls that are calculated by angle and weight. A computer determines the precise, targeted spinal force to apply along your lumbar and cervical spine to release the pressure on the discs. As the distance between the vertebrae increases, a vacuum-like negative force develops in the spinal cord. This negative force:

• Promotes water, oxygen and nutrients to flow back into the discs to increase healing
• Forces the gel from herniated discs back into the hard layer
• Helps degenerative discs regain their former weight-bearing height