Non-surgical spinal decompression is a type of motorized traction that can help relieve back pain. Spinal decompression works by gently stretching the spine. This changes the strength and position of the spine. This change removes pressure from the spinal discs, which are gel-like pads between the bones of the spine, by creating negative pressure on the disc.
As a result, protruding or herniated discs can retract, reducing pressure from nerves and other structures in the spine. This, in turn, helps promote the movement of water, oxygen, and nutrient-rich fluids into the discs so that they can heal. There is strong evidence that decompression surgery can be an effective treatment for people with severe pain caused by nerve compression. A typical spinal decompression treatment protocol consists of about 12 to 20 sessions over four to six weeks.
In addition to eliminating pressure from the spinal discs, the slow and steady stretching action of the therapy also generates a certain degree of negative pressure that forces the discs to retract momentarily. In many cases, spinal decompression treatment is not contraindicated (it is discontinued due to the harm it would cause to the patient) for patients who have undergone spinal surgery. If a patient has had more than 3 laminectomies, the success rate of spinal decompression will decrease. For people with degenerative disc disease, spinal decompression therapy can help decrease feelings of stiffness and discomfort, improve spine flexibility, increase range of motion, and improve fluidity.
Spinal decompression is an alternative therapy designed to relieve pain and promote healing of the intervertebral disc. Spinal stenosis is a degenerative structural disorder that causes the spinal canal to narrow more and more over time. Even when physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, pain pills, and injections have failed, most patients continue to receive drastic pain relief within 4 to 6 weeks of spinal decompression. Both traction and decompression therapy are applied with the goal of relieving pain and promoting an optimal healing environment for bulging, degenerating, or herniated discs.
This procedure is called nonsurgical decompression therapy (unlike surgical spinal decompression, such as laminectomy and microdiscectomy). To find out how effective it really is, researchers should compare spinal decompression with other alternatives to surgery. More research is needed to establish the safety and effectiveness of non-surgical spinal decompression. While lumbar decompression is usually successful, like all types of surgery, it carries a risk of complications.
While some studies that do not include control groups conclude that decompression therapy is effective, the few that do generally conclude that mechanized spinal decompression is no better than simulated decompression. At the beginning of each session, you will be comfortably fitted with a harness designed to achieve optimal lower back or neck decompression.
