Millions of people experience severe back pain, lower back pain, neck pain, and other musculoskeletal problems. People suffering from persistent pain understand how disrupting it can be to their everyday life. Due to chronic pain, people are unable to think of anything else! To get relief from chronic pain, people often turn to spinal decompression therapy.
What Is Spinal Decompression Therapy?
Spinal decompression therapy is a chiropractic therapy that helps patients get relief from chronic back pain. Your professional chiropractor works on stretching the spine of the body to provide relief to strained muscles. There can be several reasons why a person is experiencing back pain including long-term heavy lifting, injury, bad posture, or other activities that awkwardly stress the back.
Due to such activities, tension or stress builds up on the spinal discs (the soft cushions) that sit between the spine’s individual parts (or vertebrae). The spinal cord and discs play a vital role in the body as they give us the flexibility to twist and bend our spine without breaking our back. When they become too stressed, these discs can be damaged or pushed out of place.
Sometimes excessive stretching can also lead to herniated or bulging discs, which in turn cause the discs to end up in places where they shouldn’t be. Pressed nerves can cause a whole range of pains throughout the body, which is why back pain is usually associated with leg pain, neck pain, arm pain, and even migraines.
With the help of spinal decompression therapy, expert chiropractors stretch the spine back to its normal, pre-compressed length, allowing the individual discs to set back into the right place, which in turn takes the pressure off of the stressed adjacent nerves. Basically, a properly straightened spine also promotes the flow of nutrients and oxygen throughout the discs, engaging their inherent healing systems.
Chiropractors Can Treat Various Disorders That Can Be Treated With Spinal Decompression
There are numerous disorders that may be treated with the use of spinal decompression therapy, including:
- Degenerative disc disease
- Herniated disc
- Bulging disc
- Chronic lower back pain
- Sciatica
- Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
- Failed back surgery
- Relapse after back surgery
- Car accident injuries
- Sports injuries
Why Should You Visit a Chiropractor For Spinal Decompression?
1. It’s highly effective — If you are at the point where you possibly need surgery because of a degenerated disc, studies show there is a 75-85% chance that spinal decompression will help you avoid going that route. For patients with a herniation, the likelihood of success is 85-95%.
2. Pain-free therapy — The whole idea of spinal decompression is to provide pain relief in a non-invasive way. Patients lie on a table and are either strapped in at the waist or at the base of their skull as the table moves. There’s no recovery time and no medication is required.
3. Long-term results — Keep in mind that spinal decompression is a gradual process. On average, it takes six to eight sessions to start getting the pain to go down. Every pull is forcing nutrients into the discs so they can be rehydrated. Also, the herniation is pulled back into the disc. When done consistently, this form of treatment can provide long-term results.
4. Improved posture — Most of the pain issues we face result from poor posture, and this affects the natural alignment of the spine. With regular chiropractic care, many patients experience a dramatic improvement in overall posture.
When Do I Need to Consider Spinal Decompression Therapy?
Unlike some therapies, non-surgical spinal decompression therapy can help a wide variety of patients suffering from various conditions. Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy is an ideal treatment for patients who are suffering from different types of sciatica, lower back pain, herniated disc-related neck pain, or any other pain caused by degenerated discs in the spine.
However, there are some who might be harmed by this type of therapy, including:
- Pregnant women
- Patients who have had surgical work to the spine, including implants, artificial discs, spinal fusions, or a history of back surgery
- Patients who have damaged or broken vertebrae
- Patients with conditions that weaken the spine (osteoporosis, spinal stenosis, spinal tumor, spondylolisthesis, spinal infection, and more)
You need to inform your chiropractor(s) regarding your history before you start treatment.
Summary:
Spinal decompression therapy works as a natural way to balance the body’s alignment. You should know that the majority of spinal problems occur as a result of the compression of the spinal column or the discs that separate the vertebrae. A spinal decompression chiropractor focuses on the root cause to help you with the symptoms. Qualified and accomplished chiropractors can help you with an array of painful conditions.