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Sullivan, IN Chiropractor Asks Have You Heard About Spinal Decompression?"

Spinal Decompression has proven very effective in many uses from general low back pain to bulging and herniated discs. This technology is known to help with facet syndrome, degenerative joint disease, pinched nerves, and other spinal afflictions. A cohort study collected in 2010 found a direct correlation between decreasing pain and increasing disc spacing with spinal decompression.

 

Caption: This is one of our Odon Patients on Spinal Decompression. 

Spinal decompression is a non-surgical, drug-free option for disc related syndromes of the lumbar (lower) and cervical (neck) spine. Computer-aided technology gently applies the negative pressure, or decompression, to the spine. This strengthening process encourages the disc to heal, regenerate or prevent re-injury. The release of pressure on the discs and nerves, allows the affected discs to eventually go back into the normal position. This encourages circulation to the spinal discs and joints.

The disc itself is a soft cartilaginous material that separates the spinal vertebrae and acts as a shock absorber between the vertebrae. These discs stop growing when a person is around 19 years of age. They are also avascular, or do not receive good blood supply on their own, but the discs throughout our body receive nutrients and heal through imbibition. Imbibition is the movement that intakes and expels nutrients, much like a sponge. With spinal decompression, the pulling or stretching motion causes the whole disc to get “sucked back into the joint space” bringing in nutrients and allowing the outer layers of the disc to heal and strengthen.

Did you know that chronic low back pain disability is the most expensive benign condition that is medically treated in industrial countries? In addition, chronic low back pain is the number one cause of disability in persons under the age of 45; the third leading cause of disability overall. Disc disease, in general, costs the healthcare system more than $50 billion a year.

A 2004 clinical orthopedic study found Spinal Decompression treatment was 10% the cost of surgery; making this treatment very cost effective. Further, it showed that 86% of all cases experienced spinal pain relief with disc decompression and 84% remained pain-free for 90 days post treatment. In the physical findings, or the x-rays, 92% showed improvement and 89% of patients’ improvements remained intact 90 days after treatment. While this study only measured short term results, long term studies are needed to determine its lifetime effectiveness. It indicates that this alternative method may allow patients more options before attempting surgery.

Here is what a couple of our spinal decompression patients had to say about his treatment:

“When I came to this office I was in a lot of lower back pain to the point of little or no movement. I had spent 6 weeks in a doctors’ care from an on-the-job injury. This doctor gave me medicines [muscle relaxers] and recommended rest. The pain was still as bad as the beginning. Upon the first visit to the clinic I saw on my x-rays I had bad disk spacing at the L-5 vertebrae and nerve. Nine treatments later [with Spinal Decompression treatment] worker’s comp sent me to a specialist and upon his x-ray all disk spacing and nerve openings were equally spaced. His statement to me was “whatever [I] had been doing, keep it up.” I feel the only treatment I was doing at this time was in this office. The WellnessFirst Team is great—not only with treatments, but it is always good to see a smiling and positive reinforcement every visit.                             —A Very Happy Patient”

“I came to WellnessFirst Chiropractic with pain starting in my low back and going down my right leg. I was unable to lift anything heavy and had a hard time getting to sleep at night. Once starting decompression, adjustments and massage, my low back and leg pain have decreased greatly. I am now able to sleep through the night again and can do my activities of daily living without pain!"

Some information was collected from: http://www.drshoshany.com/spinal_decompression.php

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