Radiating Nerve Pain, Back Pain, Discomfort?

Is your back causing you discomfort, are you in pain, and looking for some alleviation? Have you been considering surgery or would you rather let your body heal itself?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics National Health Survey from 2014-15 shows approximately 3.7 million Australians (16% of the population) have back problems. Furthermore, 70–90% of us will suffer from lower back pain in some form, at some point in our lives.

With this being such a common, and known reason for discomfort, pain, injury, and stress, it is important to understand what your options are; especially gentle, non-surgical alternatives that do not disrupt your routine, but instead enhance it.

If you’ve never heard of Spinal Decompression Therapy, then you’ve never felt the benefits of this non-invasive, gentle and efficient modality.

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression is becoming increasingly popular with patients seeking relief from common spinal ailments. Such as:

• Disc herniation, protrusions and bulges
• Surgery that has not resolved back pain
• Osteoarthritis due to incorrect biomechanics
• Disc degenerative disease
• Nerve/sciatica pain
• Spinal stenosis pain
• Radiating pain, numbness or tingling in the arms and/ or legs
• Scoliosis management
• Postural re-alignment
• General stiffness and aches in the body

With such variations from person to person, it is vital to have a specific technique that suits you, your body and your area of pain. With an informed and skilled practitioner by your side, specific treatment, and a gentle recourse that allows for your body to heal itself, rather than another injury to be healed from – Spinal Decompression might just shift the way you see Chiropractic care and the way you feel day to day.

A little information about this technique, what to expect, how it works, its safety and availability within our practice is outlined below in more detail.

How does it work?

Spinal decompression works by applying gentle tractional/stretching forces to the upper body and spine, by levering it against your lower body-weight, and then rhythmically moved up and down to varying degrees and speed – depending on what the treatment is targeted towards improving.

As the machine cycles upwards and downwards it has an effect on the spine, and all soft tissue ligaments and muscles around it.  Research has shown that by stretching the spine apart, it causes an increase in disc height of the inter-vertebral disc (which is like a gel-filled shock absorber between your vertebral bones.) This in turn creates a vacuum within the discs resulting in the ability to suck prolapsed or herniated disc material back towards the centre of the disc and away from any structures it might be impinging or compressing on. This includes, but again is not limited to – nerve roots. Further positive effects are produced through the general mobilisation of the targeted joints, and as a result, this can be very helpful in spinal osteoarthritis cases.

The specific efficacy of spinal decompression is still a popular topic of research, and is in its early stages, with sparse amount of research papers currently published on the topic. However, the evidence available does show promising, and positive results with various types of conditions and demographics. Furthermore, spinal decompression, though a powerful tool – is usually used in conjunction with other powerful modalities that are gentle on the body, at ChiroRelief. This insures a far greater result, then that of any clinic that merely uses one modality alone.

What to expect at a spinal decompression session, how long is treatment?

Spinal decompression is generally done with your face down, comfortably on the decompression bench. With arms either outstretched above your head, holding onto handle bars, or in some cases resting on the arm rests next to your shoulders. The machine then raises your upper body in relation to your lower body, as the practitioner feels for the tension building up in your spine with their fingers. Once the correct tension is applied, the machine is turned on and begins to cycle up and down in a rhythmic and relaxing manner and motion. Patients generally feel a very gentle to moderate stretch that can be located at various problem areas unique to their spine. As time progresses while using this technique, the tissues begin to relax and the stretch fades away.

Decompression is rarely painful, though in some severe cases some mild discomfort can be felt – which once again generally disappears at the end of each treatment and decreases overall, even to the point of elimination in subsequent treatments as the discs and soft tissues begin to regain their integrity

How safe is spinal decompression therapy, is it right for you?

Spinal decompression is considered a very safe modality for many serious cases. At ChiroRelief a very detailed history and investigation is performed before commencement of any treatment, to ensure that decompression therapy is suitable for you and your specific needs. If you feel this may help you in some way, you can book in an appointment with one of our practitioners at ChiroRelief and start your journey to healing.

References:

1. Apfel C, Cakmakkaya O, Martin W, Richmond C, Macario A, George E et al. Restoration of disk height through non-surgical spinal decompression is associated with decreased discogenic low back pain: a retrospective cohort study [Internet]. biomed central. 2010 [cited 14 March 2017]. Available from: https://bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2474-11-155
2. Sherry E, Kitchener P, Smart R. A prospective randomized controlled study of VAX-D and TENS for the treatment of chronic low back pain. Neurol Res. 2001;23:780–784. doi: 10.1179/016164101101199180.
3. Ramos G, Martin W. Effects of vertebral axial decompression on intradiscal pressure. J Neurosurg. 1994;81:350–353. PubMed
4. Macario A, Pergolizzi J. Systematic literature review of spinal decompression via motorized traction for chronic low back pain. Pain Pract. 2006;6:171–178. doi: 10.1111/j.1533-2500.2006.00082.x.
5. Gose EE, Naguszewski WK, Naguszewski RK. Vertebral axial decompression therapy for pain associated with herniated or degenerated discs or facet syndrome: an outcome study. Neurol Res. 1998;20:186–190. PubMed
6. Aihw.gov.au. (2017). What are back problems? (AIHW). [online] Available at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/back-problems/what-are-back-problems/ [Accessed 15 Mar. 2017].