Suffering from severe back pain or neck pain or a bulging or herniated disc? If you’re seeking long-lasting and effective relief without surgery or painkillers, consider non-surgical spinal decompression at Back to Balance Chiropractic & Family Wellness.
The Cause of Disc Discomfort
Usually, a herniated disc isn’t due to a traumatic experience. It could be from something as simple as picking up a sock on the floor. A person may then feel a pop in the back, followed by intense pain down their legs. Disc herniation is also often due to gradual, aging-related wear and tear, referred to as disc degeneration.
Picture Your Disc Being Like a Jelly Doughnut
One of the ways we talk to patients about disc herniations is by comparing it to a jelly doughnut. With a jelly doughnut, you have a doughnut on the outside and jelly in the middle. The disc is created in a similar way. The middle is called the nucleus, and the outside is called the annulus fibrosus, which is composed of annular fibers. The nucleus pokes through the annular fibers and hits the nerve sitting between the vertebrae.
The decompression table will stretch them out and create a negative pressure inside that disc space, and pull the disc fluid back in. Time for another analogy: it’s like if you had a bottle of ketchup and squeezed the ketchup out and let go.
That action sucks the ketchup back into the bottle. It’s the same principle with that negative pressure inside the space that helps pull fluid of the disc back into its appropriate place. Spinal decompression helps bring that fluid back into where it should be, which is more toward the center of the disc.
What to Expect
Before placing you on the spinal decompression table, Dr. Spencer will meet with you and discuss your health history, making sure you don’t have any contraindications.
If you’re ready to proceed, Dr. Spencer will position you on our computerized decompression table. If we are working on the low back, you’ll either be on your stomach or back. A harness will be placed around your waist and hips, and you’ll be hooked up to the computerized pulling mechanism. The table will gently and gradually stretch out your spine, and then relax. If we are treating a neck injury, we can use spinal decompression to gently alleviate pressure on the discs of the neck. For this type of treatment, you will be lying on your back.
This process opens up the space between spinal bones, creating a type of “respiration” of the fluid surrounding the joint. The damaged disc gets nourishment and removes cellular waste, enhancing the healing process.
Individualized Treatment Plans
The length of the treatment plan depends on the severity of your disc herniation. Each session is about 10 minutes. If you’re in acute pain, we would likely recommend you come in 3-4 times a week for at least 3-4 weeks. However, every case is different and it all depends on the condition of your spine.