Whether pain strikes in the back, the leg, or the neck, it can make it impossible to perform normal activities. Many patients who visit the Spinal Injury Center off find their entire lives focused on getting relief from pain. Fortunately, our chiropractors in Indio, CA offers spinal decompression as a treatment option. This is a natural therapy that avoids surgery or medication while providing an optimal environment for self-healing.
What Exactly is Spinal Decompression?
Healthcare providers use two types of spinal decompression, surgical and nonsurgical. Chiropractic therapy to relieve pain utilizes only the nonsurgical type.
Treatment using nonsurgical spinal decompression involves using a kind of motorized traction to treat conditions such as:
- Neck or back pain or sciatica
- Herniated discs
- Degenerative disc disease
- Worn spinal joints
- Diseased or injured nerve roots in the spine
Chiropractic spinal decompression uses a traction or motorized table to relieve pressure on the affected discs by moving the patient’s spine. This in turn eliminates pain once pressure drops on nerves and other structures within the spine. Stretching and periodically relaxing the spine changes both its force and position. Our chiropractor accomplishes this by making changes on a computer to customize the therapy for each patient’s needs.
A treatment formulates negative pressure inside a disc. This results in multiple benefits. Spinal decompression pulls the contents of a bulging or a herniated disc back into the disc. A secondary benefit is improving the efficiency of nutrient passage into the disc to create a better environment in which healing can occur.
Treatment at the Spinal Injury Center
The first step toward relief from persistent back, leg, or neck pain is an evaluation by our chiropractor. Our doctor makes a diagnosis after a comprehensive physical exam, a discussion of health history and any helpful diagnostic tests.
Once an individual has a diagnosis, we recommend a customized course of treatment to relieve pain without the use of surgery or medication.
A spinal decompression session usually lasts no more than 45 minutes. A course of treatment is typically between four and six weeks.
A patient remains fully clothed during a treatment session. While the individual is lying on a table that is partially movable and motorized, we place a harness around his or her hips. This harness fastens to a section of the table near the individual’s feet. This portion of the table moves back and forth as our doctor at the computer transitions the patient between traction and relaxation. Although the individual should experience a stretching sensation in the spine, a spinal decompression session should not cause pain.
Common Signs of a Herniated Disc
There are three Cardinal Signs that I look for in determining if someone might have an Injured Disc. They are…..
- ANTALGIA: An antalgic posture is leaning to one side or the other (or to the front). If the Nucleus Pulposus “slips” or herniates to the right, most of the time people will lean to the left and vise versa.
- POSITIVE VALSALVA or DeJARINE SIGN: This is pain when you cough, sneeze, or strain on the stool.
- SCIATICA: The nerves from either side of your low back area grow together into one nerve —- the Sciatic Nerve.
Who Benefits From Spinal Decompression Therapy?
There are several groups of Chronic or Acute Low Back Pain Sufferers who are likely candidates to be helped by Decompression Therapy. This group includes those diagnosed with
- HERNIATED DISCS
- DEGENERATIVE DISCS
- SCIATICA (leg pain or numbness / tingling)
- FAILED BACK SURGERY SYNDROME
- SPINAL STENOSIS
- FACET SYNDROME
People with certain conditions are not candidates for spinal decompression therapy. Some of the more common of these include:
- Tumors
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurism
- Fractures
- Pregnancy
- Certain conditions (diseases) that compromise the structural integrity of the spine and discs.
Schedule a Consultation with Our Chiropractor in Indio
Is pain interfering with your normal daily activities? Don’t continue to suffer when our chiropractor in Indio, CA can provide relief using natural methods.