DOES YOUR OFFICE OFFER SPINAL DECOMPRESSION TREATMENT?

 

Absolutely, we do offer spinal decompression therapy. There are various kinds of spinal decompression. There’s axial traction which is decompression along, basically, a horizontal plane. There’s flexion distraction which also segmentally decompresses the spine. And based on the patient’s symptoms and presentation and correct diagnosis, we attribute a very specified treatment plan possibly including decompression for that patient.

 

 

WHY IS SPINAL DECOMPRESSION IMPORTANT?

 

Spinal decompression is hugely important for the majority of us because, every day, we are vertical. We wake up, we have to fight gravity.  Gravity will ultimately lead to the degeneration of our spines—all of us. For some of us, it happens earlier; for some of us, it happens later. Decompression is a very intricate part in preventing or delaying that sort of degeneration of our spine.

 

 

WHO WOULD BE A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR SPINAL DECOMPRESSION?

 

In my opinion, the majority of individuals will benefit from spinal decompression given that there’s no contraindications to decompression. For example, a disc herniation in the low back, people who say they feel numbness and tingling down their legs, people who say they don’t feel their toes every now and then (it goes numb), these, very likely, are ideal candidates for spinal decompression.

When I did my rotation at the VA in Connecticut (which was actually overseen by the Yale University Medical School), every single spine complaint—whether it was in the neck or in the tailbone—would actually get some variation of spinal decompression prior to treatment. And the research I’ve done in the past has led me to share that same sentiment. It’s a very crucial, vital part to spinal health, to decompress the spine as opposed to constantly compressing it by simply standing up, sitting improperly and just fighting gravity every single day.

 

 

WHAT ARE COMMON OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS WHO HAD UNDERWENT A SPINAL DECOMPRESSION TREATMENT?

 

Patients who have underwent spinal decompression treatment usually feel an immediate relief because it’s intended to target a very specific mechanical issue usually pertaining to neuropathy. Of course, it can help with other things like mild scoliosis, possibly moderate scoliosis. But normally, this is used to address some sort of compressive neuropathy. So the relief is immediate.

 

 

DOES IT MAKE MORE THAN ONE OR TWO SESSIONS OF SPINAL DECOMPRESSION?

 

Usually, it does, but it depends on the severity of the issue. I have had patients in the past who I’ve done two treatments on, and they’ve said their symptoms have been reduced by 60% to 80% which are huge numbers. I don’t always expect those numbers, but it’s always nice to see the effectiveness of a modality or treatment that I do because it tells me that I diagnosed the patient correctly. It makes me feel better. And it gets the patient back to their life.

 

 

HOW MANY SPINAL DECOMPRESSION SESSIONS OR TREATMENTS DOES SOMEBODY GENERALLY NEED IN ORDER TO HAVE RESULTS?

 

The amount of treatments for spinal decompression is based on several different factors, including the severity of the patient’s symptoms, the patient’s age, if it involves a disc herniation, for example, in the lower back where they’re having sciatica symptoms. It depends on the millimeter that the disc has moved and the directional movement of that disc.

So, there’s no answer to cover everyone. But generally, it should require less than, I would say, seven treatments to feel a durable, sustainable, significant reduction in symptoms. If a patient is not feeling a reduction in symptoms by any means after five or six treatments (which I’ve never experienced personally, but if this does happen to a patient who’s getting treated anywhere), I suggest that you start to think of a different diagnosis because, perhaps, you will mis-diagnose.