Articles
on Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression
Spinal Decompression provides an
alternative to surgery in many cases
of lower back pain caused by herniated
discs.
Spinal decompression accomplishes
two things. It increases the height
between the vertebrae to create a
negative pressure within a disc, which
will then draw back the disc material.
It also increases blood flow to the
disc which will then allow the outer
layer or the annular bands to start
laying down new cartilage fibers,
so that disc lesion can actually be
without surgery.
The beauty behind spinal decompression
is that it allows the blood to return
back to the disc. The disc will begin
healing once again. Blood is very
essential to this whole process, increasing
blood flow to the disc allows the
natural healing process to occur.
Spinal Decompression and Sciatica
Sciatica symptom relief has often
been hit and miss, but a new treatment
option provides effective relief in
the majority of cases with minimal
risks.
Sciatica (commonly misspelled as
syatica) is an irritation of the sciatic
nerve which is formed by nerves that
arise in the low back. Most cases
of sciatica are caused by herniations
or bulges of one or more spinal discs.
The spinal discs are soft tissue structures
that separate the spinal bones (the
vertebrae) and act as shock absorbers.
When a disc becomes damaged, the
cartilage wall on the outside of the
disc may be too weak to fully withstand
the pressure coming from inside the
disc, and the result is a protrusion
of the disc into the passageways where
the nerves branch off from the spinal
cord and exit the spine. This places
pressure on the nerves and creates
pain, often in the form of sciatica,
which begins in the buttock area and
may extend down the leg towards the
foot.
The treatment options for sciatica
symptom relief vary depending on the
case. Medication is usually the first
line of treatment for sciatica symptom
relief. Muscle relaxers may also be
prescribed to reduce muscle spasm.
Medication may be effective enough
to provide relief short-term until
inflammation subsides and/or the disc
stabilizes. In more severe cases,
oral medication may not be effective,
and some patients may not be able
to tolerate the common side effects
of anti-inflammatory drugs and/or
the diminished mental alertness seen
with pain killers and muscle relaxers.
Steroid injections are often the
next line of sciatica symptom relief
treatment, and they are used to try
to reduce inflammation around the
discs and spinal nerves. While steroid
injections often provide relief short-term,
the long-term effects are less favorable.
Due to the fact that the main effect
of steroid injections is to reduce
inflammation, once those effects wear
off, inflammation and the resulting
pressure on the nerves often builds
up again, and symptoms return. Steroid
injections also carry side-effects
that include immune suppression, osteoporosis,
and soft tissue damage, so their use
must be limited to prevent causing
other health problems.
Surgical treatment is often suggested
for sciatica sufferers, and in a few
cases it may be the only real option.
The overall success rate of disc surgery
is poor - about 50% - and in a relatively
high number of cases the symptoms
actually get worse after surgery resulting
in what is known as "failed back
surgery syndrome". Complications
of surgery include problems from post-surgical
scar tissue formation and increased
stress on adjacent spinal discs which
may result in additional problems
with other discs in the years following
surgery.
Fortunately, there is a new option
in sciatica symptom relief that has
a high success rate and a very low
risk of side-effects. Spinal decompression
is a new, advanced form of spinal
traction that uses special computerized
traction motors to gently and slowly
apply a decompressive force to the
spine, reducing pressure in the spinal
discs. Spinal decompression systems
can comfortably create negative pressure
(suction) within the spinal discs
that can pull disc bulges and herniations
back in and away from sensitive nerve
structures, as well as increase disc
hydration and nutrition to help with
disc healing. Unlike the old forms
of spinal traction which could be
painful due to the traction pull triggering
muscle spasm, spinal decompression
systems monitor and respond to the
body to keep muscles relaxed so the
treatment is comfortable and effective.
Preliminary studies have shown a
success rate for spinal decompression
of 80 to 90%, with the beneficial
effects holding up well over the long-term.
The one-year recurrence rate post-treatment
is less than 5%. While spinal decompression
is not appropriate for everyone with
sciatica and is not effective in every
case, it does represent a big improvement
in sciatica treatment.
One Patient's Experience With Spinal
Decompression
At 45, Alice was still an avid tennis
player. She took pride in her healthy
diet and athletic lifestyle. With
hardly a sick day in 30 years, she
was completely caught off guard when
she learned of the severity of a back
injury she sustained one day on the
tennis court.
It was a match like so many others.
In an effort to reach a ball that
was heading out of bounds, she dove
and twisted her torso in trying to
make the play. Making the volley,
she managed to remain on her feet
but immediately went to her knees
in pain. She later described to the
attending physician in the emergency
room feeling a popping sensation before
feeling the intense pain.
After X-rays and an exam, Alice was
instructed to go home and stay in
bed until the pain subsided. She was
also given a muscle relaxer and medication
for pain. She called a friendfor a
ride and did as instructed. Within
a couple of days she felt considerably
better, enough to get out of bed and
walk around. She returned to her doctor
who prescribed physical therapy.
Hope For The Suffering
After reaching a level of near-tolerable
pain, Alice experienced little more
in the way of relief in the months
that followed. An MRI was ordered
and it was determined that she was
suffering from a moderately severe
herniated disc. There was little change
in the treatment plan, however. Alice
was not at all comfortable in the
sick role so she took matters into
her own hands. She began investigating
alternatives and learned of a relatively
new treatment for spinal injuries
called spinal decompression.
Spinal decompression is a non-surgical
procedure where the patient lies on
a platform called a decompression
table and is snuggly secured. It’s
important that the individual not
be able to move so straps and padded
blocks are used firmly secure them.
Once in place, the table slowly and
gently begins to separate the affected
portion of the spine, releasing pressure
on the surrounding tissue and nerves.
It’s completely safe because
the patient is given a safety switch
that will stop the treatment should
any unforeseen circumstances arise.
Spinal decompression therapy
is effective in treating many spinal
conditions, including, lower back
pain, numbness and tingling of the
arms and legs associated with the
spine, degenerative disc disease,
sciatica, generalized spinal pain,
herniated discs, and in some cases
spinal stenosis. It’s common
for pain sufferers to comment that
they feel immediate relief from the
first treatment.
Alice is up and back to her normal
routine, though she’s not playing
tennis just yet. She’s also
not taking pain medication or physical
therapy any more either. Testing shows
that her disc problem is on the mend.
She’s hopeful of returning to
the courts. I’ll bet she does.
Spinal Decompression has given me
a new lease on life. I suffered for
back pain for many years and did not
want to go under the knife. Spinal
Decompression was the therapy I had
been waiting for.
Contributed by: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jared_M_Emin
If you are suffering from chronic
lower back pain and have been diagnosed
with any form of degenerative disc
disorder, consider trying non-surgical
spinal decompression.
San Francisco Spinal
Decompression for
Herniated or Bulging
Discs, Sciatica, and
General Low Back
Pain and Neck Pain
CALL-(415)
627-9077
