WHAT IS NON-SURGICAL SPINAL DECOMPRESSION AND HOW CAN IT HELP?

Have you ever been to a chiropractor who specializes in something specific? When chiropractors graduate from chiropractic school, they have the option to expand their studies and receive a diplomatic degree to further expand services to a specialized set of patients. Chiropractors can specialize in certain fields including pediatrics, sports, nutrition, x-rays, acupuncture, etc. Over the past few months, we focused our blogs around the core of our practice, chiropractic. Now, we will shift gears and talk about the specialties that we offer, which include non-surgical spinal decompression and neuropathy management. Over the next few months, we will focus on non-surgical spinal decompression first giving an introduction and how we can help. 

Let’s Talk About Traction First?

We could write an entire blog on the difference between traction and spinal decompression, but we are providing this section first because we know people imagine  traction as soon as they hear spinal decompression. We have had hundreds of spinal decompression candidates walk into our office and say that they have had spinal decompression, and it didn’t work. Chances are that 9 times out of 10 the technique was spinal traction. Just because traction is advertised as spinal decompression doesn’t mean that it’s spinal decompression. We want to explain traction before getting into decompression so that we can hopefully clear up any confusion.

On the outside, a spinal traction table compared to a spinal decompression table may look similar, but looking at it deeper, the science and technology between the two are completely different.

So, what is spinal traction? Spinal traction is when a patient lies down on a table either on the back or stomach (patient preference) and are harnessed down by Velcro straps to prevent movement. A cable is attached to the harness that will be used to pull the patient. The patient’s weight is recorded and is cut in half. Let’s say a patient’s weight is 200lbs. The starting weight for treatment is 100lbs. The weight will determine the starting pull force and over several sessions, the weight will be increased to further benefit treatment. The treatment time is usually set for 10-20 minutes.

The objective of spinal traction is to open up the spinal discs and take pressure off affected nerve roots. Patients who are candidates for spinal traction usually have symptoms such as radiculopathy pain down the extremities, muscle weakness and general weakness. These patients may also have disc injuries, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, facet syndrome and/or chronic pain. 

Brief History of Decompression

Let’s pause for a moment and give a brief history on spinal decompression. The first non-surgical spinal decompression table was developed and manufactured in 1985 by former Canadian Minister of Health, Allan Dyer, MD. He called it Vax-D (Vertebral Axial Decompression). He is also recognized as a pioneer in the development of the external cardiac defibrillator that we see in hospitals today. 

Several years later, neurosurgeon, Norm Shealy, MD, Ph.D. brought the DRX-9000 to life. We have the privilege of owning two DRX-9000 units. One is a lumbar unit, and the other is a combo unit, which has a lumbar and cervical attachment. We also own an ABS decompression lumbar unit that was purchased from North American Medical, one of the leading spinal decompression companies in the world.

After buying out Axiom Worldwide in 2007, founder and CEO of Excite Medical, Saleem Musallam, has obtained manufacturing operations for the DRX-9000 and promotes the decompression services to doctors all over the world. He has also gathered and conducted studies involving results using his decompression tables and shares them with doctors globally to show patients interested in services proof of success.

What is Spinal Decompression?

Now that we had a quick history lesson on spinal decompression, let’s get to the core of our blog and explain what spinal decompression is. Like spinal traction, with spinal decompression, patients lie on a table (on their backs. I have never laid a patient on the stomach in our office) and are harnessed down by Velcro straps to prevent movement. A cable is attached to the harness that will be used to pull the patient. Sounds identical to spinal traction, right?

This is where the process differs. A patient’s weight is recorded and is cut in half twice. The first half cut is the patient’s maximum weight load, and the second half cut is the patient’s minimum weight load. In addition to the patient’s weight being cut in half twice, the maximum and minimum weight loads have upper and lower parameters.

• The maximum load has an upper parameter of an additional 20 pounds and a lower parameter that subtracts 20 pounds.
• The minimum load has an upper parameter of an additional 10 pounds and a lower parameter that subtracts 10 pounds.

This may be very confusing, so let’s give an example:

• If a patient weighs 200lbs, half of that is 100lbs. When you cut it in half again, that’s 50lbs. So, the maximum load is 100lbs and minimum load is 50lbs. Now let’s look at the range parameters separately.
  • Maximum Load Parameters: +20 and -20 are applied to the 1^st half cut number.
    • In this scenario, the patient’s maximum load numbers would be 80, 100, 120
  • Minimum Load Parameters: +10 and -10 are applied to the 2^nd half cut number
    • In this scenario, the patient’s minimum load numbers would be 40, 50, 60.

Although the weight system can be very complex, what we truly want you to understand is this next important step that makes spinal decompression different from traction.

With spinal traction, the device continuously pulls the entire spine at one segmental angle at the same weight. It relaxes every few cycles, but no minimum weight is applied. That means when the device relaxes during cycles, no weight is applied, therefore, no treatment.

The weight system built into spinal decompression tables is unique because there is a continuous weight and force stretching the spine whether it’s the maximum or minimum load. The cycles of different weight loads create negative pressure and develops a pulling-pumping mechanism that brings in additional nutrients and blood flow to help rehydrate spinal discs. 

One final way spinal decompression differs from traction is the segmental angulation system. In spinal traction, the spine is being pulled at one continuous angle. This negatively promotes muscle tension and incorrect disc repair. The only disc that should be treated is the one that is affected. If the other discs aren’t causing problems, don’t “fix” them. Spinal decompression tables allow the doctor to choose an angle that corresponds to a specific disc level so that it only pulls at that one disc level and not the entire spine. 

What Conditions Does Spinal Decompression Treat?

Decompression can help patients with failed surgeries, back pain, sciatica, herniated, bulging and protruding disc, degenerative disc disease, facet syndrome, tingling or burning sensations, leg/arm pain, neck pain, and loss of sensation. Another great candidate for this service is someone experiencing chronic pain who has tried many other ways to get out of pain. If you are saying, I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t in pain? Then decompression might be your saving grace. Just because someone doesn’t have a disc injury doesn’t mean the patient isn’t a candidate for spinal decompression.

The Wrap Up

The point of this month’s blog is not to understand the detailed components of spinal decompression in comparison to spinal traction. The point we want you to understand is how much more efficient spinal decompression is. Countless pieces of evidence and research backs up our argument. If you know anyone looking for a doctor who does spinal decompression, tell them to do the research. If they want to assure that the doctor is doing spinal decompression and not traction, have them reach out to us and we can help them get answers.

There is a lot more that we have to share about spinal decompression, so we must break up key points into a few more blogs. In next month’s blog, we will share what to expect during spinal decompression treatments and will go through our clinic protocol. If you have any questions about spinal decompression, please call us at (724) 547-3377 and check out our website at www.laurelmountainchiro.com for more content.

Yours In Health,

Brian M. Steinert, DC