What You Should Know About Spinal Decompression

If you have chronic back pain that doesn't seem to be going away with pain killers or other methods, it might be time to see your chiropractor. There are many chiropractic treatments available for back pain, including spinal decompression. You can choose from two types of spinal decompression: nonsurgical and surgical. Here is more information about each type of treatment and how you can benefit from it.

Nonsurgical Spinal Decompression

The first type of spinal decompression you can request from your chiropractor is nonsurgical. For this treatment, the chiropractor will try to relieve your back pain by gently stretching the spine using motorized traction. Nonsurgical spinal decompression works by changing the position and force of the spine in order to release pressure from the spinal disks. If you have back pain from a herniated disk, this will remove the pressure from your nerves and other areas of your spine. It also lets oxygen and water move into the disks so they can start healing.

Who Nonsurgical Decompression is Good For

This treatment is ideal if you have lower, middle or upper back pain, sciatica pain, or neck pain. It is also good for degenerative disk disease, bulging disks, and herniated disks. In addition to these, nonsurgical decompression helps with worn spinal joints, and spinal nerve roots that are damaged or diseased. This treatment is also effective if you have physical therapy, increase your exercise, get more rest, and try steroid injections.

The Nonsurgical Procedure

When you get spinal decompression therapy, you will be fully clothed and the chiropractor places a harness around your trunk, and another around your pelvis. You will lie down on the table face-down, while the chiropractor uses a computer to control the table and the treatment equipment. You may need to get this done multiple times in addition to other chiropractic treatments, including ultrasound therapy, hot and cold therapy, and electrical stimulation.

Surgical Spinal Decompression

The other type of treatment you can get is a surgical form of spinal decompression, which should only be done if the nonsurgical method was not successful. With surgery, you can relieve the pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling that is often associated with back pain. There are multiple types of surgical decompression treatments, including:

Laminotomy – This procedure involves removing a small piece of bone in order to make the spinal canal larger and relieve pressure.

Diskectomy – A discectomy allows the surgeon to remove the piece of spinal disk that is causing pressure on your spinal nerves.

Foraminotomy – If you need a foraminotomy, the surgeon removes tissue and bone to create bigger openings for the nerve roots.

Before you get a surgical procedure, be aware of the risks, including infection, bleeding, allergic reaction, and blood clots. Talk to experts like Brook Chiropractic for more information.

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