Mike McCoy asked:


Decompression therapy is a non-surgical mechanical way to stretch the spine gently.  This technique may help relieve back pain caused by herniated discs, posterior facet syndrome and radiculopathy.  The stretching function reduces the pressure upon the discs that sit between the vertebrae, perhaps creating a temporary negative pressure, which may help the material that has escaped the disc to retract in the case of disc injuries.

For people who don’t like to disrobe for treatment this is a good option.  You remain fully clothed during treatment and are strapped to the mechanical bed across the chest and pelvis.  The usual course of treatment requires twenty or more sessions over a period of a few weeks.  Each session lasts for 30-45 minutes.  Insurance doesn’t normally cover decompression, so this is a substantial investment.

In addition to the time on the mechanical table, some practitioners include electrical stimulation via a TENS unit, ultrasound and hot or cold compresses.  These additional treatments may increase the effectiveness of the decompression.  If successful decompression may help relieve numbness, pain, tingling or weakness in the legs and lower back.  There are several counter-indications.

Patients with osteoporosis, metal plates or screws in their back, with fractures of the spine or tumors should not engage in decompression therapy.  Those who have an abdominal aortic aneurysm should also avoid decompression.

There are a variety of studies on the effectiveness of decompression therapy, but the verdict is still out.  Anecdotally people report good results for minor disc injuries.  If you have the money and want to give this a try, it is certainly worth your time.  Combining decompression therapy with massage and acupuncture may give you more than enough relief symptoms to avoid other more invasive treatments.

You are most likely to find decompression therapy being performed at chiropractic offices, since this alternate modality hasn’t caught on universally as of yet.  Chiropractors are likely to use decompression in combination with regular chiropractic sessions.  One of the advantages of decompression is that it is non-invasive, unlike surgery and injections of the spine.

Not every spinal injury is receptive to spinal decompression.  This therapy, like any other treatment of the back and spine should be carefully considered and well monitored.  If too much pressure is used, it is possible to exacerbate the original injury, so finding someone with good credentials and plenty of experience is a must.  The spinal cord is a delicate and valuable part of your anatomy, protect it well.

Spinal decompression isn’t much different from the old traction systems.  The key difference is that the process has been mechanized to allow doctors to be more specific in their treatments with less effort.  Computers run the tables through a selected program and can be more precise in the application of the traction.  By utilizing decompression tables, practitioners can improve treatment outcomes.

Take a look online to find the chiropractors and other practitioners who offer this service and make sure to ask about their success rates and the manner in which they perform and monitor progress.  Decompression therapy is another tool in the treatment of back pain.

Patrick Porter asked:


What does the Russian space program have to do with chiropractic care? Quite a bit, according to Tom Lenahan, DC.

Dr. Lenahan, who has practiced chiropractic as a second career for 15 years, says he’s seen tremendous breakthroughs in patient healing through the use of electrical stimulation–a concept first researched by the Russians for their space program. The Russian government developed the research because it wasn’t practical to send an entire pharmacy along to keep their space explorers healthy. So, Russian scientists started looking for healing alternatives.

“As they began to explore how electricity works in the body, they realized it’s the body’s primary driver system,” says Lenahan. The researchers found that the body has two electrical components. The first, the nervous system, is like the hard wiring, says Dr. Lenahan. The second wasn’t as well understood.

“They discovered the body has a second component to it,” Lenahan continues. “It is a semi-conducting system in the body, much like your computer. They realized they could stimulate that fascial, semi-conducting system to send a signal to the brain and get it to produce various neuropeptides. This gave them an effective, efficient means of treatment for anything they would run into in space. It’s still one of the primary components of the Russian battlefield first-aid kit.”

It might still sound like a strange fit with chiropractic techniques, but Lenahan insists it isn’t. In fact, Lenahan discovered the power of electrical stimulation in his own quest to find better ways to help his chiropractic patients.

“As I got into chiropractic school, I realized there were many facets that were needed to help the body heal,” says Dr. Lenahan. “In our profession, there are those who are ‘straights’ and those who are ‘mixers.’ I’m the mixer’s mixer. I’ve always sought avenues and technology that would benefit my patients.”

That’s why he was so excited when he found the technology of electrical stimulation.

“It works for acute injuries, but also for the chronic degenerative condition,” he says. “This technology is able to add energy into the system and retard that degenerative process.”

Not only will this technique allow chiropractors to help their patients in ways never thought possible, says Lenahan, but it will also result in a boost in chiropractic practices.

“The…units will let you address really severe pain. They will help you alleviate that and get your patients back in, and keep them coming in,” Dr. Lenahan explains.

“A lot of times we lose patients because the pain is so severe, and they feel they have to go someplace and get drugs. This will help you manage that type of process.”