Spinal decompression is the perfect treatment option for several major low back conditions including disc protrusion/herniation, stenosis (both central canal and lateral canal), and chronic SI joint pain. Decompression has been shown in the literature to be one of the most effective forms of treatment for these conditions. Most people can feel the results after just one session, although six to eight sessions is the preferred treatment protocol for these conditions.
One of the major problems with modern life and modern working conditions is that we sit for more hours in a day than ever before in history. Prolonged sitting compresses the spine and pelvis, and this compression is cumulative—over time the tissues of the spine and surrounding joints of the pelvis become less mobile and often painful.
Traditional spinal decompression has been shown to be effective for the treatment of the above-mentioned conditions. But traditional spinal decompression has one major limitation—there is only one direction the spine is decompressed.
You see, traditional spinal decompression is very similar to the Medieval “rack” that was used for torture. The patient (or victim), was laid face down and strapped into the appliance, where straight axial decompression/torture was applied to either decompress the tissue or pull the person apart, depending on the situation. The technology hasn’t changed much for centuries. Until now…
Introducing, the Back On Trac—the first decompression chair that also includes lateral flexion in its arsenal of movements. Here’s what it looks like:
Adding the lateral flexion component allows us to treat sciatica specific to the side it’s on.
Let me explain, using the example of a disc herniation accompanied by sciatica down the left leg. When a disc herniates, the nucleus of the disc extrudes through the outer “containment wall” which is made of fibrocartilage. In the case of sciatica in the left leg, the disc material has projected backward and to the left where it’s compressing the sciatic nerve on that side.
With traditional axial decompression, the disc is lightly decompressed in such a way that a vacuum effect occurs in the bulging disc with the intent of sucking the bulge back into itself. The limitation of that technique is the fact that discs don’t just bulge backwards—they bulge in a direction that must be accounted for.
In our example of a left leg sciatica case, the disc has bulged backwards and to the left. The treatment protocol of choice would, therefore, be axial decompression with a component of left lateral flexion. This particular angle of decompression will use the actual bones of the spine to compress the extruded disc material back into the center of the disc similar to the way you can squeeze a ketchup packet and push the ketchup where you want it to go.
So. Back on Trac is better than traditional spinal decompression. And not just a little better—it’s far superior in every way.
But wait—there’s more. Traditional spinal decompression is usually sold in packages, often with a price tag of $2-3,000. While this is still much cheaper than having spine surgery, it’s also nothing to sneeze at. Our packages for the Back on Trac are much less expensive (try subtracting a zero from the traditional package figure). And of course, there is no heavy-handed salesmanship going on here. You can pay for one visit at a time if the whole package thing doesn’t interest you.
The bottom line is this—I’ve built the reputation of this practice by getting results. This is another tool in my toolbox to keep getting those results. So don’t go spending thousands of dollars on spinal decompression. Talk to me first. You may not even need decompression, and if that’s the case I’ll steer you toward what you do need.
To summarize—spinal decompression is an excellent treatment option for:
- Disc herniation/protrusion
- Arthritis
- Sacroiliac Joint pain
- Stenosis
And, sorry, you’re not a candidate if you have hardware in your spine from back surgery.
Give us a call to schedule your consultation to see if decompression is right for you. 832-203-5884.
Doc G.