Understanding How Spinal Decompression Works

Back pain can be debilitating and prevent you from doing the things you love. It can be caused due to a variety of reasons like a pinched nerve or sciatica, but our non-invasive spinal decompression treatment could help your pain. By slowly and gently stretching the spine, spinal decompression can relieve pent up pressure within the back.

Do You Have Back Pain?

The back combines bones, muscles, nerves, ligaments, tendons, and other types of tissue into one complete system. If you didn’t have your spine and the structures supporting it, you wouldn’t be able to sit, stand, walk, carry groceries in, or even hug your loved ones. 

If you have back pain, it’s best to get to the bottom of your symptoms to determine the exact cause of your pain. Many different ailments and inflammations fall under the umbrella term of back pain, however, each one has its own set of likely causes. Our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center can help you determine the cause, and treat your following symptoms: 

• Inflammation centered in the lower back, neck, and mid-back
• Stiffness along the spine or in the muscles surrounding it
• Pops, cracks, and other noises and sensations when you move after resting
• Pain that is worse or better after resting
• Improved or worsened pain after exercise
• Spasms throughout the back that make it hard to sit, stand, or even sleep at night
• Numbness 

If you have back pain, you have a number of treatment options. Ranging from electrical stimulation to spinal alignment therapy, we will have the option that works best for you. One of our most helpful treats includes spinal decompression therapy, which helps relieve pressure in your spine and take away your uncomfortable symptoms. 

What is Spinal Decompression? 

While there are many different treatments that can work to reduce spinal pressure, it cannot achieve negative pressure, which is what your spine might need to heal properly. With spinal decompression therapy, the stretching and repositioning of your spine is slow and gradual, which means your body won’t ‘lock down’ and your back muscles won’t stiffen up during treatment. The ‘lock down’ response is your body’s natural reaction to prevent injury when pressure is being applied to your spine, however, this can be negative when the spine is injured or misaligned because it will resist the corrective treatment. Spinal decompression gently bypasses this protective reflex, relieving your spine and discs from excess pressure. 

This therapy is a type of traction therapy done to the spine in an attempt to bring about a number of different benefits, such as:

• Creating a negative intradiscal pressure to promote retraction of repositioning of the herniated or bulging disc material.
• Creating a lower pressure in the disc that will cause an influx of healing nutrients and other substances into the disc. 

The Spinal Decompression Procedure

While the setup can look intimidating, the spinal decompression procedure is an easy, non-invasive treatment method for your back pain. Before your treatment starts, our team will strap you to the machine with a harness, which puts you in the best position for optimal decompression. Then, you will begin to feel a gradual lengthening of your spine as the discs are relieved of excess pressure. Some patients might feel a slight discomfort for the first few sessions, but eventually it will subside once your body gets used to the treatment. 

Your session will last about 30 minutes, with no downtime or additional medication needed. To properly heal, most patients require 20 to 25 sessions over 4 to 6 weeks. However, the frequency of therapy will depend on your own individual condition. If your condition isn’t as progressed, you might require less treatment due to the mildness of your symptoms. 

Who Benefits from Spinal Decompression Therapy?

You might benefit from this therapy specifically if you need to treat:

• Back or neck pain or sciatica, which is pain, weakness, or tingling that goes down the leg
• Building or herniated discs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Worn spinal joints
• Injured or diseased spinal nerve roots 

Make an Appointment with Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center

If you are experiencing neck or pain pain, or if you have suffered a spine or disc injury, our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center can help you. To learn more about spinal decompression therapy and get to the bottom of your back pain, schedule a consultation with us today by calling our office at (512)-806-0015. Conveniently located in Austin, TX, we’re here for you!