Relief For Lower Back Pain Know The Problem and How to Get Lasting Relief

Spinal decompression is an advanced form of spinal traction used in the treatment of disc-related back pain and related conditions such as sciatica.  The primary difference between true spinal decompression and traction (and inversion) machines is that spinal decompression machines are set up to “trick” the spinal muscles into staying relaxed during treatment, allowing for greater changes in disc pressure than with regular traction, which has to fight the resistance of the muscles.  Spinal decompression treatment provides excellent results for many people, but some fail to get any improvement at all, and others may even feel worse.  I will attempt to explain the most common reasons for these treatment failures, and give suggestions for how to know when spinal decompression is and is not likely to help you.

I have been using spinal decompression in San Antonio for a few years now, and while it is a highly effective treatment for many people, it is not for everyone.  Unfortunately, the costs of providing spinal decompression services sometimes influences doctors to recommend it in cases where it may not be entirely appropriate.  Even with proper patient selection, spinal decompression is not 100% effective – no treatment is.  But when doctors are not as discriminating as they need to be in what patients they accept, the results can be far from ideal and some patients may even get worse with this form of treatment when doctors prescribe it inappropriately for financial reasons.

From my experiences in my San Antonio practice, the patients who get the best results with spinal decompression are those with one or more bulging/herniated discs and patients with mild to moderate disc degeneration.  Patients who have previously undergone disc surgery are somewhat more complicated, but most still get good results when they meet the selection criteria (no metal implantation in the spine, no spinal instability, and no impaired healing at the site of surgery). The vast majority of people who meet these criteria get very good results and are usually able to return to their normal activities without any significant pain.

Although complete disc ruptures (disc extrusions) may sometimes be helped with spinal decompression, my experience has been that people with true disc ruptures (the term “rupture” is often used incorrectly even by doctors to describe disc bulges and herniations - actual disc ruptures are relatively rare) do not tend to get good results. 

Besides the obvious importance of only using spinal decompression in cases where it is really appropriate, it is very important for the machine operator to be well-trained to ensure proper set-up of the machine for the patient.  There are several different decompression machines on the market, each with their own specific set-up procedures.  Whatever machine is being used, it is critical to have ongoing refresher training for the operating technicians to be sure that all patients are being set up on the machine exactly right.  While the better machines are unlikely to produce any major injury if they are not set up exactly right, results can suffer tremendously if the patient is not positioned and secured on the machine correctly on every visit.  I highly suggest asking any spinal decompression provider how frequently the technicians undergo training and only work with those providers who do re-training at a minimum of every 3 months. 

One other consideration is the fact that some patients are not good candidates for spinal decompression treatment because of their inability or unwillingness to follow the recommended treatment protocol.  In my experience, the primary reasons why a patient can’t or won’t follow the treatment recommendations are usually related to money and/or time. 

A full spinal decompression treatment program that includes spinal decompression and other adjunctive treatments can seem somewhat expensive.  In actuality, it is a much lower-cost treatment option than surgery for most people and has a statistically much higher success rate, so it can be a very good value, but nonetheless, some people try to cut down their costs by trying to cut down the amount of treatment.  This can be a big mistake.  In my San Antonio office, most people who complete the recommended treatment plan get lasting relief and can safely return to their normal activities.  Those who discontinue care prematurely will often relapse, and may suffer worse pain and worse cialis without prescription damage to the disc because they resume excessively exertive activities before the disc has stabilized.

Of course, some people fail to follow treatment recommendations primarily because they have busy lives and are unwilling to spend the time on getting better.  This type of patient tends to miss a lot of appointments and may go long periods of time between treatment sessions.  Unfortunately, the success of spinal decompression usually depends on getting the recommended amount of treatment at the recommended frequency of treatments.  The effectiveness and results are not as good when people don’t make time for their appointments.  What some busy people fail to realize is that if they don’t set aside time to properly deal with their health problem, cialis generic reviews sooner or later that health problem will deteriorate to the point where it forces them to make time to get treatment, and this often occurs when they are at their busiest and buy Sinequan online treatment is least convenient.  It is my recommendation to invest the necessary time in getting better, rather than do the treatment intermittently and not get the best results. 

In summary, spinal decompression is a very effective means of treating the pain and disability associated with herniated and degenerated spinal discs, but there are some important factors in getting maximum results.  Doctors and patients alike are responsible for making sure the treament is done properly to get maximum results. 

Dr. George Best has been providing spinal decompression in San Antonio, Texas since 2006 with the DRX9000 system.  For additional infomation, visit his website at www.spinesanantonio.com.

Technorati Tags: back pain san antonio, decompression san antonio, spinal decompression san antonio

Posted under Miscellaneous Content