Spinal Decompression Provides a Non-Invasive Treatment for Pain Management
Absolute Wellness Center offers many different treatments for what is far too common a complaint among our patients: back and neck pain.
Chiropractic medicine is often one of the fastest and most effective treatments for one of the most painful causes of back pain – a compressed or herniated disc. Intervertebral discs provide cushion between each vertebra and are also partly responsible for enabling the spine to move and bend. The discs contain a gelatinous middle and a fibrous outer covering. 
When an injury causes a rupture, bulge or undue compression of a disc or discs, the inner jelly presses out and can put pressure on nerves traveling from the spinal cord to the other areas of the body. This can lead to back pain, sciatica and other spinal conditions until the disc is healed.
Many people afflicted with disc problems immediately consider painkillers and surgery, but both of those options can also cause complications. Our doctors have helped many patients like this avoid back surgery and leave painkillers behind with spinal decompression. This type of treatment provides a complement to traditional chiropractic adjustments and improves pain management during a patient’s healing.
Spinal Decompression Improves Pain Management, Heals Injured Discs
Spinal decompression is similar to general traction, but it is more targeted and precise. After a complete diagnosis of the nature of the problem within the spine, when appropriate, the patient is gently secured to our flexion-distraction decompression table. The table then engages the spine in gentle, focused stretching and releasing motions over the course of several minutes. However, pain management is not the only goal of spinal decompression therapy.
Our physicians sometimes recommend a series of spinal decompression treatments over a few visits. This is generally done for two reasons. First, decompression helps to stretch the disc back into its normal shape. Second, the gentle stretching actually creates a vacuum effect inside the discs, which suctions new circulation and nutrients into the disc to help replenish lost fluids and begin cellular regeneration to heal the disc.
If your doctor thinks surgery is still necessary, he or she will of course refer you for a surgical consult. However, if you suffer from a severe, unrelenting case of back pain from damaged discs, we want you to be aware of all of the options that will be less invasive than surgery.
If you are suffering from back pain and think you may benefit from spinal decompression, please call our office at 541-484-5777 to talk with our doctors about what treatments may be appropriate to help. You may also be interested in learning more about chiropractic care in general on our Chiropractic Medicine page.