The Pain Relief Fact Center

Spinal decompression is a high-tech form of traction used to treat disc bulging and degeneration and their associated pain and disability.  Spinal decompression differs from regular traction in that it uses computer-controlled motors to trick the spinal muscles into remaining relaxed and uncontracted during the treatment session.  This results in much greater reduction in disc pressure than regular traction, which usually must work against the resistance of contracted muscles.  Most people get excellent results from spinal decompression treatment, but some do not get any improvement, and a few may actually get worse.  The following is an explanation of the reasons for the failures in spinal decompression treatment and ways you can know whether or not spinal decompression is likely to help in your particular circumstances.

Spinal decompression in my San Antonio office has been quite successful for most patients, but it is not appropriate or effective for every patient.  It has been my observation that some providers of spinal decompression services will recommend it as a “cure-all” for all patients in an attempt to keep their machines full and maximize their return on investment on the equipment.  Even the best doctors don’t have a 100% success rate, because no treatment works for everyone.  The problem is when doctors accept patients who are not really good candidates for treatment, the results are lacking, and some poorly-selected patients may even temporarily get worse when they receive this form of treatment.

Judging from my experience in my San Antonio spinal decompression practice, the best patients for this form of treatment are the ones who have one or more bulging or herniated spinal discs and/or mild to moderate degeneration of the discs.  Those patients who have previously had disc surgery still make good candidates for spinal decompression, provided they do not have any specific issues that would exclude them, such as metal implants in the spine, spinal instability, and/or some form of healing impairment at the site of the surgery.  The large majority of patients who qualify under these criteria will typically get excellent results and be able to resume their daily activities without any major pain.

While there are case reports that indicate complete disc ruptures can be treated with spinal decompression, in my experience, people with actual ruptures tend to not do very well with this form of treatment.  It should be noted that even doctors sometimes incorrectly call a disc bulge or herniation a rupture.  True disc ruptures (also called extrusions and sequestered discs), in which the inner gel of the disc is actually leaking out, are relatively rare, so it is good to find out for sure what your actual condition is. 

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 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, 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 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 specializes in the treatment of disc-related pain.  For more information about spinal decompression in San Antonio, visit his website at www.spinesanantonio.com.