Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression

Cutting Edge, Non-Surgical Treatment to Reduce or Eliminate Your Pain

Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy is a modern traction procedure that effectively treats and relieves pain through a gentle, targeted stretching of the spine. Patients recline on a large table, and a gentle pull from the pelvis area is applied that helps to separate the discs and allow them to begin a natural healing process. This computerized technology allows us to gently approach the target disc with the appropriate amount of force and speed and release with the appropriate amount of force and speed. We target the specific areas involved decreasing pain and improving function. This process separates the vertebrae, decreasing intervertebral pressure and increasing the disc height through rehydration of the disc, this process takes the pressure off of the irritated nerve of nerves. This is the only process I know of that can restore and increase disc height, making it a primary therapy for degenerative disc disease (DDD). The procedure is very relaxing and many of our patients fall asleep on the table waking pain free.

Non-surgical spinal decompression provides pain relief from:

Where & why was non-surgical spinal decompression invented?

Most people aren’t aware that non-surgical spinal decompression was invented in 1989 by the minister of health in Ontario, Canada — the same guy who had his hand in inventing the defibrillator, which has saved countless lives. The first decompression table was the Vax-D. While it was good, patients had to lie on their stomachs and hold on above their heads. Many people got relief, but many people also developed shoulder problems! If you suffer with back pain, you‘re also probably aware that sometimes, lying on your stomach can be painful if not impossible.

Are there different types of spinal decompression therapy?

There were many iterations of this first design. Dr. Norman Shealy, considered the pioneer of pain medicine, had engineers develop the DRS system of spinal decompression. Axiom Engineers developed the DRX 9000 and the DRX 9000C. The DRX9000 was one of the most popular tables made, and was very expensive to own. As pioneers in the field ourselves, we were one of the first to bring spinal decompression therapy to Los Angeles and all of Southern California. For over 10 years we had 3 DRX 9000c combi tables, operating 9-10 hours per day full of patients. We treated back pain, disc herniations, disc bulges, spinal stenosis, and provided sciatic nerve relief to thousands of people suffering in pain for many years. While we loved our DRX9000 spinal decompression therapy, the technology really didn’t evolve for those ten years, and there were people for whom this table was not effective — for several reasons.

What are the limitations of the DRX9000?

The DRX9000 is limited by several factors. First the table is set so that you are lying on your back and a strap that comes from a tower at the foot of the bed attaches to a harness wrapped around your pelvis, theoretically raising and lowering the angle of the strap in the tower, changed the disc you were targeting. We found that more often than not this linear type of pull required more then just pushing the disc level preprogrammed into the DRX9000 for this to be effective. It would stand to reason that a person who is 5’ 7” and has a big belly with an exaggerated curve in their low back would have a different angle for L4-L5 then a slender person at 6’2”. There are a host of other limitations as well, you can only pull someone straight, there were only 3 preset options for how long the pull lasted and rested, and no ability to change the ramp time( the time it takes for us to pull you from zero pounds to the target pull of lets say 50 lbs.) Occasionally, but importantly we can get a better result with some patient’s who must lie on their stomach, likely due to gravity’s help which you also can’t do on the DRX9000.

So, what advancements have been made to spinal decompression?

Fortunately, as leaders in low back pain treatments, we were on top of changes in the world of non – surgical spinal decompression in Los Angeles, and now bring the latest technology of non surgical spinal decompression technology and more to the research triangle area. This technology literally reinvents the way spinal decompression works. It’s a bit like comparing a drive in a Mercedes 500sl, to a drive in a 2005 pickup truck.

With this new technology, we have unlimited flexibility to position you the patient in a way that targets the disc most effectively, You aren’t pulled by a strap, but rather strapped to the table and the table itself flexes your spine or extends your spine, or bends and rotates it to one side or another. This is such a huge benefit to patients suffering with disc protrusions, or extrusions that are more one sided, or have caused leg pain. Patients who come to us bent over, or looking like a question mark benefit greatly from our ability to bend their spines to the side or even rotate them to target the disc better and straighten them out. We have unlimited scope in ramp up speed, time of hold, time of release and pounds etc, and every single patient that went through our transition from our DRX9000 tables to our newer technology raved about the increased comfort, relief of pain, and how much better this newer technology worked for them. We have been able to help many people who would not benefit from care on the DRX9000. Post failed spine surgery patients, who need much more specificity, or who need variability of their treatment are getting much better results with this newer technology as well as patient suffering with degenerative disc disease.

While non surgical decompression is a terrific tool to use to rehydrate your degenerative disc disease, reduce the pain from disc herniations, and disc bulges, as well as facet syndrome and gives great sciatica pain relief, it is by no means the only component to what we do to get you back on your feet and functioning again.