Thursday, January 29, 2015

Details About Spinal Decompression Shavano Park Back Pain Patients Need To Know

By Janine Hughes


Living with chronic pain in the back or neck can be very disruptive and it can limit one's activities considerably. Spinal decompression therapy is a treatment option that can provide effective relief from pain in many patients, and it can be done both non-surgically and surgically. Before deciding to undergo spinal decompression Shavano Park, TX patients should first find out what's involved and if it's suitable for them.

The objective of this procedure is to alter the position and force of the spine slightly by gently stretching it. When this happens, it has the effect of reducing pressure on the disks between the vertebrae, facilitating easier movement, and increasing flow of oxygen and nutrients which are needed for proper healing.

Both physicians and doctors of chiropractic medicine may recommend this form of treatment for patients experiencing acute or long-term pain in the spine or back. Conditions it has been known to help include bulging or herniated disks, disease or injury of the spinal nerve roots, worn spinal joints, and sciatica. Usually non-surgical decompression is attempted before proceeding to a surgical approach.

Patients can wear regular clothes for this procedure. They will be placed on a special table which the practitioner will control using a computer. Lying on either the back or belly, the patient will then be strapped in with harnesses around the pelvis and upper torso. Treatment times vary between 30 and 45 minutes, and they are usually done as a series, consisting of about 20 to 28 sessions spread out over a 5 to 7 week period. Sometimes other forms of therapy are combined with this treatment such as hot and cold applications or electrical muscle stimulation.

In some cases, decompression is contraindicated, and the doctor will instead recommend another approach to pain management. Pregnant women as well as those who have been diagnosed with a fracture, aortic aneurysm of the abdomen, tumor, metal implants in the spine, or advanced osteoporosis are generally considered to be unsuitable candidates for this treatment.

Some types of back pain, in particular that which is caused bony growths of the spine known as osteophytes or disk problems that do not respond favorably to non-surgical therapy, may be addressed through surgery. Patients who continue to experience numbness, tingling, weakness, and pain can often get relief by undergoing surgery to relieve pressure on the nerves of the spine.

There are different types of surgical spinal decompression which may be performed depending on the particular symptoms the patient is experiencing. Sometimes it is necessary to excise a small portion of either a disk or bone, or it may be necessary to increase the size of the space through which the nerve roots run, or totally remove a disk altogether. All of these measures are done to relieve pressure in the spine.

Even though there are no guarantees that a patient will enjoy a notable improvement following surgical decompression, many surgeons go ahead with the operation. The relatively small risks of surgery are standard to most similar procedures and the potential benefits for the most part outweigh them.




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