Does Spinal Decompression Actually Help Disc Problems?

Does Spinal Decompression Actually Help Disc Problems?

Spinal decompression is a new type of traction that is used in the treatment of disc protrusions and degeneration in the lumbar and cervical spine. Spinal decompression has had quite a bit of controversy surrounding it since it first started gaining popularity in the United States. Part of the controversy had to do with marketing claims made by equipment manufacturers eager to capture market share that were overzealous and sometimes outright fraudulent, and part was due to confusion and ignorance about the differences between spinal decompression and regular spinal traction.

When one looks past the controversy, it becomes clear that spinal decompression is a solid form of treatment for disc-related pain. It is neither the faultless miracle touted by its promoters nor the shameless scam claimed by its detractors. Like most things, the truth about spinal decompression lies somewhere in the middle.

For those who have not looked beyond their preconceived notions about spinal decompression, it might appear to be nothing more than the same spinal traction that has been used for decades in the treatment of back and neck pain. But there are definite differences between spinal decompression and regular traction that are significant in terms of their effects and treatment outcomes.

Regular traction systems simply pull on the spine at a pre-set rate and force. Spinal decompression systems gradually build up the force of the pull, and the more sophisticated spinal decompression systems can also adapt to the body’s reactions to the treatment. For example, the DRX-9000 system monitors the body’s resistance to the pull and if the body’s muscles begin to contract and fight the treatment, the machine immediately (within 1/17th of a second) “gives” to the resistance by decreasing its pull. This adaptability of the machine allows the body to stay relaxed for the majority of the treatment and by keeping the body relaxed, the treatment effects are much greater on the spinal discs that what can be achieved with regular traction, or even the less-sophisticated spinal decompression systems.

Studies have shown that regular traction does reduce pressure in the spinal discs, but not enough to reduce disc protrusion nor enough to significantly improve the hydration or nutrition to the disc. Muscle resistance limits the effects of regular traction too much for it to produce significant benefits to most disc patients. The basic spinal decompression systems are a significant improvement on regular traction because the machine pulls gradually and avoids much of the muscle reaction and resistance, allowing for some retraction of disc bulging. High-end spinal decompression systems provide even greater effects on the discs because they can largely eliminated muscle resistance. These machines have been consistently shown to produce strong suction forces within the discs that result in good retraction of protruding disc tissue back towards the center of the disc and produce an influx of fluid and nutrients into the disc that are thought to assist in disc healing.

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Despite the overall effectiveness of spinal decompression, it does not work for every patient. Some situations prevent the use of spinal decompression, but even with properly screened patients, there are some cases in which it does not help. Some published studies have indicated a success rate of nearly 90%, but the real-world success rate is not that high. Researchers have the advantage of being able to choose only the most ideal of test subjects and can remove test subjects who do not follow the treatment protocol precisely. When dealing with real-world patients, various complicating factors may be present and not all patients cooperate perfectly with their prescribed treatment.

With careful patient selection, the real success rate for spinal decompression is probably around 70- 75% as a stand-alone treatment, and perhaps somewhat higher when combined with other therapies. This success rate seems to hold up in the long run for most patients as well, with very few reported recurrences of symptoms a year after treatment. But even at a 70% success rate, spinal decompression is more effective than the most common disc-related treatments currently in use, such as spinal injections and surgery, which most studies have found provide long-term benefits in only about 50% of patients.

The effectiveness of spinal decompression treatment for a specific patient will depend greatly on the nature of his or her condition. In general, spinal decompression works very well in cases of mild to moderate disc protrusion and/or degeneration. Disc extrusions (actual ruptures) and severe protrusions will sometimes get favorable results with spinal decompression, but the results are far less reliable than with less severe cases. Spinal decompression works well for patients of all ages. In fact, although some patients fear they are too old to get good results, my experience has been that older individuals actually do somewhat better than their younger counterparts, perhaps because the older patients are less likely to engage in heavy exertion that might cause a re-injury of the discs.

Is spinal decompression a legitimate form of treatment for bulging and degenerated discs? Yes. Will it be of benefit to you? Most likely it will be, assuming you are a suitable candidate for this form of treatment. I think it is important to temper your expectations though, because it is definitely not a sure-fire “cure” for your problem. I do recommend that people with disc-related pain at least try spinal decompression before considering a spinal surgery, and most who do will be able to avoid the surgeon’s knife. Even better, those people who do respond favorably to spinal decompression treatment can usually resume almost any activity they wish, while surgery patients are often limited in what they can do for the remainder of their lives.

Although is is far from a perfect solution to disc-related pain, spinal decompression is a good treatment option for most people with protruding and/or degenerated spinal discs.

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