Spinal Decompression

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Lower back pain
is more common than you think ...

Suffering from low back pain? You're not alone. Far from it. Just look at the following statistics:

80-90% of all adults will suffer with low back pain at some time in their life
lower back pain is the leading cause of disability for people under 45 years of age
lower back pain is the second leading cause of visits to doctors' offices
lower back pain is the third leading reason for hospital admissions
annual costs of back pain range from $20-$75 billion in the U.S. alone
studies indicate that 15-20% of the population have lower back pain in any given year ... approximately 32 million cases.

One of the biggest "accepted" myths about back pain is that it goes away all by itself, without any treatment.

And most doctors believe the claim that 90% of all episodes of low back pain will resolve within one month. But a May 1998 study in the British Medical Journal that followed the progress of a widespread sample of back pain patients' conditions 12 months after their initial medical consultation, found that only one out of four patients saw their pain resolved. Sadly, three out of four continued to suffer.

Healthy Disc

The discs of the spine receive nourishment through blood vessels until approximately the age of 20. At this point, the disc has been filled with a lifetime supply of nourishment. However, the disc has to make that supply of nourishment last a lifetime. Through aging and with normal wear and tear, we use the nourishment and all experience a slow degeneration of the discs of the spine. This is normal aging. The more “stress” you put on the disc, the more you use up the nourishment, weakening and deteriorating the disc, creating a problem. One of the amazing benefits of decompression is that it heightens the disc space, and is seen to return it to normal size and function.

Bulging Disc

The jelly-like substance is prone to injury and the most commom situation causing problems is the one that puts pressure on the disc. The pressure causes the jelly material inside the disc to "bulge" or "slip" out of place. As this occurs, the bulge itself puts pressure on the other structures near the disc - like the nerves. Causing pain, tingling, pins and needles, etc. down the extremities.

Herniated Disc

Herniated discs (also often referred to as ruptured discs), often create confusion so lets make it clear. A disc can bulge without herniating. When the jelly- like nucleus pulposis is under pressure, it can bulge. But, when the pressure is excessive, it can herniated (rupture) through the outer band called the annulus fibrosis. As the "herniated" disc material spills out, a portion can press on a nerve, causing pain and accompanying radiation and weakness of the muscles involved.

But before you decide on surgery

consider this:

U.S. surgeons perform more than 1/2 million surgical procedures on the back each and every year - at a rate 40% higher than in 11 other developed countries and at a rate 5 times higher that in England and Scotland.

The majority of back surgeries are Unsuccessful. With a success rate of less than 60%, and once you have back surgery the chances of needing a second surgery are very high.

Approximately 25,000 to 50,000 documented "failed back surgery syndrome" are reported every year.

A large study published in a medical journal SPINE followed the long-term results for 575 back surgery patients. According to the study, 70% still complained of back pain. Of those; 83% complained of constant heavy back pain, 45% of residual sciatica, 47% recieved some form of disability help and 17% had already had some form of repeat surgery.

Decompression Explained

Decompression relieves pressure that builds up on the discs and nerves. The task of relieving pain comes about as a result of drawing areas of herniated disc back into place.

Decompression achieves this by creating negative pressure within the disc, referred to as negative intra-discal pressure. This creates essentially a vacuum to draw the bulging and herniated disc material back into the disc space and relieve pressure.

How long are treatments and how many do you need?

Patients typically undergo 20 to 25 treatments sessions. This may seem like a lot, but they'll all be completed in about 4 to 6 weeks. (Just think how long you've been in pain -- a lot longer than a month or two I'll bet!) Each treatment session lasts only about 30 minutes or so. This, of course, depends on your individual case and is determined by a thorough evaluation.

It is important to note that many patients get substantial, immediate relief after just a few treatments. Some, after just one.

The really good news is that this is not something you have to continue to do for the rest of your life. This is because the process actually heals the disc and the studies show that patients remain pain-free long after they finish the program.

The human body adapts to disuse. If an area of the body is painful, the brain will learn new patterns of contraction to produce movement, thus alienating the injured muscle. This injured muscle then further atrophies and weakens, predisposing an individual to greater risk and severity of re-injury. In fact, recent studies show that after a back injury the spinal muscles weaken considerably and it's this weakness that virtually guarantees another episode of back pain will soon follow.

Here at the Fallbrook Spine Center, after addressing the disc problem that caused the pain through Decompression Therapy, an aggressive rehabilitation and strengthening program is always initiated to restore overall stability to the spine.

To see if you are a candidate for spinal decompression please fill out questionaire.

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For additional information about spinal decompression visit our associate websites:

Spinal Decompression

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