Every day thousands of our neighbours right here in Vancouver suffer through unbearable back pain. We all know this makes it difficult to concentrate at work, play sports, or even just do simple tasks around the house sometimes. This soreness and discomfort can last years if not treated. Chiropractic care can help.
One way in which chiropractic care can help this pain is through a procedure called spinal decompression therapy. What exactly is spinal decompression therapy? As the name indicates it is literally the process of decompressing your spine. "Compression" is great and necessary for some things; your car's engine for example, however not so great for others, such as your spine.
To get a little technical for a second, there are two different kinds of spinal decompression therapy: surgical and nonsurgical.
Nonsurgical spinal decompression helps to gently relieve back pain as well as sciatica (rear or leg pain). It could also be used to treat injured spinal nerves, posterior facet syndrome, or degenerative spinal disk disease. Right in the chiropractor's clinic, he or she will gently stretch the spine by using a computer-controlled device. This alleviates the pressure on the spinal disks. In turn, it might also take the pressure off of nerves and other areas of your spine, which helps promote a healthy body that is able to heal properly. The therapy usually lasts between 30-45 minutes, and you may require up to 28 treatments over several weeks. If you are pregnant, have a tumor, fracture, or metal implants in your spine, then you should not have nonsurgical spinal decompression.
Surgical spinal decompression is another method to relieve pain, weakness, and numbness caused by bony growths, ruptured disks, and other spinal issues. The most common types of surgery include laminotomy, diskectomy, foraminotomy, and osteophyte removal. All of which are just fancy names for the types of spinal decompression performed under surgery. In each type of surgery, bone, bony growths, tissue, or a portion of your spinal disk may be removed to alleviate pressure. However, this procedure is typically only used as a last resort. Therefore, it might be best to explore your options before turning to surgery.
If you're considering spinal decompression therapy, then likely you've been told you need it by a medical professional. No one wakes up one day thinking: "mmmm, I think I'll get surgery on my spine today!" - which leads us to the point that you should feel open and free to ask your Chiropractor the right questions to ensure that you are getting the best possible medical care. Dr. Badyal is a Vancouver Chiropractor with many year's experience in answering just such questions, and he looks forward to answering yours. Give him a call today.
