In these pages, I often discuss what a great support chiropractic care is for sports recovery. This post is dedicated to spinal decompression care and how it’s a modern answer to traditional traction.
Don’t stop reading! I know people don’t like that word (traction), but spinal decompression bears little relation to its earlier progenitor.
Let’s look at this handy sports recovery tool employed by chiropractors and see if you might find in it a fit.
Non-surgical and painless.
Let’s get this part out of the way, right now. Spinal decompression care is a non-invasive alternative to procedures like laminectomy and microdiscectomy. It’s much more gentle than earlier forms of traction and so, is completely painless.
Highly effective for neck and low back pain, spinal decompression care may be just what you need to start feeling more like yourself. Let’s find out how it works.
How it works.
Spinal decompression works on the same principles as its earlier incarnation. By creating an environment in the spinal column more conducive to healing, this therapy serves to relieve the pain associated with compression.
Negative pressure created by this treatment allows material protruding from bulging discs to retract. When the gel-like substance in a vertebral disc is under compression, it will sometimes bulge (herniation), causing it to protrude from the hard casing which protects it. This therapy allows it to go back to doing what it does best – protecting your vertebrae from shock.
During treatment, the patient’s spine is gently stretched and then allowed to relax, at intervals, using a motorized table designed for the purpose. This process creates intradiscal pressure (pressure inside the discs). The disc material we talked about above retracts and crucial nutrients required for recovery are permitted to enter. This is believed to speed healing.
With traditional traction, the spine is pulled steadily. Spinal decompression care is intermittent, meaning the pulling action is interrupted by periods of relaxation.
Chiropractic and sports recovery.
Chiropractic care is about much more than cracking your joints. While that’s the popular conception of a chiropractor’s work, those who count on chiropractors to feel their best and to recover from sports injuries know better.
Spinal decompression care is one of the many tools in my toolbox, as a chiropractor. I work with numerous therapeutic models and techniques, used to treat everything from plantar fasciitis, to migraines, to herniated discs.
Chiropractic and sports recovery are natural friends, because the range of therapies available to support healing are numerous. That’s even more true here at Back & Body Medical.
Back & Body Medical.
Back & Body is an innovative, award-winning facility committed to the relief of pain through non-invasive, drug-free methods. Under the disciplines of chiropractic, physical therapy, sports medicine and acupuncture, our team of therapists and doctors builds personalized plans of care that address patients as individuals.
Spinal decompression care – chiropractic and sports recovery is a brief overview of only one of the treatments we offer. If you’re seeking recovery from a sports injury, contact us to find out more.
