Of the leading causes of medical disability, low back pain is at the head of the list. While most of us have experienced it intermittently in our lives, there are individuals whose pain becomes a debilitating and agonizing chronic condition. For many years the only real solution usually involved long-term use of pain killers, or surgery to eliminate the result of pinched nerves, bulging or herniated spinal discs, arm pain, sciatica, or degenerative spinal disc disease. Fortunately, medical advancements on spinal decompression and back pain have helped develop an entirely new arena of non-invasive treatment.

Spinal decompression treatment is used when nerves become pinched by the vertebra or discs in the spinal column. Approved by the American Food and Drug Association, this is a non-surgically invasive, non-chiropractic therapy. Treatments are received while the patient is lying on a special table, which is connected to a computer. The computer software controls a built-in traction device, and is able to adjust the duration and level of treatment, allowing precision control of the length, angle, and force of distraction.

Standard treatment involves gently strapping the patient to the decompression table. The table is actually a computer-controlled platform, and its movements are not random, but carefully calibrated. The process is designed to create a small elongation of the area that is a source of pain. This method of disc distraction actually makes a small space between the bones that will not pinch or compress nerves, and usually ends existing compression. Most patients require more than one treatment for lasting pain relief.

This type of treatment originated in the late 1980s. It has a success rate ranging from moderate to high, and has provided relief for many people who sought a form of treatment that didn’t involve the need for surgery or daily pain medication. Because it is relatively new, spinal decompression treatment methods are evolving, and are making use of new aspects of therapy that were not previously available.

The earliest decompression devices were tables equipped with a system of pulleys that were software controlled. These tables were somewhat more efficacious than old-fashioned traction devices, but were still limited to a specific amount of pressure. Some patients had difficulty in taking part in this kind of treatment, and the early machines usually did not involve treating the neck, a common source of chronic pain.

In the following years advances in software and table design dramatically improved treatment success. The new and improved systems still employ the principles of controlled traction, but are now able to target back and neck treatment areas more accurately. They are able to speed and slow the rate of joint distraction much more effectively, and can concentrate solely on those spinal segments needing attention.

For most patients there is no additional back pain involved during treatment. And, there are new additions to the treatment table involving what are called gravitational protocols. These protocols use the natural weight of the lower body in helping to stretch a compressed spine into a normal structure. The latest decompression units now incorporate them, adding to the overall scope of treatment.

Today’s bio-technical improvements via advanced software and the inclusion and development of gravitational protocols have increased medical advancements on spinal decompression and back pain. There is no treatment for back problems that can be 100% guaranteed to eliminate pain for everyone, and there are people with specific problems who may not benefit from this method. In the short time these spinal decompression methods have been in use, however, the results have statistically been very good, and have provided new hope for those who seek to eliminate back pain without surgery.

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