Back Pain - How Much Do My Daily Activities Create The Pain?
By Philip V. Cordova, D.C.
Uh oh, it's happened again. You can feel the initial "twinge." That is, you can feel the early warning sign that you low back pain problem is about to come back again. You knew you should have been keeping up with your chiropractic visits and the exercises your doctor gave you, but you just haven't done it.
You feel great most of the time, but you've learned that when you get this feeling, things are about to go downhill...fast. Sometimes you get off easy, just a few over-the-counter remedies and you can get back to work. Sometimes you're going to be spending the weekend putting ice on your back and waiting for the doctor to open up first thing Monday morning.
Worse case is that you'll spend the next couple of weeks trying to get yourself back to feeling not just pain-free, but to the point where you don't feel like things are about to go bad at any point. That's the worse feeling.
So it's somewhere in one of these episodes that you begin to ask yourself, "Why does this keep happening? Is it something I'm doing or not doing?" Most of the time, the answer is "yes!" Now, our bodies are not made out of concrete, and no one can make sure that your back pain will never, ever return again. However, there's plenty that you can do to keep the episodes at bay and keep from feeling bad more often than not.
Let's not even get into some of the preventative measures like regular chiropractic care. Let's just realize that your daily activities are usually what is contributing to your problem. If you sit all day on the computer, then get in your car and sit, and then go home and sit, and then go to sleep and do the whole thing all over again... you're going to have problems.
Some people will do some exercises, but that seems to be primarily made up of sit-ups, walking, and riding their bike. None of these activities will strengthen the spine to any noticeable degree. Certainly nothing that is going to keep that "feeling" from coming back again. Your normal daily activities have a focus on actions that occur in front of you with almost no engaging of the back muscles for anything other than keeping you upright.
If you're going to keep a back problem away, you're going to need to strengthen your back. Taking some time out to follow your doctor's recommendations and perform some regular activity for the sake of your spine will go a long way in keeping things together. Keep the weight down, the stress away, some regular general exercise, and some regular exercise focused on strengthening your spine and you should do okay.
Dr. Philip Cordova is a chiropractor in Houston, Texas. More information about this [http://www.myhoustonchiropractor.com/ title=Houston Chiropractor]Houston Chiropractor can be found on his website at http://www.MyHoustonChiropractor.com
Monday, April 21, 2008
Back Pain - What Is Your Body Telling You When It Creates Pain In Your Back?
Back Pain - What Is Your Body Telling You When It Creates Pain In Your Back?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Merrow]Kathryn Merrow
Back pain is a warning cry.
Your body is trying to tell you that something is wrong, and it wants your help to make it stop!
Your back probably was tolerant for a long, long time while you did things to aggravate it. But there comes a time when a body says, "Enough! Stop hurting me! Let's get back on the road to recovery, already!"
If you don't listen to that message, your pain will get "louder." Now are you listening?
There are several things you can do to begin to reduce your back pain.
Consider getting a professional therapeutic massage. Seek a massage therapist who is familiar with pain syndromes. Get someone who will work where the cause of your pain is, and not just rub where the symptom (the pain) is.
Start a stretching program to loosen areas of muscle tightness in the front of your body. What?! Your pain is in the back of your body? Yes, I'm sure it is. But the muscles in the front of your body are causing your poor back to be overstretched.
Improve the quality of your diet and drink lots of water. Bodies need nutritional support and muscles need to be well hydrated to function their best. If you eat lots of water-filled fruits and vegetables, that counts toward your water intake, too. In fact, if you eat lots of fruits and veggies, you are improving your diet already.
Start an exercise program to strengthen and create balance in your whole torso, especially your back side.
Your body wants to be well and feel good.
Sometimes it just needs a little "tweak" or a little help. It needs someone to massage a tight muscle; figure out the natural, logical cause of your back pain; help you get back into balance; or point out a situation which is causing pain.
A wallet in a man's back pocket, for instance, causes back pain because every time he sits, the wallet presses on one side of his low back. Just on one side, so that little wallet creates a twist in his spine, over and over and over again. Eventually his body says, "Whoa! This isn't working for me anymore!"
How about a woman who carries a large shoulder bag? Perhaps she hikes up the shoulder she carries her bag on, over and over again. Over time this will cause neck and back pain.
What about sitting curled up on the couch, always on the same end of the couch. If we place ourselves in the same position repeatedly, we are creating the same stresses on our body over and over until we end up, eventually, with pain.
Let's work together to figure out ways to reduce or eliminate your pain.
And now I'd like to invite you to discover more ways to relieve your pain naturally at http://www.SimplePainRelief.com Let Kathryn Merrow, The Pain Relief Coach, be your guide to a pain-free life.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Merrow http://EzineArticles.com/?Back-Pain---What-Is-Your-Body-Telling-You-When-It-Creates-Pain-In-Your-Back?&id=1115613
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Merrow]Kathryn Merrow
Back pain is a warning cry.
Your body is trying to tell you that something is wrong, and it wants your help to make it stop!
Your back probably was tolerant for a long, long time while you did things to aggravate it. But there comes a time when a body says, "Enough! Stop hurting me! Let's get back on the road to recovery, already!"
If you don't listen to that message, your pain will get "louder." Now are you listening?
There are several things you can do to begin to reduce your back pain.
Consider getting a professional therapeutic massage. Seek a massage therapist who is familiar with pain syndromes. Get someone who will work where the cause of your pain is, and not just rub where the symptom (the pain) is.
Start a stretching program to loosen areas of muscle tightness in the front of your body. What?! Your pain is in the back of your body? Yes, I'm sure it is. But the muscles in the front of your body are causing your poor back to be overstretched.
Improve the quality of your diet and drink lots of water. Bodies need nutritional support and muscles need to be well hydrated to function their best. If you eat lots of water-filled fruits and vegetables, that counts toward your water intake, too. In fact, if you eat lots of fruits and veggies, you are improving your diet already.
Start an exercise program to strengthen and create balance in your whole torso, especially your back side.
Your body wants to be well and feel good.
Sometimes it just needs a little "tweak" or a little help. It needs someone to massage a tight muscle; figure out the natural, logical cause of your back pain; help you get back into balance; or point out a situation which is causing pain.
A wallet in a man's back pocket, for instance, causes back pain because every time he sits, the wallet presses on one side of his low back. Just on one side, so that little wallet creates a twist in his spine, over and over and over again. Eventually his body says, "Whoa! This isn't working for me anymore!"
How about a woman who carries a large shoulder bag? Perhaps she hikes up the shoulder she carries her bag on, over and over again. Over time this will cause neck and back pain.
What about sitting curled up on the couch, always on the same end of the couch. If we place ourselves in the same position repeatedly, we are creating the same stresses on our body over and over until we end up, eventually, with pain.
Let's work together to figure out ways to reduce or eliminate your pain.
And now I'd like to invite you to discover more ways to relieve your pain naturally at http://www.SimplePainRelief.com Let Kathryn Merrow, The Pain Relief Coach, be your guide to a pain-free life.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Merrow http://EzineArticles.com/?Back-Pain---What-Is-Your-Body-Telling-You-When-It-Creates-Pain-In-Your-Back?&id=1115613
Back Pain Medication - If you suffer from back pain the one thing you want as quick as possible is pain relief. The level of pain felt will vary betwe
Medication For Your Back Pain, Know What You Take
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Richard_Collins]Richard Collins
If you suffer from back pain the one thing you want as quick as possible is pain relief. The level of pain felt will vary between persons, it all depends on the pain tolerance a person has but also on what the cause of the back pain is. Most often you can treat the pain with medication like naproxen or ibuprofen. These are so called non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs. One of the biggest problems with these NSAIDs is that you can get potential side effects like increased risk of heart attack or stroke and/or gastrointestinal bleeding.
When you're looking for medication witch don't have these side effects maybe COX-2 inhibitors are an option. At this moment they haven't shown any negative side effects on the gastrointestinal system. Testing, however, is still continuing because the long term safety still has to be determined. Long term usage of non-sterodial anti-inflammatory drugs can have the increasing potential of gastrointestinal and/or kidney damage. The verdict on COX-2 is still out until the research on long term use is done and the effects are known to us.
Although most of the over the counter drugs don't have the same strength as NAIDs, Acetaminophen has shown some successes as pain medication when it comes to reducing the discomfort of having a back pain, and this all without having the many side effects NIADs have. When muscle spasm is the main cause of the pain there are only a few options in pain medications that can reduce the pain.
Drowsiness is the cause of pain medication
The most prescribed drugs, which are part of a persons back pain medication, are muscle relaxers. About 30% of those users have reported that they become extremely drowse when they take them. Muscle relaxers also have not proved to be very effective against muscle spasms even when they are used together with NAIDs no there was no real benefit shown. Muscle relaxers may be more effective then a placebo but the effects physicians have seen they have on alertness makes them very reluctant to prescribe them.
When a person has acute back pain, in some cases, an opiate medication may be prescribed only they have certain side effects you will have to take in to account. These side effects are sedation, clouded judgment, nausea and not in the least the high potential for addiction. Therefor you will never be allowed to take this type of medication for more then a few days. Constipation is one of the most heard of complaint. All though opiate medication or narcotics as pain medication is very effective for pain relieve they will not help to reduce any of the healing time.
No benefit has been shown of oral steroids being a good medication for back pain and there is also no benefit if taken as an injection in the back or as epidural. When used on sciatica they have been successful but without sciatica it's not known to give any relief as a back pain medication.
Richard Collins knows about back pain first hand. He has seen all kinds of doctors and done all kinds of therapies. On his blog at [http://www.gottabackpain.com/]www.gottabackpain.com he talks about what can be done to alleviate the pain.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Collins http://EzineArticles.com/?Medication-For-Your-Back-Pain,-Know-What-You-Take&id=1109990
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Richard_Collins]Richard Collins
If you suffer from back pain the one thing you want as quick as possible is pain relief. The level of pain felt will vary between persons, it all depends on the pain tolerance a person has but also on what the cause of the back pain is. Most often you can treat the pain with medication like naproxen or ibuprofen. These are so called non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs. One of the biggest problems with these NSAIDs is that you can get potential side effects like increased risk of heart attack or stroke and/or gastrointestinal bleeding.
When you're looking for medication witch don't have these side effects maybe COX-2 inhibitors are an option. At this moment they haven't shown any negative side effects on the gastrointestinal system. Testing, however, is still continuing because the long term safety still has to be determined. Long term usage of non-sterodial anti-inflammatory drugs can have the increasing potential of gastrointestinal and/or kidney damage. The verdict on COX-2 is still out until the research on long term use is done and the effects are known to us.
Although most of the over the counter drugs don't have the same strength as NAIDs, Acetaminophen has shown some successes as pain medication when it comes to reducing the discomfort of having a back pain, and this all without having the many side effects NIADs have. When muscle spasm is the main cause of the pain there are only a few options in pain medications that can reduce the pain.
Drowsiness is the cause of pain medication
The most prescribed drugs, which are part of a persons back pain medication, are muscle relaxers. About 30% of those users have reported that they become extremely drowse when they take them. Muscle relaxers also have not proved to be very effective against muscle spasms even when they are used together with NAIDs no there was no real benefit shown. Muscle relaxers may be more effective then a placebo but the effects physicians have seen they have on alertness makes them very reluctant to prescribe them.
When a person has acute back pain, in some cases, an opiate medication may be prescribed only they have certain side effects you will have to take in to account. These side effects are sedation, clouded judgment, nausea and not in the least the high potential for addiction. Therefor you will never be allowed to take this type of medication for more then a few days. Constipation is one of the most heard of complaint. All though opiate medication or narcotics as pain medication is very effective for pain relieve they will not help to reduce any of the healing time.
No benefit has been shown of oral steroids being a good medication for back pain and there is also no benefit if taken as an injection in the back or as epidural. When used on sciatica they have been successful but without sciatica it's not known to give any relief as a back pain medication.
Richard Collins knows about back pain first hand. He has seen all kinds of doctors and done all kinds of therapies. On his blog at [http://www.gottabackpain.com/]www.gottabackpain.com he talks about what can be done to alleviate the pain.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Collins http://EzineArticles.com/?Medication-For-Your-Back-Pain,-Know-What-You-Take&id=1109990
Monday, February 11, 2008
Got a Slipped Disc? - Try this alternative remedy...
Ozone Nucleolysis Or Ozone Discectomy Is A Non-Operative Intervention For Slipped Disc
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gautam_Das]Gautam Das
Ozone nucleolysis or ozone discectomy is a non-operative intervention slipped disc / disc prolapse & discogenic pain.
Muto suggested intradiscal injection of ozone for disc hernia in 1998 under CT guidance. Leonardi popularized fluoroscopy guided ozone injection into the intervertebral disc. After that, successful outcome has been reported from various European centers. It is very important to note from those reports that complications are remarkably few. Not a single serious life-threatening complication was found even after 300000 cases of Ozone nucleolysis, which stresses the safety of these procedures
How ozone acts? The action of ozone is due to the active oxygen atom liberated from breaking down of ozone molecule. When ozone is injected into the disc the active oxygen atom called the singlet oxygen or the free radicle attaches with the proteo-glycan bridges in the jelly-like material or nuceus pulposus. They are broken down and they no longer capable of holding water. As a result disc shrinks and mummified. So the intradiscal volume and intradiscal pressure is reduced. Thus there is decompression of nerve. It is almost equivalent to surgical discectomy and so the procedure is called ozone discectomy. It is also called ozone nucleolysis or ozonucleolysis. Besides, it has an anti-inflammatory action due to inhibitions of formation of inflammation producing substances and tissue oxygenation is increased due to increased 2,3 diphosphoglycerate level in the red blood cells. All these factors lead to decompression of nerve roots, decreased inflammation of nerve roots, and increased oxygenation to the diseased tissue for repair work.
It is done usually under local anaesthesia. Light general anaesthesia may be administered in apprehensive patients only. The patient is taken to the operation theater lying on prone position. Very fine needle is introduced into the diseased disc under fluoroscopic guidance. The position of needle tip may be confirmed by injecting some small amount of radio-opaque dye. Then some 3-5 cc of oxygen-ozone mixture (at a concentration of 29 microgram/ml.) is injected into the disc. Ozone at this concentration is not all harmful for the surrounded tissue. So if ozone spreads to the surrounded tissues including spinal cord causes no harm. Ozone molecule is not stable. It has a half-life of about 20 minutes only. So, within 20 minutes only half of the original ozone remains, the rest becomes oxygen. Increase in temperature decreases its half-life. For injection it is always freshly prepared on site (from an ozone generator) for immediate administration. Only Ozone resistant syringes can be used for injecting it. While needle with the syringe is taken out some amount of oxygen-ozone mixture is also injected into the paraspinal muscle and para-radicular soft tissue to reduce nerve root inflammation and increased oxygenation of the para-spinal muscles. Some 15 to 30 minutes is required to perform the total procedure depending on the experience of the interventionist.
There are few conditions when this procedure should not be performed. They are active bleeding from any site, pregnancy, G6PD deficiency, active hyperthyroidism, loss of control of urination & defecation, and progressive sensory & motor loss (paralysis).
Ozonucleolysis, ozone nucleolysis or ozone discectomy has a success rate of about 80%. On the other hand surgical discectomy has similar success rate but much higher side effects compared to remarkably few side effects of ozone discectomy. Ozone discectomy is usually a day care procedure and general anaesthesia is not usually required. Total cost of the procedure is much less than that of surgical discectomy. All these facts have made this procedure very popular European countries. It is also gaining popularity in India too due to low cost, less hospital stay, no post-operative discomfort and morbidity and very few side effects. http://www.painindia.net http://www.painindia.net/ozone.php http://www.painindia.net/ozonenucleolysis.php
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gautam_Das http://EzineArticles.com/?Ozone-Nucleolysis-Or-Ozone-Discectomy-Is-A-Non-Operative-Intervention-For-Slipped-Disc&id=975082
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gautam_Das]Gautam Das
Ozone nucleolysis or ozone discectomy is a non-operative intervention slipped disc / disc prolapse & discogenic pain.
Muto suggested intradiscal injection of ozone for disc hernia in 1998 under CT guidance. Leonardi popularized fluoroscopy guided ozone injection into the intervertebral disc. After that, successful outcome has been reported from various European centers. It is very important to note from those reports that complications are remarkably few. Not a single serious life-threatening complication was found even after 300000 cases of Ozone nucleolysis, which stresses the safety of these procedures
How ozone acts? The action of ozone is due to the active oxygen atom liberated from breaking down of ozone molecule. When ozone is injected into the disc the active oxygen atom called the singlet oxygen or the free radicle attaches with the proteo-glycan bridges in the jelly-like material or nuceus pulposus. They are broken down and they no longer capable of holding water. As a result disc shrinks and mummified. So the intradiscal volume and intradiscal pressure is reduced. Thus there is decompression of nerve. It is almost equivalent to surgical discectomy and so the procedure is called ozone discectomy. It is also called ozone nucleolysis or ozonucleolysis. Besides, it has an anti-inflammatory action due to inhibitions of formation of inflammation producing substances and tissue oxygenation is increased due to increased 2,3 diphosphoglycerate level in the red blood cells. All these factors lead to decompression of nerve roots, decreased inflammation of nerve roots, and increased oxygenation to the diseased tissue for repair work.
It is done usually under local anaesthesia. Light general anaesthesia may be administered in apprehensive patients only. The patient is taken to the operation theater lying on prone position. Very fine needle is introduced into the diseased disc under fluoroscopic guidance. The position of needle tip may be confirmed by injecting some small amount of radio-opaque dye. Then some 3-5 cc of oxygen-ozone mixture (at a concentration of 29 microgram/ml.) is injected into the disc. Ozone at this concentration is not all harmful for the surrounded tissue. So if ozone spreads to the surrounded tissues including spinal cord causes no harm. Ozone molecule is not stable. It has a half-life of about 20 minutes only. So, within 20 minutes only half of the original ozone remains, the rest becomes oxygen. Increase in temperature decreases its half-life. For injection it is always freshly prepared on site (from an ozone generator) for immediate administration. Only Ozone resistant syringes can be used for injecting it. While needle with the syringe is taken out some amount of oxygen-ozone mixture is also injected into the paraspinal muscle and para-radicular soft tissue to reduce nerve root inflammation and increased oxygenation of the para-spinal muscles. Some 15 to 30 minutes is required to perform the total procedure depending on the experience of the interventionist.
There are few conditions when this procedure should not be performed. They are active bleeding from any site, pregnancy, G6PD deficiency, active hyperthyroidism, loss of control of urination & defecation, and progressive sensory & motor loss (paralysis).
Ozonucleolysis, ozone nucleolysis or ozone discectomy has a success rate of about 80%. On the other hand surgical discectomy has similar success rate but much higher side effects compared to remarkably few side effects of ozone discectomy. Ozone discectomy is usually a day care procedure and general anaesthesia is not usually required. Total cost of the procedure is much less than that of surgical discectomy. All these facts have made this procedure very popular European countries. It is also gaining popularity in India too due to low cost, less hospital stay, no post-operative discomfort and morbidity and very few side effects. http://www.painindia.net http://www.painindia.net/ozone.php http://www.painindia.net/ozonenucleolysis.php
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gautam_Das http://EzineArticles.com/?Ozone-Nucleolysis-Or-Ozone-Discectomy-Is-A-Non-Operative-Intervention-For-Slipped-Disc&id=975082
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Back Pain - Herniated Disc Treatments
Herniated Disc Treatments - A Safer, More Effective Option
By George Best
Herniated disc sufferers have traditionally had the treatment options of medication, physical therapy, spinal injections, and/or surgery, and because of the limited effectiveness of these approaches, many simply have had to learn to live with the pain. But a new option is now available and while not appropriate or effective for every person with a herniated disc, it does represent a huge leap in effectiveness and safety in treating herniated discs.
Spinal decompression is a new form of spinal traction. Regular traction has been used for a number of years to treat herniated discs, unfortunately with poor results in many cases, and with symptom aggravation occurring in some cases. The problem with regular traction is that it activates the body's muscle guarding response and can trigger muscle spasm, which produces pain and may even result in increased pressure on herniated discs.
Spinal decompression has solved these problems though. Although still technically traction machines, true spinal decompression systems pull very slowly and gradually in order to keep the muscles relaxed and avoid triggering spasm. In addition, the more advanced of the spinal decompression systems also have computer-controlled motors and have sensors to measure the body's resistance to treatment. If the body's muscles begin to contract and resist the treatment, the system will immediately reduce its pull and the body's muscles will relax again. The most advanced of these systems can respond to what the body is doing in an amazing 1/17th of a second. Since the body's reactions take place in approximately 1/5th of a second, these advanced spinal decompression systems can modify treatment before the muscles can spasm, allowing for comfortable herniated disc relief.
This ability to avoid the body's muscle spasm response allows spinal decompression systems to dramatically lower the pressure within a herniated disc. In fact, disc pressure is actually dropped into the negative pressure range, creating a suction that pulls the bulging disc material back towards the center of the disc and away from sensitive nerves. An additional effect is that nutrients and fluid are pulled into the disc to stimulate disc healing. Over time and repeated treatments, the herniated disc material is pulled back in, and the healing of the disc provides stabilization of the outer wall of the disc to prevent further bulging.
The frequency and duration of spinal decompression treatment will vary depending on the age and condition of the patient, the severity of the herniated disc, and the number of herniated discs. Spinal decompression can be used in both the lumbar and cervical spine very effectively.
Statistically, spinal decompression with the more advanced machines, and with appropriate patient selection has a success rate of 80-90%, and of those who are successfully treated, the results hold up well long-term in most cases. Given the success rate and the fact that the most common side-effect is some temporary post-treatment muscle soreness, spinal decompression is often the best option in herniated disc treatment.
Unfortunately, there has been a tendency toward overly aggressive advertising and hype, and in some cases, inappropriate application of spinal decompression in recent years by some health care practitioners. This has led to unrealistic expectations by patients and actions by regulatory agencies on advertising claims, leading to a damaged reputation for spinal decompression. While spinal decompression does represent a major advance in the treatment of herniated discs, it is not a cure-all, it is not 100% effective, and it is not appropriate for every patient.
Spinal decompression, when used appropriately, does produce enough improvement and disc healing in the vast majority of cases to allow patients to resume normal lives and return to most activities (even playing golf or tennis and working in the yard), but it does not restore a herniated disc to 100% normal. No treatment can. Even the still-experimental disc replacement surgery does not restore the spine to a normal condition and future back problems following disc replacement are to be expected. Overwork, poor posture, or failure to use good bending and lifting techniques can set the stage for a recurrence of disc problems no matter how good the results of treatment are initially.
With appropriate patient selection and by giving patients realistic expectations, spinal decompression providers can supply a very safe and effective treatment option for those with a herniated disc.
Dr. George Best provides spinal decompression in the San Antonio, Texas area. For additional resources concerning herniated discs, sciatica, or other degenerative disc disease, please visit his herniated disc website.
Article Source: EzineArticles, Herniated-Disc Treatments
By George Best
Herniated disc sufferers have traditionally had the treatment options of medication, physical therapy, spinal injections, and/or surgery, and because of the limited effectiveness of these approaches, many simply have had to learn to live with the pain. But a new option is now available and while not appropriate or effective for every person with a herniated disc, it does represent a huge leap in effectiveness and safety in treating herniated discs.
Spinal decompression is a new form of spinal traction. Regular traction has been used for a number of years to treat herniated discs, unfortunately with poor results in many cases, and with symptom aggravation occurring in some cases. The problem with regular traction is that it activates the body's muscle guarding response and can trigger muscle spasm, which produces pain and may even result in increased pressure on herniated discs.
Spinal decompression has solved these problems though. Although still technically traction machines, true spinal decompression systems pull very slowly and gradually in order to keep the muscles relaxed and avoid triggering spasm. In addition, the more advanced of the spinal decompression systems also have computer-controlled motors and have sensors to measure the body's resistance to treatment. If the body's muscles begin to contract and resist the treatment, the system will immediately reduce its pull and the body's muscles will relax again. The most advanced of these systems can respond to what the body is doing in an amazing 1/17th of a second. Since the body's reactions take place in approximately 1/5th of a second, these advanced spinal decompression systems can modify treatment before the muscles can spasm, allowing for comfortable herniated disc relief.
This ability to avoid the body's muscle spasm response allows spinal decompression systems to dramatically lower the pressure within a herniated disc. In fact, disc pressure is actually dropped into the negative pressure range, creating a suction that pulls the bulging disc material back towards the center of the disc and away from sensitive nerves. An additional effect is that nutrients and fluid are pulled into the disc to stimulate disc healing. Over time and repeated treatments, the herniated disc material is pulled back in, and the healing of the disc provides stabilization of the outer wall of the disc to prevent further bulging.
The frequency and duration of spinal decompression treatment will vary depending on the age and condition of the patient, the severity of the herniated disc, and the number of herniated discs. Spinal decompression can be used in both the lumbar and cervical spine very effectively.
Statistically, spinal decompression with the more advanced machines, and with appropriate patient selection has a success rate of 80-90%, and of those who are successfully treated, the results hold up well long-term in most cases. Given the success rate and the fact that the most common side-effect is some temporary post-treatment muscle soreness, spinal decompression is often the best option in herniated disc treatment.
Unfortunately, there has been a tendency toward overly aggressive advertising and hype, and in some cases, inappropriate application of spinal decompression in recent years by some health care practitioners. This has led to unrealistic expectations by patients and actions by regulatory agencies on advertising claims, leading to a damaged reputation for spinal decompression. While spinal decompression does represent a major advance in the treatment of herniated discs, it is not a cure-all, it is not 100% effective, and it is not appropriate for every patient.
Spinal decompression, when used appropriately, does produce enough improvement and disc healing in the vast majority of cases to allow patients to resume normal lives and return to most activities (even playing golf or tennis and working in the yard), but it does not restore a herniated disc to 100% normal. No treatment can. Even the still-experimental disc replacement surgery does not restore the spine to a normal condition and future back problems following disc replacement are to be expected. Overwork, poor posture, or failure to use good bending and lifting techniques can set the stage for a recurrence of disc problems no matter how good the results of treatment are initially.
With appropriate patient selection and by giving patients realistic expectations, spinal decompression providers can supply a very safe and effective treatment option for those with a herniated disc.
Dr. George Best provides spinal decompression in the San Antonio, Texas area. For additional resources concerning herniated discs, sciatica, or other degenerative disc disease, please visit his herniated disc website.
Article Source: EzineArticles, Herniated-Disc Treatments
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