Understanding Spinal Decompression Can Add Profits to Your DME Bottom Line

So what is spinal decompression and what does it mean to you as a durable medical equipment supplier?

That's an excellent question. Wikipedia defines spinal decompression as "the relief of pressure on one or many pinched nerves (neural impingement) of the spinal column."

There are two ways to treat neural impingement, surgically and non-surgically. Surgically there are two common procedures called microdidectomy and laminctomy (also known as open decompression). During microdisectomy the herniated portion of a disc is removed by surgical knife or laser under the guide of a microscope. Laminctomy is more invasive and involves the removal of a small portion of the arch of the vertebrae.

For most back pain sufferers, a non surgical approach is by all means the preferred treatment choice.

One of the most effective non surgical solutions to evolve in the last decade is computerized mechanical decompression, usually found at a chiropractor's office. Computerized mechanical decompression is similar to more traditional decompression tables, only the decompression is applied through an on-board computer that controls the force and angle of disc distraction, which reduces the body's natural propensity to resist external force and/or generate muscle spasm.

As a compliment to this treatment, or even in lieu of the treatment, a chiropractor or physician may prescribe the use of a unique spinal brace designed to mimic and/or continue the decompression effect achieved during spinal decompression therapy. This type of brace is called a spinal decompression brace, and selling these braces is where profits for durable medical equipment providers can really come in.

If you have been in the durable medical equipment industry for a while you undoubtedly know about the hundreds of back or spinal braces on the market. But which of those braces provide spinal decompression?

The answer is tricky because, as an unintended but positive side affect, almost all braces may provide some decompression. But when it comes to traditional spinal bracing, decompression is not a primary intention. Traditional braces work by cinching tight in order to prevent movement in the affected area. Their main purpose is immobilization. However, as the intestinal cavity is compressed and the internal organs are forced upward thereby pushing on the upper torso, some minimal lumbar decompression may result. According to proponents of traditional bracing, this "compression" of the intestinal cavity provides sufficient decompression of spine.

There is another option however. A new brace on the market designed specifically to create decompression is rapidly gaining acceptance and popularity. It works by expanding vertically after it is on the patient. It has internal vertical air cell chambers that the user inflates via a hand air pump. As it inflates the brace grows vertically as opposed to constricting inward. It lodges up under the rib cage pushing upwards and down against the pelvic girdle pushing downwards. The resulting "stretch" provides spinal decompression and creates an environment where herniated or bulging discs can distract into the inter-vertebra cavity.

The centers of the discs consist of a jelly-like substance encased in a tough, fibrous outer skin shell. A herniated disc is one where the jelly like substance has erupted through the fibrous skin due to trauma or degenerative disc disease. In most cases this eruption can push on or pinch a nerve in the spinal column and cause severe pain. When proper spinal decompression is achieved and the weight bearing forces are removed from the lumbar area a distractive force is created and the jelly like material of the disc retracts back into its natural shape and position within the vertebrae, reabsorbs the disc fluid it lost when it was compressed, and with time it has the ability to completely heal itself.

A proper understanding of spinal decompression and the remedies available, particularly how spinal bracing comes into play, can mean big profits to you as a durable medical equipment provider.