Can Disc Decompression Therapy Guarantee Results?

The answer is no. Due to complexity of the human body medical treatment can never guarantee a 100% result. Whether you have surgery, epidural injections, exercises, chiropractic adjustments, or disc decompression therapy (more commonly called spinal decompression), all treatments have successes and all treatments have failures. Disc decompression is "likely effective" to reduce lower back pain and/or leg pain and neck and/or arm pain and increase your activities of daily living without spinal injections, drugs, or surgery.

Not that long ago when a disc was injured it would die a slow death causing intermittent, ongoing episodes of pain, and hopefully you would out run the surgeons knife. Spinal decompression therapy is designed to help the disc rehydrate, repair the damage cartilage, and restore the function of the herniated disc. It is the best treatment to help an injured disc to heal.

The best way to assure a good result with spinal decompression is:

1) Find a doctor who is knowledgeable, experienced, and certified in spinal decompression.
2) Proper patient selection and exclusion of patients who would not respond well to treatment is essential for successful treatment.
3) Some research studies have success levels ranging from 80-90%. However, be aware treatment success can vary from doctor to doctor and the success levels an individual doctor may have can vary from time to time and patient to patient.

You can improve your chances of successful treatment with proper doctor and patient selection. Over all spinal decompression is safe and likely effective to help you resolve your disc injuries and regain the life you have been missing.

Don't suffer with neck pain, arm pain, lower back pain, and leg pain. Disc decompression therapy is extremely safe, non-surgical, cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), likely effective, and affordable.

How To Fix A Herniated Disc?

So what is a herniated disc you may ask? Well, let's go back to a bit of anatomy about discs, specifically lumbar discs, because they are easier to understand.

Basically there are 2 parts to a lumbar disc. There is the inner jelly-like part called the nucleus and then there is the tough outer part called the annulus. The discs in the lumbar or lower back area are described in text books as a shock absorbers. They take the weight of the body because they are located in between the lumbar vertebral bodies, contribute to the height of the spine and are very important for the overall movement of the spine.

Because our lifestyles involve a lot of sitting and bending this means the posterior or back section of the annulus can develop fissures or small tears in it. This then creates an opening for the jelly-like nucleus to move into. Depending on the length of the fissure in the annulus, the nucleus can move a little or a lot.

Now the outer 1/3 of a lumbar disc has a nerve supply which means if the fissure in the annulus extends into this section it can become painful. If the nucleus moves down into this fissure it can then causes more pain...

So how can you relieve the stress and strain placed on the posterior section of the annulus and stop the fissures in the first place? Well, basically it is all about posture. The lower back has a natural curve or hollow. It is very important to sit tall and place a rolled towel or McKenzie lumbar roll in the small of the back. You need to place the roll basically at your belt or waist level. If you can use a roll most of the time this will take the stress and strain off the back section of the disc and prevent a tear or herniated disc developing in the first place.

Tilt Tables For Testing And Therapy - Offering Comfort, Strength And Support

A bed that enables you to stand without exerting much pressure on yourself, a bed that protects your back and any part of the body from excessive strain while shifting positions of relaxation from sleeping to standing, this bed is known as a tilt table. Tilt tables are popularly used in several hospitals, physical therapy centers as well as at homes wherever required.

You must have heard of a test known as the tilt table test which doctors use to diagnose patients who have a fainting sickness. Syncope is a condition where a person loses consciousness precisely due to a significant drop in blood pressure. This drop is mostly caused by a change in position, usually from a sitting or sleeping position to a standing one. A tilt table test is extremely helpful in identifying this condition effectively.

The patient sleeps in a relaxed manner on the tilt table which resembles a cozy bed. Velcro safety straps are then fixed firmly and securely on the patient. These do not hurt and are comfortable yet secure enough. The patient is then moved from a sleeping position to a standing position and they then test the blood pressure as well as the heart condition and compare the two to see changes taking place in the body due to this movement.

Movement on the tilt table is comfortable and secure. This is also used in physical therapy where patients suffering from vertebral accidents or injury or pain can experience a change in position at a comfortable level and forms a part of their therapy for improvement. These tables come in various forms and are popularly used in therapy and rehab because they are specifically designed for such purposes and available in the market.

A tilt table is available in both manual as well as electric forms. They are sturdy and strong enough to handle the weight of heavier patients and function without any hindrance. The straps and cushioning varies according to the product and you can choose one with most comfort and strength. Foot pads are also available and standing for longer durations are less of a discomfort if you buy the right one. The price ranges from $1500 to $5000 depending on other features offered as well as quality and purpose of use.

Tilt tables today offer improved comfort, motion and monitoring indicators that allow for a comfortable use as well as productive instruments for therapy. All you need to do is choose the right one suited to your particular requirements.

Spinal Disc Decompression - Effective Treatment For Your Back

Every adult living in the 21st century should recognize that almost everyone at some point in their lives suffers from back pain because of physical activity, old age, and sports or job related injuries. Traditional remedies like painkillers, expensive and risky back surgeries or just dealing and living with the pain are not the only available choices today. The latest medical advances improving the quality of life of many people is the painless, non-surgical, and less costly and FDA approved spinal disc decompression technology. Clinical research and discovery have revealed that this painless advanced treatment has an 86% success ratio.

What types of back pain and spinal diseases can be treated by Spinal Disc Decompression?

Ailments that can be treated using spinal decompression are herniated discs, degenerative spinal disc diseases, sciatica, protruding discs, posterior facet or joint syndrome and unsuccessful back and neck surgeries.

Discovery of the Vacuum Effect and History of Spinal Disc Decompression

How did the revolutionary idea of spinal disc decompression come about? NASA scientists found a common occurrences among their astronauts who were suffering from back pain. Everyone reported their circumstances to have improved after a space mission. After some investigation, the scientists concluded that the improvement in their conditions was due to the lack of pressure on the spine while in space. Instead there was a decompression or negative pressure that softly shifted or moved the herniated disc back in place which decreased the pain brought about by the pressure of the protruding discs on the spinal nerves. The vacuum effect also multiplied the flow of blood rich with nutrients, oxygen, and water from the outside of the spinal discs to go inside, thus allowing the spinal discs to recover by itself.

So how do you recreate this vacuum effect here on earth? Dr. Allen Dyer, the inventor of the cardiac defibrillator, that saves heart attack victims all over the world, also invented the spinal disc decompression treatment table in 1987. He developed a technology that superseded ineffective conventional traction tables which do not create any decompression or vacuum effect but just extends the muscles and spine. Dr. Dyers, engineering invention recreated the vacuum effect needed by the spinal discs to mend. In 1996, his design was acknowledged by the United States FDA as risk-free and effective.

How does Spinal Disc Decompression Therapy Work?

The patient is firmly strapped on a computer controlled spinal decompression table. The doctor enters personalized treatment dependent on his findings which may include verification from MRI results. The machine then places the body and applies force to create a spinal decompression that will release the pressure affecting the spinal discs and nerves. The negative pressure also enables the herniated disc to finally retract into its natural position. This negative pressure also forces the oxygen and nutrient rich blood to flow inside the spinal discs and facilitate natural healing.

Depending on the severity of the situation, an average of twenty to twenty-eight treatments are required over a period of one or two months to receive the full benefits of the therapy. Treatment only takes thirty to forty-five minutes. Spinal disc decompression therapy is also accompanied by hot or cold compresses to speed up the healing of the back injury. The patient is likewise advised to have re-hydration therapy or to drink lots of water, modify his diet and consider having nutrition and vitamin supplements, and execute recommended physical workouts to beef up the back and promote quicker healing.

Revolution in Spinal Disc Decompression Technology

The machine has been refined since the late 80s. In 2000, a machine was developed to also treat neck problems and to make the treatment process more comfortable for patients. Presently, the cutting-edge technological innovation in spinal disc decompression is the Articulating Spinal Decompression or Range-of-Motion (ROM) spinal decompression treatment table which allows the doctor to change or make adjustments to the spinal posture of the patient while the decompression process is ongoing. The increased ability to adjust or vary the position of the spine allows for the distraction or pulling forces of the decompression to get deeper into areas of the spinal discs and tissues, that previous versions of spinal decompression machines cannot reach.

As technology improves, many people suffering from back pain can be helped through a safe, non-invasive and less costly spinal disc decompression therapy. However, more intensive research needs to be carried out to ensure continued effectiveness on whether it does completely replace or just postpone back pain surgeries. However, for citizens of industrialized countries whose senior population are more active and are living longer nowadays, and any surgical operation is life threatening; the benefits of the innovations in spinal disc decompression technology can only be regarded as a genuinely positive medical innovation of the modern times.

The Basics Of Opioid Withdrawal

When one is dependent on opioids, withdrawal can start simply hours after taking one's last dose. One may experience diarrhea, vomiting, insomnia, restlessnes, or muscle and bone pain. In the majority of cases, the biggest withdrawal symptoms are worst by seventy two hours and eventually subside over the next 5 to 7 days.

Withdrawal mediated pain is when one's pain returns even more intensely as the opioids wear off. The opioids help with pain initially, then during withdrawal the effects of the medication not only wear off, but then go the other way.

For some individuals who take narcotics, they get a burst of energy. People may spend more time cleaning the house, car, completing chores. The pain is lessened by the narcotics, but the medications also have an effect on other neurotransmitters such as dopamine. After narcotics are stopped, a lowered energy level may result with substantial incapacitating fatigue.

In addition to relieving physical pain, opioids diminish emotional pain. One may find they are taking the prescriptions for anxiety, irritability, fear, or depression. Studies have shown that the rate of major depression is directly related to how much pain a person feels. The more pain experienced, the higher the depression symptoms.

Many patients on narcotics develop tolerance, which is a state of adaptation where exposure to a drug induces changes that result in a lessening of the drug's effects over time. So then it requires more of the medication to have the same initial effect.

Opioid induced hyperalgesia is a condition that can result from long term opioid use. It represents a heightened perception of pain and can make one feel worse with more pain sensation. The solution to this problem is a decrease or discontinuation of the medication which should be accomplished under medical supervision. The discontinuation can result in less pain than while on the medications.

Additional problems seen with opioid therapy may include a lessened immune system, disruption of one's sleep cycle, and sexual dysfunction.

Stopping narcotics will entail a withdrawal phase for one to two weeks, and one's energy level will be "off" for a while. Dysphoria may set in which can include irritability, low energy, and depressed mood.

The best way to get off of narcotics is typically a medically managed situation where it's a slow weaning. For many, heavy withdrawal symptoms last for 3 to 5 days. It will go away, die down, and disappear eventually.

Five Things To Know About RadioFrequency Ablation

Radiofrequency ablation is not performed under general anesthesia. An important advantage of RF current (over previously used low frequency AC or pulses of DC) is that it does not directly stimulate nerves and can therefore often be used without the need for general anaesthetic. Patients sometime receive IV sedation for pain relief during the procedure.

Here are 5 RFA facts.

1) It has nothing to do with listening to the radio - the current utilized is in the same wavelength as radio signals, however the current is focused into the specific problem area. Radiofrequency machines do not have FM radios attached to them.

2) It can actually hurt more right afterwards than before - Radiofrequency ablation procedures can provide pain relief for up to two years. However one thing commonly seen is pain exacerbation immediately after the procedure. Typically this will resolve over the ensuing weeks with the intended pain relief following. Patients need to be appraised of the potential exacerbation so when it happens they are ready for it and expect it.

3) Pain relief can last for over a year - Pain relief from an rhizotomy can be long lasting upwards of one to two years. The tiny nerve endings that are causing the pain in the facet joints are deadened with the procedure. These will eventually regenerate, and then the procedure may be repeated.

4) A diagnostic injection is necessary prior to proceeding with an RFA - In order to receive insurance approval for the procedure, it is necessary to show that an injection helped over 50% for pain relief. If it works and then wears off, an RF procedure is indicated.

5) It is the most modern treatment available for facet related pain - This is true. Nonsurgically RFA remains the newest, best option available for long term pain relief

Spinal Decompression Treatment Machine Or Inversion Therapy Tables

Spinal decompression treatment consists of several techniques. All treatment techniques utilize several methods and different equipments are used to decompress the spine, increase space between the vertebrae to allow enough blood and oxygen to get through continuously and to reduce the tension and pressure on the spine and disc. Spinal decompression is recommended to people suffering from sever back pain, nerve pain and all other spine and disc diseases which can be degenerative in nature or due to postural dysfunction.

Spine decompression techniques include the latest methods of using spinal decompression machine and inversion tables. The question would be: Which one would be the most effective method of treatment? And which one will you choose?

Using a spinal decompression machine like the DRX9000 can be the most accurate method of decompressing spine because the machine itself is computerized and could estimate the amount of traction needed to guarantee the best results. The treatment is called as spine decompression therapy. It is popular just like inversion therapy which utilizes an inversion table. An inversion table is used in inversion therapy which is also a method of treating spine decompression through inversion. Inversion or hanging upside down using the inversion table provides a certain amount of traction to the spine allowing it decompress. They are both great options for the treatment of spinal compressions however each one has its own disadvantages as well. Spinal decompression therapy and the machine used are very expensive. If you can get a 300 dollar inversion table, you will have to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars for DRX9000 or any other spinal decompression machine made. Of course, such a great computerized machine will surely cost much. An inversion table is cheaper but it is not computerized so it cannot determine the amount of pull that your condition need. With this, there is the risk that you might over do the traction which can be harmful and if you under do it, inversion might be less effective.

Your choice between these two will now depend on your needs and your budget. Reviews online will also help you determine which one is more effective however statements can be confusing so it will be much better to consult your doctor and ask him which therapy and therapy equipment is best for you.