Spinal Decompression Centennial, CO

What Spinal Decompression Does

Spinal decompression slightly pulls the vertebrae apart to take the tension off the disc joints and the nerves that run through your low back. The pain starts when there is no longer space between vertebrae. With decompression, it creates space and removes anything that presses on the disc.

When a disc bulges or herniates, part of the disc bulges out and pushes on a nerve, causing pain. Decompression draws that part of the disc back toward the center of the disc to stop irritating the nerve. It also helps settle down a herniation or bulging. Dr. Nicholas does it in a slow, controlled stretch. It is not a yank movement. The muscles around the spine do not fight the stretch but relax into it.

To know more about herniated discs, please check the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus encyclopedia.

Even if you do not have a blown disc, decompression can relieve your back that is plain tight. This treatment can alleviate your low back pain if it has no real space in it for many years.

Here are its benefits:

• Non-surgical therapy, no medicines, and you will be fully clothed.
• Eases the pressure off the compressed discs and the nerve roots surrounding them.
• Each session is around 20 minutes long.
• It can work well with chiropractic biophysics adjustments and SoftWave therapy.

Who Spinal Decompression Helps

Spinal decompression is ideal if you have a compressed disc, a herniated disc, a degenerative disc, or a low back that stays locked even with exercise and other therapy. It also relieves sciatic pain and pain that runs down your leg. A lot of leg pain starts at a disc in the low back that presses on a nerve.

• Herniated and Bulging Discs
• Bulging Discs
• Sciatica
• Arm and Leg Pain
• Auto Accident Injuries
• Low Back Pain
• Neck Pain
• Whiplash
• Work Injuries

If your pain is the result of a car accident, this therapy may be recommended later in the plan, instead of day one. This type of case usually starts with documentation and motion X-rays. To know how we handle this type of pain, please visit our auto accident page.

What a Spinal Decompression Session Looks Like at Our Centennial Office

• 1 Spinal decompression starts with Dr. Tony conducting an in-depth examination of your history and your actual complaint.
• 2 X-rays are taken so the chiropractor can see what is going on inside your spine. This is where he decides whether decompression can be added to your plan.
• 3 When it is decided that decompression is ideal for your case, you will lie down on the Chattanooga table. Throughout the session, you will be fully clothed while on the table.
• 4 Once you are fitted with a padded harness, the table stretches and releases in cycles for 20 minutes. The harness is necessary so the pull lands where it should be.
• 5 During the session, you can relax. Some patients even fall asleep.

Depending on your case, your therapy may also include an adjustment, dry needling for the neck, or SoftWave therapy to deal with the tissue around the area being healed.

How Spinal Decompression Feels

Spinal decompression is painless. It may surprise you. However, it is the getting up part that you need to be aware of.

The moment you stand, you can expect a tight, stiff feeling, especially during the first two sessions. It can be a little more uncomfortable than during the treatment. But the stiffness wears off afterward. The more sessions you do, the less you feel the stiffness. You will not notice the tightness during your third or fourth visit.

How Many Visits Will You Need?

The number of visits for your spinal decompression will depend on your complaint and how long you have had it. If you have been complaining about it for years, then the visits can take longer.

Acute pain

If it is an acute back or structural problem, your care can run up to three times a week. The goal is for you to be out of pain.

Structural correction

When the pain is gone, your visits drop to one to two times a week if you want to resolve the underlying structure and not just the symptoms. It is your decision. But remember that even if you are out of pain, you may still not be fully healed.

Regardless of your decision, you will undergo re-evaluation every week. The plan can change depending on how your condition changes. Thus, if Dr. Tony told you to have 12 visits but your case is not improving after the 10th visit, you will be referred out.

Does Spinal Decompression Work?

Spinal decompression does not work for everyone. When you follow through with his recommended plan, the success rate is roughly 90%. If the treatment does not work, the most common cause is that the patient gives up before completing the recommended number of sessions. This usually happens when the patient gets impatient and tired of dealing with the pain.

Thus, before you start the session, make sure that you completely understand that the first two visits are the hardest part of the therapy. This is where most patients quit. But if you can endure the stretches every session, your success rate is higher. You can read what other patients have said on our testimonials page.

What Spinal Decompression Costs and How You Can Pay for It

The cost of spinal decompression is another issue that our new patients worry about. This treatment is inexpensive compared to the pain you are dealing with. At Centennial, we accept all insurance except Medicaid. We also take HSA and FSA cards, CareCredit, Cherry, cash, and credit cards.

We also provide payment plans. Some plans come with no interest. This is to ensure that you get the proper care that you need.

During your first consultation with our chiropractor, you will know your treatment options. You can start with the $29 new patient exam and treatment so you will know what is causing your back pain, and you can decide from there. See our payment plans page for more details.

When to Get Medical Care Before Going to a Chiropractor

Not all back pain is a chiropractic case. If you experience the following symptoms, make sure to seek medical care first:

• You are losing control of your bowel and/or bladder function.
• You cannot move.
• The pain is 10 out of 10, and you can no longer endure it.
• The pain started with major trauma and your doctor has not ruled out a fracture or dislocation.
• You feel a new weakness in a leg or some numbness that spreads into your face.

When these serious issues are ruled out, you can come and visit Dr. Tony because spinal decompression might just be the right treatment for you.

Spinal Decompression FAQs