The DOC Spinal Decompression system is our latest, non-surgical treatment for bulged, herniated, slipped and degenerative discs. The DOC spinal decompression system can treat both cervical and lumbar disc disease or injury. Spinal decompression may also benefit patients with sciatica, radiculopathy, chronic neck or back pain. The DOC system allows the patient to be treated face-up (supine) or face-down (prone) for lumbar conditions. The lumbar section has the ability to tilt side to side or it can be torqued or twisted. This allows the doctor to position the patient in the most comfortable position for their condition. Our new decompression machine can vertically raise and lower to allow ease of access even for those with disabilities.
To understand decompression, you might visualize yourself squeezing a water balloon. As you apply pressure the balloon will bulge. When you relax your fingers the balloon resumes its normal shape. It part you might compare decompression as the force of relaxing your fingers, allowing the disc which is full of a gelatinous substance to resume its normal shape. However, decompression does more than this. Decompression creates a vacuum effect on the disc. Your spinal discs are avascular, meaning they do not have an active blood supply. Through wear and tear or from injury the fluids in the disc can diminish over time causing the disc to desiccate or dehydrate. When this process advances it will cause the disc to loose height. A desiccated disc is more easily injured, and is more likely to bulge or herniate. The decompression machine can help pull fluids back into degenerative discs. Decompression may also benefit arthritis of the spine called spondylosis.
The following studies show treatment success along with the number of treatments that were found to be beneficial in those studies.
1. Ryan M. Rosenthal, DC and Igor Russo, DC treated 100 cases with articulating traction and decompression and specific patient posturing showing 95% success with a total of 20 treatments at 5 x a week for two weeks, 3 x a week for two weeks, 2 x a week for two weeks.
2. Valley Neurosurgical Clinic, McAllen, Texas Clinical Associate Professor, Center for Neurosurgical Sciences at the University of Texas, San Antonio, TX USA performed a study titled: “Efficacy of vertebral axial decompression on chronic low back pain: Study of dosage regimen.” 18 visits = 76% success while 9 visits = 43% success.
3. VAX-D Reduces Chronic Discogenic Low Back Pain Linda Pembrook Anesthesiology News, Vol 29, Number 3, March 2003. Vax-D formerly stated a 75% success rate. VAX-D was recommended at 20 visits for a single level disc disease and 30 visits for multilevel disc disease.
DOC Decompression system recommends 5 x a week for two weeks, 3 x a week for two weeks, 2 x a week for two weeks then reevaluate.
Contraindications to decompression treatments include:
1. Pregnancy
2. Surgical spinal implants
3. Spinal cancers
4. Unstable spinal fractures
5. Infection of the spine or discs
6. Aortic Aneurism
7. Advanced spinal osteoporosis