Seattle Back Pain Treatments FAQ
Spinal Decompression
If I undergo Spinal Decompression treatment, how long does it take to see results?
Most patients report a reduction in pain after the first few sessions. Typically, significant improvement is obtained by the second week of treatment.
How long does it take to complete Spinal Decompression treatment?
Length of therapy directly correlates with the diagnosis and severity of the patient’s condition. Each treatment takes approximately 15 minutes.
Do I qualify for Spinal Decompression treatment?
Since NWSC began using Spinal Decompression spinal disc decompression unit, we have been inundated with questions from both doctors and patients about which conditions it can help. Obviously, proper patient selection is essential to favorable outcomes, so please review the Inclusion and Exclusion criteria (below) to help determine if you qualify for spinal decompression. Good candidates for the treatment include anyone who has been told they need surgery but wishes to avoid it; anyone who has been told there is nothing more available to help; anyone who failed to significantly respond to conservative options (medications, injury rehabilitation and postural correction, injections, chiropractic, acupuncture); or anyone who still has pain but wishes to obtain the type of care they want.
Spinal Decompression Inclusion Criteria:
- Pain due to herniated and bulging lumbar discs that is more than four weeks old.
- Recurrent pain from a failed back surgery that is more than six months old.
- Persistent pain from degenerated disc not responding to four weeks of therapy.
- Patients available for four weeks of treatment protocol.
- Patient at least 18 years of age.
Spinal Decompression Exclusion Criteria:
- Appliances such as pedicle screws and rods
- Pregnancy
- Prior lumbar fusion less than six months old
- Metastatic cancer
- Severe osteoporosis
- Spondylolisthesis (unstable)
- Compression fracture of lumbar spine below L-1 (recent).
- Pars defect
- Pathologic aortic aneurysm
- Pelvic or abdominal cancer
- Disc space infections
- Severe Peripheral Neuropathy
- Hemiplegia, Paraplegia, or Cognitive Dysfunction
How does Spinal Decompression separate each vertebra and allow for decompression at a specific level?
Decompression is achieved by using a specific combination of spinal positioning and varying the degree and intensity of force. The key to producing this decompression is the gentle pull that is created by a logarithmic curve. When distractive forces are generated on a logarithmic curve the typical proprioceptor response is avoided. Avoiding this response allows decompression to occur at the targeted area.
How does Spinal Decompression treatment differ from ordinary spinal traction?
Traction is helpful at treating some of the conditions resulting from herniated or degeneration. Traction cannot address the source of the problem. Spinal Decompression creates a negative pressure or a vacuum inside the disc. This effect causes the disc to pull in the herniation and the increase in negative pressure also causes the flow of blood and nutrients back into the disc allowing the body’s natural fibroblastic response to heal the injury and re-hydrate the disc. Traction and inversion tables, at best, can lower the intradiscal pressure from a +90 to a +30 mmHg. Spinal Decompression is clinically proven to reduce the intradiscal pressure to between a -150 to -200 mmHg. Traction triggers the body’s normal response to stretching by creating painful muscle spasms that worsen the pain in affected area.
Can Spinal Decompression be used for patients that have had spinal surgery?
In most cases Spinal Decompression treatment is not contra-indicated for patients that have had spinal surgery. In fact many patients have found success with Spinal Decompression after a failed back surgery.
Are there any side effects to the treatment?
Most patients do not experience any side effects. Though, there have been some mild cases of muscle spasm for a short period of time.
Is there any risk to the patient during treatment on Spinal Decompression?
NO. Spinal Decompression is totally safe and comfortable for all subjects. The system has emergency stop switches for both the patient and the operator. These switches (a requirement of the FDA) terminate the treatment immediately thereby avoiding any injuries.
Class IV K-Laser Treatment
Does the K-laser treatment hurt?
During treatment the patient will feel a soothing warmth or mild tingling. Treated areas may be slightly sensitive for a brief time after the procedure.
Are there any risks or side effects from the K-laser?
The healing response is more active after treatment, which may result in mild aggravation of old injuries. This is just a natural healing response to the treatment. There have been no other risks reported with this treatment.
How long does each treatments take?
Five to ten minutes is the average treatment time. Actual treatment time is dependent on the size of the area being treated.
Some acute conditions will need to be treated daily for maximum results which will relieve significant pain. Other chronic conditions respond best when treatments are received 2 to 3 times a week initially. Then your treatments will only be necessary once a week until full benefit is reached.
How many treatments do I need?
Depending on your particular condition some patients respond within 5 treatments. Other chronic conditions may require 10-20 treatments with your pain level decreasing as you are treated. Few conditions require ongoing care to maintain pain relief. These treatments would be periodic and as needed.
How long before I feel results?
Often patients begin to feel a reduction in pain after their first visit. Each treatment compliments the course of care and most patients feel lasting results after just 5 or 6 sessions.
Chiropractic Care
How does Chiropractic care work?
Chiropractic care helps to remove postural imbalances and structural misalignments that can accumulate in our bodies over time. Chiropractic works by restoring your own inborn ability to be healthy. For your body to remain healthy, your nervous system must function well. For your nervous system to function well it must be free of interference. By restoring spinal function with Chiropractic adjustments, nerve interference by misaligned vertebrae is removed, thus allowing optimal nervous system function and improved health.
Subluxation is a term used in the chiropractic field to describe what happens when one of the vertebrae in your spine moves out of position. The word subluxation derives from Latin meaning “somewhat” or “slightly” (sub) and to “dislocate” (luxate).
When this misalignment happens, the distorted vertebra creates pressure and stress on the spinal nerves, blood vessels, and surrounding muscles. This pressure and stress can cause an imbalance in the body’s normal processes as the nerves in the spinal column extend to the entire body and its organs. As time goes on and the uncorrected subluxation settles, the damage to the nerve gets progressively worse as different stages of subluxation degeneration set in.
Subluxations can occur in a number of ways including: a car accident, fall, sudden jar, or trauma. The other occurrence of subluxation comes from regular actions such as improper sleeping position, poor posture, or incorrect lifting processes.
