Dr. Ronald Benson provides spinal decompression, a non-invasive form of traction, as one of a variety of chiropractic services to help patients with back pain.

What is Spinal Decompression?

The concept behind spinal decompression is to relieve pressure on the discs by gently pulling them apart. This helps the disc return to its normal position and increases the flow of nutrients to the disc, which can promote healing. As the disc returns to normal, the pressure on the spinal cord and nerves are relieved, and pain and/or numbness get better. Spinal decompression therapy is usually used for conditions like a herniated disc, spinal arthritis, nerve root pressure or the narrowing of the spinal canal called spinal stenosis.

What is the Treatment Like?

A chiropractor uses a special motorized table to perform spinal decompression therapy. The lower half of the table is moveable and can be adjusted. A special harness placed around the patient's hips is connected to the lower section of the table near the feet. Activating the table makes the bottom section move very gradually and gently so that it applies and releases traction on the spine. Most patients feel the stretch but the treatment does not usually cause pain.

Is Spinal Decompression Effective?

Depending on the individual patient and problem, spinal decompression therapy can be very effective. Some orthopedic surgeons and neuro surgeons will recommend this conservative care before resorting to epidural injections or spine surgery. Some patients don't find it helpful, just as other medical treatments don't always work for every patient. Since the treatment is relatively new, research is limited. The treatment is unlikely to do harm, and the best way to find out if it's right for a particular patient is to try it.