Friday, January 30, 2015

Facts About Spinal Decompression Shavano Park Patients Will Find Helpful

By Janine Hughes


Pain in the back or neck can range from being a minor annoyance, to a debilitating condition which greatly restricts the activities a person can participate in. People suffering from pain of this sort may get some relief through a procedure known as spinal decompression, which can be done through both surgery and non-surgical means. When considering spinal decompression Shavano Park, TX patients should have a clear understanding of what it involves.

This procedure manipulates the spine's force and position by gently stretching it. Motorized traction is used to accomplish this in the non-surgical method. It relieves pressure from the disks of the spine, making movement easier and less painful, and allowing for more efficient flow of nutrients and oxygen into these tissues, which helps promote healing.

If indicated, both medical doctors and chiropractors will suggest this treatment to their patients who are experiencing persistent pain in the spine due a long-standing disorder or acute pain from an injury. Typically a non-surgical approach will be used first and if this does not help, a surgical technique may be needed. Patients with worn spinal joints, spinal nerve root conditions, sciatica, and herniated or bulging disks have all shown improvement following this procedure.

During the treatment, patients can wear their usual clothes, and will be positioned either face up or down on computer-controlled table. The doctor will secure them by fastening a harness around both the pelvis and upper torso. Decompression is controlled to specifications for the patient's case and it will last between 30 and 45 minutes. It is most often necessary to attend 20 to 28 treatments over a 5 to 7 week length of time. Other therapies may be implemented as well such as electrical muscle stimulation and hot and cold therapy.

If the use of decompression is contraindicated, the physician will take another approach to the patient's pain relief. Certain conditions rule out this type of therapy including advanced osteoporosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, fractures, tumors, metal implants in the spine, and pregnancy.

Back pain resulting from osteophytes, which are bony growths on the spine, or stubborn disk problems which have not improved through non-surgical intervention, may require a surgical approach to remedy it. In particular, those patients who report persistent weakness, pain, tingling, and numbness may experience a positive outcome from surgery which alleviates pressure on the spine's nerves.

The symptoms experienced by the patient will determine which surgical decompression technique is used. It may be necessary to enlarge channels through which spinal nerves travel, or remove a section of bone or disk, or possibly excise an entire spinal disk. Each of these actions is done to reduce pressure and ease pain throughout the spine.

Sometimes the only way to know if a patient will benefit from surgical decompression is for him or her to undergo the operation and simply wait and see. Many will note an improvement and reduction in pain, while others may feel no differently than before the surgery. Much like all forms of surgery, this procedure does carry some risks such as nerve or tissue damage, bleeding, infection, clot formation, and allergic reaction to anesthesia, but these are quite uncommon and it is generally safe.




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