Until you experience a back disc herniation or sciatica injury, you have no real understanding of how debilitating it can be. Virtually every movement uses one of the back or adjoining muscles in some capacity limiting function. Sciatica may be associated with back pain, and experience of numbness, weakness, leg pain, and reduced functioning of the limbs. Back pain interferes with work, sleep, and relaxation as well. If your injury progresses to the point where the disc material moves into spaces occupied by nerves, you may be offered back surgery as your only option by your traditional medical doctor. However, there are significant risks of never waking from anesthesia (2%), infection, nerve damage, scar tissue formation, permanent numbness or paralysis, etc.).
Traction / distraction treatment has been a time tested therapy that decompresses disc and nerves and speeds recovery. Computerized assisted tables have been the rage of lately. The technology today appears to be a dream come true for those who suffer with compressed disks. Some may say that it is too good to be true, but research indicates that 92% patients report overall improvement; of these, 5% improved 25-50%; 17% improved 50-75%; 70% improved 75-100%. (Gose, Naguszewski & Naguszewski , The Journal of Neurological Research, Volume 20)
Although the technology is great, in our office we still believe that in most cases hands on care is best and the most sensitive in catering treatment specifically to a particular patient or condition. Since the computerized assisted spinal traction tries to target specific areas by change in pelvic angle we are able to provide more specific traction with our hand placement and our Hill Flexion Distraction table coupled with the decompression / traction function. We get ultimate control of the location, angle and traction force. The table still does the work but the treatment specificity, intensity, frequency and duration is constantly monitored and controlled by your doctor not a computer.
If you have tried chiropractic manipulations, physical therapy, drugs, still have pain and do not want to assume the risks associated with back surgery, then spinal decompression is the next logical choice.