5 Reasons Spinal Decompression May Be the Solution to Your Chronic Back Pain

Chronic back pain can lead to a significantly reduced quality of life, making it difficult to work, be active, or do things you used to enjoy. If steroid injections or invasive procedures like surgery aren’t right for you, then you could be looking for alternatives. 

At R2 Wellness Centers in Lowell, Indiana, Casey Walker, DC, treats chronic back pain with gentle, effective spinal decompression techniques to relieve pressure and pain and guide the body towards self-healing. See below for more information on chronic back pain, as well as five reasons why spinal decompression might help.

Chronic back pain

Chronic back pain is pain that persists for 12 weeks or longer, even after an injury or other cause of acute back pain has been treated. A few common causes of chronic back pain include:

• Muscle sprains and strains caused by injury or overuse
• Arthritis (most commonly osteoarthritis) or osteoporosis
• Compressed, herniated, or ruptured discs
• Compressed nerves due to any of the above

Compression of the spine

As you age, you become shorter as your spine slowly compresses. If damage is done to the back, this is accelerated. You can see your spine compress even in the course of a day, as you are taller in the morning than you are at night after being vertical all day. 

When your spine is compressed, nerves can get pinched in the back, causing ongoing pain. If the spine can be decompressed, you may experience pain relief and increased mobility.

Spinal decompression therapy

If your back pain is caused by compression, Dr. Walker can perform spinal decompression. This process involves carefully stretching the spine using a traction table. You’ll be awake during this process, and will be able to tell Dr. Walker how your back is feeling the entire time.

If you have chronic low back pain, injections of steroids and pain medication will only mask the symptoms for a time. If you want lasting pain relief and increased mobility, spinal decompression may be your best option. It’s a natural, conservative treatment that provides a better way for your body’s innate healing capabilities to take over and actually help your spine restore itself.

5 reasons why spinal decompression may be your solution to chronic back pain

Spinal decompression is perfect for chronic back pain sufferers because it logically addresses the causes of pain, rather than treating it as a symptom. Here are five things to know about how spinal decompression can help solve your chronic back pain:

1. It creates more space between the bones and discs in your spine. 
2. Widening the spaces in your spine creates a negative intradiscal pressure, allowing the spine to be gently manipulated.
3. Manipulation can change the pressure points, and releases compression on nerves.
4. Lower pressure in the disc allows healing nutrients trapped outside the inner part of your spinal column to flow in and surround the discs.
5. Over time, your spine uses the widened spaces and nutrients to heal itself.

If you want to learn more about traction table spinal decompression and other chiropractic treatments for chronic back pain, contact our office at 219-696-8916, or use the convenient scheduling tool to request an appointment with Dr. Walker.