Spinal Decompression

Back pain is a common malady in the US. Chronic or intense back pain is debilitating enough to disrupt your daily life. Come in to the Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Queens, NY to get non-surgical treatments to eliminate your pain. Spinal decompression is one more tool in a vast toolbox of treatments at Medex. It could be perfect for you. Call the multi-specialty practice to find out.

Your spine consists of 24 vertebral bones that lay on top of each other. Between each of these vertebrae are gel-filled shock-absorbing discs — along with tendons, muscles and ligaments — that provide stability to your whole skeletal frame. Within the spine is your spinal column, the main trunk of your nervous system.

When you start developing back pain, it may be just a pulled muscle. But more often, the pain is due to something in your spinal framework shifting out of alignment. You may experience the pain in other parts of your body, like your hips, instead of or in addition to your back. All pain that originates in your spine can turn chronic, leading to psychological depression.

Your spine physician at the Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Queens, NY offers a range of pain management procedures. While there are surgical procedures to relieve back pain, spinal decompression is often a physical therapy treatment that’s especially effective if the pain’s in your neck or lower back. The process opens up your spine, relieving the pressure at the pain points. It’s proven effective as a non-invasive treatment for relieving pain.

Preventing Back Pain

The Medex doctors advocate prevention first. Be prepared to discuss preventive measures for your back pain to protect your spine or keep your pain from getting worse. Making healthful lifestyle choices minimizes your chances of injuring your back. These changes include:

• Losing weight If you’re obese. Every extra pound puts pressure on your spine when you walk.
• Treating obesity-related diseases. The additional weight makes you susceptible to diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, all of which hinder speedy recovery from injuries.
• Lifting heavy things incorrectly. Use your legs rather than your back. But make sure to bend at the knees to avoid knee pain.
• Quit smoking. Every puff narrows your blood vessels, which leads to many detrimental consequences. Smoking also increases your chances for cardiovascular disease.
• Avoiding sitting or driving for long hours. Take frequent breaks to stretch your spine. Get up and walk around. While some occupations put your spine at risk because of heavy lifting, the jobs that force you to sit for hours at a time are just as dangerous.
• Observing good posture. Be aware of how you walk, stand and sit. Keep your back straight to avoid stressing your lumbar spine. Good posture prevents back pain.
• Doing back-healthy exercises. To keep your spine healthy, warm up before exercising. Ask your Queens physical therapist for exercises that stretch and strengthen your back muscles.

When Should You Consider Spinal Decompression

Nearly 80 percent of Americans complain about back pain at some point in their lives. In fact, back pain has become the number one reason people miss work in the United States. While pain medication, rest and ice packs help to a certain degree, some back problems require a much stronger pain management approach.

You can opt for a surgical procedure to address your back pain, but it’s not usually the first choice to fight back pain. The multi-specialty care facility at the Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center offers non-invasive spinal decompression for medical conditions that include:

• Sciatica, which causes pain, weakness and tingling sensation in your legs
• Bulging discs and herniated discs, where the gel-like substance of the disc irritates a nearby spinal nerve
• Degenerative disc disease, a gradual erosion of your discs that cause them to lose their weight-bearing ability
• Posterior facet syndrome, a condition that develops due to the degeneration or injury of the discs, causing your vertebrae to shift into misalignment
• Radicular pain, which is caused by damaged spinal nerve roots
• Spinal stenosis, a condition that narrows a section of your spinal column, putting stress on the nerves inside

How Spinal Decompression Works

The non-surgical process uses a system of pulls that are calculated by angle and weight. A computer determines the precise, targeted spinal force to apply along your lumbar and cervical spine to release the pressure on the discs. As the distance between the vertebrae increases, a vacuum-like negative force develops in the spinal cord. This negative force:

• Promotes water, oxygen and nutrients to flow back into the discs to increase healing
• Forces the gel from herniated discs back into the hard layer
• Helps degenerative discs regain their former weight-bearing height

Spinal decompression isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of treatment. Your Queens doctor has to input custom parameters on case-by-case basis. And the number of treatment sessions you need depends on the severity of your condition. Contact an experienced physical therapist at the Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center to find out if spinal decompression can relieve your back pain.

We can help you find a doctor. Call (718) 275-8900

Licensed by the state of New York, Medex is an Article 28 diagnostic and treatment center. Our physicians provide comprehensive care for patients of all ages in the Forest Hills, Queens area, for over 15 years. Start receiving expert care now by calling or scheduling an appointment online with one of the skilled specialists.