Phoenix, Arizona Spinal Decompression

The first few days of an acute low back pain injury can be very painful. The following recommendations can be utilized to help decrease your discomfort, however a long term strategy must be undertaken to ensure it doesn’t return.

First don’t stay in bed for more than three days and less if you can. Studies show bed rest actually is very detrimental to the healing process and causes massive amounts of muscle loss.

Begin movements as soon as possible. Research shows that early activation of muscles in the spine is a key part of faster recovery.

In the first few days ice can be a good modality to use, just make sure to use a barrier between the ice and your skin ( like a cloth or towel) and only use it for 20 minutes at a time. A recent study also suggested compressed heat is another good early intervention in the early stages of the injury.

If after a few weeks you are still suffering, an MRI may be ordered if the clinic examination findings suggest you have something more serious like a herniated, bulging or degenerative disc.

What is a herniated, bulging or degenerative disc?

A normal disc is made up of essentially 2 materials a soft inner substance and a more dense layer of cartilage type tissue. A herniated or bulging disc is when the the softer material breaks through the outer fibers and causes pain or nerve compression. A degenerative disc is when both structures begin to wear out and the disc loses height. When this happens nerve compression can occur as well as bony arthritis.

The intervertebral discs lack a direct blood supply and must rely on the blood flow into the bones above and below. It receives this nutrition through osmosis and movement as long as the disc is healthy.

Once a disc becomes injured it loses it’s ability to actually get the nutrition it needs, because of it’s inability to maintain adequate levels of hydration. Once this occurs accelerated disc damage occurs and the result is a herniated, bulging or degenerative disc.

Due to the lack of a direct blood supply to the disc there is only one treatment option that actually can reestablish a healing environment to the disc and that is Spinal Decompression. It does this through a comprehensive computer system that draws in fluid and nutrition and any herniated or bulging material by creating a vacuum inside the disc space.