Spinal decompression therapy is a way for people with a herniated cervical or lumbar disc to avoid surgery. Patients with neck pain and neck pain radiating down the arm as well as patients with low back pain and low back pain radiating into the leg may benefit from this therapy.
Researchers have found that many adults have excessive spinal loading. This presents a problem because it can predispose the disc to injury and even lead to early degeneration of the discs.
Spinal decompression therapy is designed to decrease the excess loading. There are numerous clinical studies to support that decompression therapy causes the disc space to decompress. One such study, published in Orthopedic Technology Review (Nov-Dec, 2003) looked at patients with herniated and degenerative disc disease. It found that 86% of nearly 220 subjects reported immediate disappearance of symptoms after decompression therapy. A significant number (84%) remained pain-free for 3 months afterward; 92% of the cohort showed varying degrees of physical improvement—those gains were locked in for the vast majority of them 90 days after treatment.
