When seeking help for your lower back pain, it can be difficult to find out what treatment is right for you. You may be unfamiliar with the various treatments and what they entail. Let’s take a look at spinal decompression and chiropractic adjustments to see how these two treatments compare.
Spinal Decompression
What is Spinal Decompression?
Spinal decompression therapy is a technique that’s used to alleviate pain in the back and neck by using traction to release pressure off of compressed spinal discs. It’s a non-invasive form of treatment that addresses pain in the areas of the spine that are compressed.
The goal of the therapy is to stretch the spinal column to release pressure on the spinal nerves. This increases the space between the vertebrae. When the vertebrae are separated, a vacuum is formed that acts like suction to reduce the disc bulge.
Spinal compression can occur when a patient suffers an injury to their back or have a lifetime of poor posture under their belt. Spinal decompression helps to relieve pain that comes from discs being unable to cushion the spine.
During the therapy, a specialized treatment table is used to safely and slowly separate your vertebrae. The experience will be a relaxing one, and the separations will occur in intervals.
While spinal decompression can be used on patients in their 20s to those upwards of 80, it is not recommended for pregnant mothers or those that have undergone spinal fusion.
Chiropractic Adjustment
What Happens During a Chiropractic Adjustment?
During a chiropractic adjustment, a trained chiropractor will use either their hands or a small instrument to apply a controlled force to a spinal joint. You will be lying on a chiropractic table as the chiropractor works on the affected areas on your spine.
When they apply this controlled force, it works to push the joint out of its usual range of motion. Most patients will typically report hearing what sounds like a pop or a crack. Chiropractic adjustments are very effective for patients suffering from low back pain.
A chiropractic adjustment is a great choice for patients that would like to avoid opioid use to decrease their pain. A chiropractic study done in 2019 showed that patients who saw a chiropractor as their initial provider for low back pain had decreased their odds of using opioids to manage their pain levels.
Chiropractic adjustments can help to increase the range of motion and flexibility in patients. An adjustment is great for patients that are newer to the world of chiropractic therapy.
Visit Spine Health & Wellness
Only you and your doctor can decide the best course of treatment to relieve your pain. If you’d like to learn more about what spinal decompression and chiropractic adjustments can do to improve your health, make an appointment with Spine Health & Wellness online.
Due to the current situation, we are currently offering telehealth appointments. You’ll be able to receive a vertical posture assessment done by a licensed chiropractor from the safety of your own home.