Spinal Decompression Specialist

What is spinal decompression?

Spinal decompression is a type of motorized traction that’s used to relieve back pain. Spinal decompression gently stretches out your spine, creating negative pressure in your spinal discs, which are the gel-like cushions in between your spinal vertebrae.

Eagle Harbor Health offers non-surgical spinal decompression which is optimized through the use of the DOC decompression table. This technology is computer-assisted to gently and comfortably create a separation of the spinal discs and joints to alleviate and aid in the repair of injuries such as disc herniations, bulge, spinal stenosis, and chronic low back pain.

This negative pressure decompresses your discs and makes room for a herniated disc to retract and stop pushing against your nerves and other spinal structures, which provides you relief from the pain of a pinched spinal nerve.

The decompression also promotes quicker healing by stimulating water, oxygen, and nutrient-rich fluids to move into the discs and cycling out cations, acids, and the breakdown products of metabolism.

What does spinal decompression treat?

Spinal decompression can be effective in treating a wide range of conditions that cause back pain, such as:

• Sciatica (an irritation of the sciatic nerve that causes pain, weakness, or tingling that extends down your leg)
• Degenerative disc disease
• Discs that are bulging or herniated
• Worn spinal joints (or posterior facet syndrome)
• Damaged or diseased spinal nerve roots

Spinal decompression is an excellent alternative to surgery or pain medications in the treatment of back pain. Spinal surgery works by shaving off part of your disc in order to create more space for the material that’s pressing against your nerves. This type of surgery is highly invasive, very risky, and requires months of recovery downtime.

Pain medications, on the other hand, only mask the pain symptoms without doing anything to treat the underlying condition that’s causing the pain. This can lead to a dependence on the medication and, ultimately, addiction.

How does spinal decompression work?

Eagle Harbor Health uses a machine called the DRS Lumbar Decompression Unit. When being treated with the unit, you’re fully clothed and fitted with harnesses that go around your pelvis and torso. You lie face-down or face-up on a computer-controlled table that Dr. Petheram programs to deliver mathematically precise manipulations to your spine.

Treatment usually involves 10-20 sessions spread out over two to six weeks, with each treatment lasting roughly 30-45 minutes.

To learn more about how Dr. Petheram can alleviate your pain and improve your life with spinal decompression therapy, schedule an appointment at Eagle Harbor Health today. You can call the office or use the convenient online booking tool.