Improvements Following Spinal Decompression Therapy at Irvine Spine and Rehab: “Pain has completely subsided allowing for a normal life! Putting on my socks without pain! Sleeping without pain! My optimism is restored! Thanks!”

– Thomas V. – Newport Beach, CA

After Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy: “I have more strength in my legs and flexibility in my hips and leg areas. I don’t feel “bound” up. The sharp pain in the right hip area is very minimal.”

“I was seeing another chiropractor for two years, but your office was more treatment-oriented for the following reasons: 1) With the MRI, a specific program was initiated to address my problem after a review and analysis with Dr. Erickson, 2) I was impressed with the Physical Therapy, Dr. Amy Vuong and the therapy performed. She was very instructional and quickly isolated and treated the challenged areas. I had never worked with a physical therapist since the other chiropractors in the past never recommended a physical therapist and basically did the ‘crack’ adjustments and minor therapy which did not produce lasting results. Amy and Steve working together developed the proper exercises to treat my condition. I was impressed that each station kept a detailed record at each treatment and made thoughtful suggestions for maximum results. I have already recommended someone to your office primarily for your organized and specific treatment process. The office is very client service oriented and front desk friendly.”

– Art R., Costa Mesa, CA – former Herniated Disc sufferer

Before you do, consider this: Research shows that many patients who undergo surgery for lower back pain often have subsequent surgeries for the same condition due to the failure of the initial procedure, which can contribute to further patient disability.

Researchers sought to examine whether such patients had poorer general health than those with no history of spine surgery.

The study examined more than 18,000 patients with back pain enrolled at first visit in the National Spine Network (NSN) database from January 1998 – April 2000.

Of those patients, 3,632 had a history of low back surgery.

Data were derived from a first-visit questionnaire and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), both of which were completed by all patients when first evaluated for back pain.

Results showed that patients with a history of lumbar spine surgery fared significantly worse on areas such as physical functioning, general health and mental health compared to those patients with no prior history of spine surgery.

“Previous back surgery is associated with significantly worse general health status than those without surgery among patients with low back pain…” the researchers wrote, further noting that “active rehabilitation intervention strategies designed to improve physical and mental well-being should be promoted, as they could have an impact on enhancing positive health outcomes.”

If you suffer from low back pain — or any kind of pain, for that matter — think twice before considering surgery.

Instead, consult your doctor of chiropractic for a treatment plan that will not only help reduce your pain but preserve your general health for the long term.

Reference:  Spine, Sept. 1, 2004;29(17):1931-7-Hee HT, Whitecloud III TS, Myers L. The effect of previous low back surgery on general health status.

For more information on back pain, go to http://www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/backpain.html

If you are suffering from Herniated Disc, Disc Bulge or Degenerative Disc Disease in the neck or low back, please call our office at (949) 857.1888 or visit our website at http://www.ocspinaldecompression.com to find out if Spinal Decompression is right for you.

“I had extreme pain in the back of my left leg which prevented me from sleeping, walking and doing normal activities.”

After treatment at Irvine Spine and Rehab:

“After the second session the extreme pain disappeared and allowed me to rest all night! I returned to my normal lifestyle step-by-step.”

What would you like to tell others about Irvine Spine and Rehab?:

“Before Spinal Decompression, my only option was surgery. Now I am able to have a normal life, pain-free. Thank you to all the staff. You are wonderful.”

– Teodora T. – Huntington Beach, CA

Evidence of ongoing back muscle dysfunction during remission from recurrent back pain.

Conclusion: This study presents evidence that even though study participants were pain-free and between episodes of Low Back Pain, recurrent unilateral Low Back Pain Subjects don’t control their back muscles in the same way as healthy controls.

These findings raise the possibility that this abnormal pattern of muscle control, in the absence of pain, may leave the spine vulnerable to re-injury and predispose them to recurrent episodes.

Key Points: This 2009 study’s findings confirm the recent trends in motor control change research and does an excellent job in summarizing the conclusions based on the accumulation of this evidence over the past decade.

Disturbances in motor control can be persistent and leave the area vulnerable to re-injury and recurrence.

The findings suggest that the addition of exercise training to normalize and restore motor control patterns may have significant long-term benefits.

In addition, the discussion about spinal injury specifically reducing the excitability of corticomotor inputs to the short fibers of the lumbar Multifidus indicates the complexity of the reorganization of motor control changes with low back injury.

This is one reason why Irvine Spine and Rehab focuses incorporates Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation into Complete Spinal Rehabilitation Program.

If you are suffering from Sports Injuries, Herniated Disc, Disc Bulge or Degenerative Disc Disease in the neck or low back, please call our office at 949.857.1888 or visit our website at http://www.ocspinaldecompression.com to find out if Spinal Decompression is right for you.

Pain 2009; 142: 183-188- McDonald D, Moseley GL, Hodges PW.
http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:181237

Thank you Dr. Slosberg for the review.

Answer: @kw757 Excellent question. Discs are designed to last our entire lives. The proteins within the disc hold onto the fluid quite strongly – gravity alone should not be enough to drive this fluid out. Unfortunately, trauma and chronic spinal dysfunction can eventually push this disc fluid out causing the discs to desiccate (dry out).

The most common – by far – dysfunction to lead to disc bulges and herniation is a loss of the healthy spinal curve. A healthy curve acts like a spring to reduce shock AND recycle the fluid within the disc. When this curve is lost the spine acts like a jackhammer which constantly pushes the fluid out leading to disc problems. In fact, most people – including many doctors! – believe that it is the loss of fluid that leads to disc herniations and disc bulges. In fact, that is not true. Disc problems are often the result of a loss of proper disc circulation. Healthy movement of the spine is supposed to push waste fluid out of the disc while – at the very same time – sucking new fluid full of oxygen and nutrients into the disc.

Picture it this way: when you bend forward a great deal of pressure is being placed on the FRONT of the discs of your lower back while the bones at the BACK of the spine are separated which causes a vacuum to form. Basically, waste fluid is pumped out the front of the disc while oxygen-rich fluid is pulled into the back of the disc when you bend forward. The reverse happens when you lean backward and this process also occurs with left and right lateral bending. Now you can see why regular exercise and stretching – like yoga – are so vitally important to spinal disc health!

When the discs dry out or flatten they can no longer allow complete, healthy motion at that disc level. That is when more fluid is “pushed” out (yes, some of that will be pushed out by gravity) than is being “sucked” back in. Over several years this will lead to an unhealthy disc that will eventually bulge, herniate or rupture. Therefore, Spinal Decompression restores proper disc hydration and circulation quickly, painlessly and effectively. This allows the disc to return to its normal role of circulating its own fluid without the need for the DRX9000 Spinal Decompression Unit.  Also, in our office we incorporate a great deal of hands-on physical therapy to return the spinal curvature to normal. This speeds recovery and is a powerful tool to prevent future disc problems.

I hope this answers your question. Below you will find a link to our 3-part series of articles entitled How Spinal Discs Live and Breathe:

http://www.ocspinaldecompression.com/disc-bulge-bulging-disc/how-spinal-discs-live-and-breathe-part-1/

If you are suffering from a Herniated Disc, Disc Bulge or Degenerative Disc Disease in the neck or low back, please call our office at (949) 857-4645 or visit our website at http://www.ocspinaldecompression.com to find out if Spinal Decompression is right for you.

…And How Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Can Keep Them That Way!

Part 3

There is a growing body of evidence that has evaluated the clinical effects of bed rest and immobility, both of which have been universally and thoroughly discredited as effective methods of treatment for both back and neck problems.

Waddell, MD noted in 1987 (6) that there is a loss of 3% muscle strength per day with complete bed rest.

The 1994 AHCPR guidelines on Acute Low Back Problems in Adults (7) warned about the potential complications of bed rest including a 1.0% to 1.5% loss of l muscle mass per day, as well as a 15% loss of aerobic capacity in 10 days.

The 1996 British guidelines (8) summarize the literature on bed rest, noting that there are now 9 randomized controlled studies on bed rest, and their findings confirm that bed rest is counter-productive.

Similarly, the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash Associated Disorders (9) confirmed that prolonged use of cervical collars probably prolongs disability.

Today it is understood that motion plays a critical role in maintaining tissue and joint lubrication/nutrition for both discs and joint articular cartilage.

We know that articular cartilage receives its nutrition through the circulation of synovial fluid, which is a filtrate derived from blood vessels within the synovial membrane.

In addition, the synovial membrane also contains lymphatic ducts, which provide the pathway for the removal of waste products out of the synovial fluid and the joint space.

What is essential to recognize is that the synovial fluid has absolutely no inherent capacity to circulate….there is no heart forcefully pumping synovial fluid to the joints. Its movement through the joint space is dependent on movement and changes in intra-articular pressure. Spinal Decompression works by cycling synovial fluid within the spinal facet joints along with circulating oxygen and nutrients within the spinal discs themselves.

An excellent review article by Levick, a professor of physiology, noted in the fall of 1996 (10) that:

“Movement alters intra-articular pressure (IAP) which is subatmospheric in extension. Acute flexion can raise IAP just over atmospheric pressure. There is trans-synovial flow into the joint cavity when IAP is subatmospheric and a flow out when supra-atmospheric. So changes in joint angle generate a turnover of synovial fluid. Active motion can cause marked changes in IAP. When a joint is immobilized cartilage slowly degenerates. One cause is the lack of mechanical stimulation to chondrocytes. Also, transport of solutes from blood to central cartilage is unduly slow in an immobilized joint and is greatly speeded by joint movement. Glucose diffusion is too slow to sustain normal chondrocyte metabolism in a large immobilized joint. The nutritional benefit of joint movement arises because movement stirs synovial fluid and so washes nutrients through the joint space.”

If you are suffering from a Herniated Disc, Disc Bulge or Disc Extrusion in the neck or low back, please call our office at (949) 857-4645 or visit our website at http://www.ocspinaldecompression.com to find out if Spinal Decompression is right for you.

In Part 4 we will take a look at the nutritional needs of spinal discs and how Spinal Decompression can help to restore disrupted nutrient flows.

References:

6. Waddell. Spine 1987; 12(7):632-644

7. Bigos, et al. Acute Low Back Problems in Adults. Clinical Practice Guidelines. December 1994: 53

8. Waddell, et al. Clinical guidelines for the management of acute low back pain. Royal College of General Practioners 1996

9. Spitzer, er al. Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-associated Disorders 1995;20(8S):1S-73S

10. Levick. Science and Medicine;Sept/Oct: 52-61

…And How Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Can Keep Them That Way!

Part 2

As Kraemer, MD (3) concluded: the continual alteration between loading and unloading promotes the cleansing mechanism of the disc. Unchanging long-term posture leads to an interruption of the pressure dependent transfer of joint fluid.

The spinal disc and joints of the body live because of movement.

Current concepts concerning the central role of motion and joint nutrition in reducing spinal degeneration were derived from compelling studies published by internationally renowned researchers investigating the relationship between movement and disc function.

In a study by Holm, PhD and Nachemson, M.D. (4) the authors concluded that the metabolic hypoacidity might predispose the disc to degeneration due to decreased supply of cellular joint nutritional requirements.

Another study published also by Holm, PhD and Nachemson, MD (5) found that “the spine should be subjected to adequate motion and exercise to ensure adequate supply to the joints and discs. Prolonged bed rest and has a proven deleterious effect.”

Motion, with its accompanying fluid flow and variations in creep deformation, were necessary to preserve the nutritional status of discs and joints. Spinal Decompression maximizes fluid flow into the disc by effectively creating a vacuum within the disc through cycles of disc distraction.

If you are suffering from a Herniated Disc, Disc Bulge or Disc Extrusion in the neck or low back, please call our office at (949) 857-4645 or visit our website at http://www.ocspinaldecompression.com to find out if Spinal Decompression is right for you.

In Part 3 we will review just how BAD inactivity and prolonged poor posture can lead to Disc Bulges, Herniated Discs and Disc Extrusions.

References:

3. Kraemer. Spine 1985; 10(1):69-71

4. Holm, Nachemson. Clin Ortho Rel Res 1982; 169:243-258

5. Holm, Nachemson. Spine 1983;8(8): 866-873

…And How Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Can Keep Them That Way!

Part 1

The spinal discs and joints of the body live because of movement and motion. The joints and discs of the body do not have a blood supply (avascular), which leaves them dependent on movement for their oxygen and nutrients.

In 1995, Buckwalter, MD (1) concluded based on his research, that intervertebral discs undergo age-related degenerative changes. The most important cause appears to be declining joint nutrition and lubrication of the central disc, which allows an accumulation of cell waste products, degraded matrix molecules, and a fall in pH.

He noted that the factors that increase the rate and severity of declining changes by altering joint nutrition include: immobilization, sustained disc loading, vibration and spinal deformity.

Buckwalter’s findings echo the conclusions of a 1993 paper by Holm, PhD (2) in which a summary illustration noted that discs have an uneven distribution of the few cells they contain and that these cells are subjected to much metabolic variation. This makes discs/joints susceptible to lubrication/nutrition deficiencies.

This is worsened by a lack of motion, instability, calcification of end plates of the vertebrate, solute shortage, and smoking – all of which can result in molecular breakdown, increased degeneration enzyme activity, instability, and cell death.

What we know today is that movement of the vertebral motion segments – as accomplished with Spinal Decompression using equipment like the DRX9000 - is essential for joint health and lubrication. Passive diffusion, driven by pressure gradients across semi-permeable membranes, is insufficient to maintain the nutritional needs of the joints and vertebral discs.

If you are suffering from a Herniated Disc, Disc Bulge or Degenerative Disc Disease in the neck or low back, please call our office at (949) 857-4645 or visit our website at http://www.ocspinaldecompression.com to find out if Spinal Decompression is right for you.

In Part 2 we will examine how loading and unloading (essentially what happens during each Spinal Decompression treatment) ‘cleanses’ the spinal discs of waste products.

References:

1. Buckwalter, Spine 1995; 20(11):1307-14

2. Holm. Acta Orthop Scand (suppl 25) 1993;64:13-15

http://www.ocspinaldecompression.com/patient-testimonials/

Before Spinal Decompression Susan H. from Mission Viejo, CA suffered from Neck Pain and right houlder pain caused by a Herniated Disc in her neck. The Disc Herniation caused Numbness and Tingling all down her right arm. After Spinal Decompression at the Irvine Family Health Center – Spinal Decompression she reported no Pain, Numbness or Tingling.

“I had headaches, migraines, right shoulder and arm pain. Numbness and tingling pain in pointer finger, thumb, and middle finger.  Since treatment began, fewer headaches; no pain in right shoulder and arm.  No more pain or numbness in thumb and middle finger.

“The ‘back room bunch’ were professional, knowledgeable, and helpful.  More than that, they were very friendly.  I would come in feeling sore and in pain.  I would leave feeling much better and smiling.  The “back room bunch would always provide laughter along with the treatment.  Their instruction helped me to continue my healing at home with the exercises they taught me. I loved ‘the rack’ too!”

Susan H. – Mission Viejo, CA

This was originally posted on the website of the Orange County Spinal Decompression Office of the Irvine Family Health Center – Spinal Decompression (http://www.OCSpinalDecompression). Please call our office at (949) 857-4645 or visit our website at http://www.ocspinaldecompression.com.