Decompression vs. Traction, which is better?

Did you know non-surgical spinal axial decompression therapy is a promising emerging approach to treating the toughest cases of low back and neck pain? Here is what the research shows:

  • In one of the earliest studies, 68% of patients with chronic low back pain (most of them with accompanying leg pain) were able to obtain more than 50% relief of their symptoms. In another study of 778 patients (with the average length of time experiencing chronic pain being 40 months), 71% of patients were able to reduce their pain level to 0 or 1 out of 10. In both these studies, not only did the majority of patients get pain relief, they also saw improvement in function and their ability to perform activities of daily living.
  • Another study showed 76% of patients were able to achieve remission of their low back pain. Yet another study of 100 patients showed an average of 83% improvement of their lower back pain.

The research also indicates decompression drops pressure in the discs to minus 150 mm HG. This is good news because it means the pressure on the disc is lowered to a point that allows herniated or bulging material to be drawn back in. It has been shown in studies to increase disc height. This is great news for people who suffer from degenerated discs. 

Decompression is NOT the same as old-fashioned traction therapy. The two have been studied head-to-head and decompression showed superior results for those with herniated discs and facet arthrosis. The studies show that 20-24 sessions produce optimal results. That may sound like a lot of sessions, but we are talking about some of the most challenging cases of spine pain. It is by no means a miracle treatment, but produces great results for many patients who were in pretty tough shape.

In our clinic we have found when we add deep tissue robotic laser therapy our decompression treatments we can boost our success rate to 89%. We have consistently achieved these results for the past 5 years. If you have chronic neck or back pain, check out all the drop down options under the Decompression tab on our website.