Paoli Chiropractic Decompression, Spinal decompression for back pain relief

Common questions about decompression

Q. What are discs?
A. Intervertebral discs are fibrocartilaginous shock absorbers found between the bones that makes up your spinal column. Think of a disc as a jelly donut, with an outer stronger layer that surrounds an inner squishy layer. With wear and tear, the outer layer weakens and the inner jelly-like substance can push out into the spinal canal. This is termed a disc bulge, herniation or protrusion. The displaced disc can place pressure on spinal nerves, causing sciatica, among other conditions. A disc that flattens and dries out, or becomes degenerated, creates pressure-like pain across the lower back. Your spine relies on discs to provide cushion and adequate spacing so the nerves can function normally.

Q. What is spinal decompression and how does it work?
A. Decompression is FDA-cleared technology that relieves pain by slowly increasing the spacing between the vertebrae, creating a vacuum, or negative pressure within the disc. In doing so, it provides or restores nutritive and/or lubricating fluids and oxygen into dried, dehydrated, desiccated tissues to maintain or reestablish the health, structural shape and positional orientation of that tissue. Spinal decompression, in essence, rehabilitates an injured disc. During the therapy, you are lying down and comfortably harnessed to the table while computer-guided controls slowly decrease your intradiscal pressure. The therapy is relaxing, and most patients fall asleep during treatments.

Q. Is it safe?
A. Spinal decompression is currently considered one of the safest and more effective procedures available today, especially when compared to medications and surgery.

Q. How is decompression different from traction therapy?
A. Spinal decompression is very sophisticated and there is a huge difference when compared to traction, when done correctly. Quality decompression systems continuously monitor spinal resistance and adjust distraction forces accordingly to create negative pressure in the discs. Specific parameters, angles of distraction, and amount of resistance are customized for each patient. Each of these parameters is monitored hundreds of times per second, making adjustments as many as 20 times per second via fractional metering and monitoring systems. Traction, on the other hand, stretches the spine but does not create negative intradiscal pressure. In fact, traction can increase discal pressure, causing more pain and risking injury.

Q. Is decompression the same at all medical offices?
A. Like all therapeutic services there are many decompression systems available today. The price of decompression tables range from about $7,000 to $110,000. Unfortunately, some of these systems just aren’t capable of properly treating severe conditions.

You just can’t compare a BMW to a Hyundai. The BMW is faster, more comfortable, safer and better able to get you where you need to go. And, you’ll get better service from the crew! Our decompression system is the most sophisticated available, and most importantly, has proven to help our patients heal time and time again. We guarantee you’ll find our staff knowledgeable, caring and focused on you at each visit.

Q. What are some conditions that decompression treats?
A. Decompression primarily treats disc conditions, although many conditions benefit from healthier discs. Through reduced intradiscal pressure, it treats herniated, bulging, protruded, torn and degenerated spinal discs. Conditions that benefit from decompression therapy include stenosis, sciatica, radiculitis, radiculopathy, facet arthrosis, failed back surgery, pain, stiffness and more.

Q. How long is each visit and for how long am I in therapy?
A. You should plan to set aside 60 minutes for your treatments. The length of therapy depends on the severity and chronicity of your condition along with many individual contributing factors. Most of our patients are here for 6-8 weeks of care.

Q. How much does decompression cost?
A. It would not be fair to estimate the cost of your care before speaking with you about your condition to determine a course of action and how much therapy you need. Each patient is different. Most insurance plans will cover the supportive and ancillary treatments that co-manage your condition throughout your decompression therapy. Additionally, Spinal Aid Centers of America offer financing plans for up to 5 years and generous pre-payment discounts for decompression services. Please contact us for a free consultation and we will be specific with regards to your individual costs. We’re confident that anyone can afford our therapy.

Q. Does insurance cover it?
A. Health insurance does not cover spinal decompression therapy. There are more than 60 million people with chronic back pain that could benefit from decompression therapy today. Eventually, hopefully, health insurance will begin allowing special situations of payment but we do not see this happening in the near future due to the large numbers of people that would seek care. Some automobile policies and workers’ compensation injury policies will cover the treatment on a case by case basis.

Q. Dr. John Doe up the road said that my health insurance will cover decompression. Why won’t your office bill my health insurance like Dr. Doe would?
A. Do not confuse decompression with traction. Unfortunately, there are some doctors that promise decompression but really only provide traction and submit the reimbursement code 97012, the code for traction.

Our decompression programs vary depending on a patient’s condition. We provide complimentary consultation to accurately determine your specific healthcare needs and answer all your questions — including your questions about treatment cost. Call (610) 644-1422 to schedule a complimentary consultation to find out if spinal decompression can help you AND how much our insurance-covered Program can save you.

Q. What are my chances of success with treatment?
A. Your chances of success are very high because we only accept patients we truly believe we can help. We will be as specific as possible with you regarding your individual prognosis at your free consultation.

Q. Will I have to come back after my program is complete?
A. Not for most patients. Decompression heals your discs, and maintaining your condition after treatment is dependent upon your lifestyle. When you finish your decompression program, healing is complete. In addition, we develop an easy-to-follow home exercise program for you to use after your therapy ends. For more severe cases, you may want to see us for supportive treatments every 1-2 months.

Q. I had surgery and it did not help. Can I still do decompression?
A. We can still treat you after surgery, depending upon the nature of the procedure performed and the use of hardware in your spine. As a matter of fact, patients diagnosed with “failed back surgery” typically respond very well to non-surgical spinal decompression. We will need to evaluate your post-surgical diagnostic studies and consult with your surgeon to best determine if we can accept you as a patient.