Let’s talk about low back pain and why spinal decompression therapy might be a good choice.
The three most common reasons someone seeks out chiropractic care from me is generally for
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Back pain.
Today we’re going to talk about low back pain.
Majority of low back pain complaints come from the lower spine.
There’s five vertebra in the lower lumbar spine. L1 through L5. And L5 rests on the sacrum.
Many times the facet joints, which are the joints that are on the back side of the spine, have a lot of pain due to either an abnormal posture of an increased bend, or if the disk itself is decreased. And if the space between the bones is decreased, then the bones are going to become closer together, then by creating more opportunity for bone on bone pain and symptoms.
Now, facet pain arises basically at the belt line, and when someone extends backwards or puts more pressure onto that facet, the pain then isolates centrally and can move out towards the sides both left and right side.
That’s a common presentation many people have that come in and they talk about their low back pain.
Pain that travels down the leg
If the pain then travels down the leg, or you have what’s called radicular symptoms, with numbness, tingling, or pain traveling down the leg, then it also can be a condition with the encroachment or pressure on the nerves that exit between each of the vertebra.
And in that case, then that situation can be a bit more severe.
In treating facet syndromes, or facet pain, or if there is a radicular symptom pain traveling down the leg, many times we utilize a therapy called spinal decompression therapy.
Spinal Decompression Therapy
Spinal Decompression Therapy is where you lay on a table that straps your torso and your pelvis in, and then it gently oscillates or gently pulls apart the pressure that’s in the lower spine.
That pull pattern is based upon your body weight, and percentage of your body weight and the pull then oscillates gently between the maximum value and the minimum value.
As time goes on and the pain and symptoms relieve, we continue to pull at different pull patterns through the plan of therapy.