Spinal Decompression Near Tomball: Questions to Ask Before You Start

Spinal decompression gets talked about a lot, and not always accurately. If you live in Tomball and are weighing it up for a disc problem or sciatica, these are the questions worth asking before your first session. Blue Zone Advanced Chiropractic is about 7.9 miles and 14 minutes from Main Street, at the corner of Woodlands Parkway and FM 2978.

1. Is decompression the same as the traction I had before?

No. Traditional traction applies a steady pull to the spine, often with weights or a basic machine. Spinal decompression is built specifically for disc problems. A computer controls the table, and the pull builds gradually, holds and releases in cycles. That slow build is designed so the muscles along your spine stay relaxed instead of guarding against the pull. The angle is set to focus on the disc level your exam and imaging point to, and your sessions are supervised by Dr. Mariam Mobarak, DC, in our office.

Decompression is also designed to create negative pressure inside the disc, often called the vacuum effect. In a 1994 study in the Journal of Neurosurgery, researchers placed a pressure sensor inside the L4-5 disc of people lying face down on a VAX-D decompression table and recorded the pressure dropping below zero as the pull increased (Ramos and Martin, 1994). That negative pressure may help draw pressure off the disc and the nerve beside it.

2. What does the evidence show?

Several studies on decompression report encouraging results, though controlled trials are still limited and the research is still growing. In a 2010 study of 30 adults with lumbar disc herniation, average pain scores fell from 6.2 to 1.6 out of 10 over six weeks of decompression, and disc height measured on CT scans increased. There was no comparison group, and the authors called for a randomized trial (Apfel and colleagues, 2010). A 2006 review found that most earlier randomized trials of motorized decompression showed no clear difference from the comparison treatments. The reviewers rated those trials as low quality, noted that mixed patient groups and the difficulty of blinding patients to the pull may have played a part, and called for larger, better-designed studies (Macario and Pergolizzi, 2006).

Decompression is one tool, used alongside chiropractic adjustments, dry needling for tight muscles and exercises you do at home. No single machine is the whole answer.

3. Am I a good candidate?

People who ask about decompression usually have a herniated or bulging disc, sciatica or disc wear that shows up on imaging. It is not used in pregnancy, after a recent spinal fracture, with metal hardware in the spine, or with advanced osteoporosis or a spinal tumor.

Your first visit includes a physical and neurological exam and X-rays taken here in the office. If you already have an MRI from a Tomball hospital or imaging center, bring the report. It adds detail that X-rays cannot show.

4. What will a session feel like?

You lie on the table fully clothed, with one harness around the pelvis and another around the chest. As the table starts its cycles, most people feel a slow stretch through the lower back that builds and releases. If anything feels wrong, say so and the session is stopped.

Some people feel mild soreness afterward, similar to the day after a new exercise. Pain that shoots down the leg, new numbness or weakness are reasons to stop and call the office.

5. When should I skip decompression and get medical care?

Some back symptoms are emergencies. Loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin or inner thighs, or leg weakness that is getting worse can signal cauda equina syndrome. That needs a hospital emergency room, not a chiropractic office.

Decompression vs at-home inversion

Some Tomball patients ask whether a home inversion table could do the same job. An inversion table uses gravity to stretch the whole spine, so it cannot be aimed at one disc, and you run it on your own. Hanging head-down also raises blood pressure and eye pressure, which is why researchers have said people with high blood pressure may need to avoid it, and have advised people with glaucoma not to use it (Haskvitz and Hanten, 1986; Weinreb and colleagues, 1984). We have not found a published study that measured pressure inside the disc during inversion the way it has been measured during decompression. Read the full comparison in inversion table vs spinal decompression.

Getting here from Tomball

From Main Street in Tomball, the office is about 7.9 miles and 14 minutes away by way of FM 2978, with no toll road. Driving north on FM 2978, the center is on your right just before the Woodlands Parkway intersection. From the edge of Tomball city limits it is closer, about 4.9 miles and 13 minutes.

Office hours are Monday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. We are closed on weekends.

Starting with a first visit

If a herniated or bulging disc is behind your pain, spinal decompression is built for that problem in a way an inversion table is not. Book an exam to see if you are a candidate.

The $99 covers your exam, X-rays and your first treatment. If you have insurance, we go with whichever costs you less, your insurance or the $99 special. Dr. Mobarak reviews the exam and X-ray findings with you, and you decide together whether decompression belongs in your care.

Read more on our spinal decompression page and our page for Tomball patients.

Book online or call (281) 688-5580. Blue Zone Advanced Chiropractic, 30340 FM 2978, Suite 600, The Woodlands, TX 77354.

Sources

• Ramos G, Martin W. Effects of vertebral axial decompression on intradiscal pressure. J Neurosurg. 1994;81(3):350-353. PubMed 8057141
• Apfel CC, et al. Restoration of disk height through non-surgical spinal decompression is associated with decreased discogenic low back pain: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2010;11:155. PubMed 20615252
• Macario A, Pergolizzi JV. Systematic literature review of spinal decompression via motorized traction for chronic discogenic low back pain. Pain Pract. 2006;6(3):171-178. PubMed 17147594
• Haskvitz EM, Hanten WP. Blood pressure response to inversion traction. Phys Ther. 1986;66(9):1361-1364. PubMed 2944136
• Weinreb RN, Cook J, Friberg TR. Effect of inverted body position on intraocular pressure. Am J Ophthalmol. 1984;98(6):784-787. PubMed 6507552