The spine is made of boney vertebrae stacked with gel-like cartilaginous discs which cushion the spine and allow for movement along the spinal column. As we age, these discs lose volume, causing the spine to compact, resulting in a loss of mobility and spinal compression. Additionally, spinal injury can cause these discs to bulge or herniate, irritating the surrounding nerves and causing pain. One of the reasons that these discs have so many problems is that they are largely avascular and do not receive good blood supply, which makes them both prone to injury and slow to heal.
Chiropractic decompression therapy uses gentle mechanical traction to stretch the spine and create space between the vertebrae in order to relieve pressure on the discs and allow fresh blood flow, resulting in pain relief and healing. Gentle separation of the vertebrae creates negative pressure in the intervertebral space and pulls the discs back into place and allows blood and healing nutrients to reach the damaged discs. Spinal decompression therapy is a gentle, painless, and non-invasive alternative to neck or lower back surgery. When preformed consistently spinal decompression offers relief from pain and speeds injury recovery. Consider talking to your chiropractor about decompression therapy if you are experiencing chronic back pain, sciatica, neck pain, a herniated or bulging disc, or early stage disc degeneration.