![]() I never saw him after that visit, so I can’t say he never had a problem again. When he got off the device, it was like a miracle. Having said that, I can tell you that in 1993 I put a young male on pelvic traction for 20 minutes who came to my office complaining of severe pain from a herniated disc. Most of my patients say they feel better immediately after one treatment, though I highly recommend additional visits to ensure long-lasting results. I have personally administered thousands of pelvic traction treatments. On each subsequent visit, the amount of pull should be increased by 10 pounds. Typical treatments will last anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. ![]() If that’s not enough, the table you are lying on can be split in two so your hips can move with the pull. Your legs should be at a 90 degree angle to your upper your body. Most first-time clients start at 50 percent of their body weight. The external force can be easily controlled, and the device can be set on continuous or intermittent pull. There are two harnesses – one for your chest and one for your hips. This is the most common spinal decompression technique, and most physical therapists and chiropractors will have this piece of equipment in their offices. I can tell you first hand-It works! Mechanical Pelvic Traction Within two minutes I walking upright and pain free. I hobbled in to work the following Monday and had one of our physical therapists try manual distraction on me. So, if you decide to have a health care professional work on your back using manual distraction, understand that their strength and skill level will determine how effective they are going to be.Ī personal note: In 1991 at one of Pennsylvania’s top ski resorts, I took a few too many moguls and put my back into serious misalignment, which caused me a great deal of pain. While pulling on a finger is easy, pulling to distract the spine is not. Now when I say manual distraction, I mean that someone has to do the pulling. Inversion works and should be considered part of any complete healing program.Ĭlick Here to Learn More About Inversion Therapy Manual DistractionĪs a massage therapist, I’d have to say that this is my favorite technique because it allows you to put every single joint under manual distraction – from the fingers to the spine. These devices allow you to comfortably recline your body until it is completely inverted, and the results are indisputable. Millions of inversion tables have been sold throughout the world over the past 25 years. The same goes for the lumbar spine: the weight of your entire upper body provides just what’s needed to cause spinal decompression, creating the negative pressure between each vertebra that will suck the misaligned disc back into place. The weight of your head, neck, chest, shoulders and arms is exactly the right amount of combined weight needed for the thoracic spine. Here’s how it works: The weight of your head exerts just the right amount of pull for your cervical spine. It is based on the principal that when you invert your body, the amount of weight pulling on each level of your spine is directly proportional to the amount of force needed to produce proper alignment. This practice of hanging upside down to apply gentle traction to the spine has been around for more than 2,000 years. Let’s take a look at four spinal decompression techniques, their effect on the body, and their intended outcomes. Some conditions typically treated with spinal decompression include bulging or herniated discs, lumbar strains, sciatica, degenerative discs, spinal arthritis, degenerative joint disease, post-surgical low back pain, and acute back pain. A word of caution: The fact that a technique may have gotten approval from the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t necessarily mean it works better than any of the others – or is even worth trying. Each has its pros and cons, and none of them should be considered alone but rather as one part of a comprehensive back pain recovery program. ![]() That’s the basic theory behind the techniques I’m going to outline for you. It also will remove any pressure on spinal nerves because of the misalignment. This negative pressure will cause a misaligned disc to be sucked back into place and create more space between the vertebrae so that more blood and oxygen can get to the area. ![]() Generally speaking, spinal decompression is a linear force pulling on the body to create negative pressure between each vertebra. What is it and Will it Work for You and Your Condition? By Steven Hefferon, PTA, CMT
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