A Non-Surgical Solution for Acute and Chronic Neck and Back Pain

Decompression Therapy also know as Cervical and Lumbar Traction gently stretches the spine, relieving pressure from the discs, joints, and muscular tissues, while enhancing the body's natural healing process.

What is Decompression Therapy (Cervical and Lumbar Traction)?

Decompression Therapy is an FDA approved treatment that uses a special table and computer to help in the management of serious back and neck pain.  This unique therapy is directed at relieving pressure on structures that may be the source of your pain.

Cervical and lumbar traction gives you pain relief through the decompression of lumbar and cervical discs and joints that are unloading due to distraction and positioning.  The traction creates a controlled unloading of the vertebra to reduce disc pressure, thus increasing blood and nutrient exchange to help heal damaged discs naturally.  Twenty-five years of combining research efforts of doctors and therapists has led to the development of this technology, creating a safe, cost-effective alternative to invasive treatments.

Neurosurgeons across the country recommend that, "physicians have an ethical obligation to attempt cervical or lumbar traction prior to surgery." Physicians agree that surgery should be used only as a last resort.

Is it Safe?  Does it Hurt?

Decompression Therapy (Cervical and Lumbar Traction) is one of the most gentle and comfortable therapies available.  The treatments utilize equipment with proven safety and efficacy.  Most patients report a mild sense of stretch on their back or hips, and often fall asleep during treatment sessions.

Why is Decompression Therapy (Cervical and Lumbar Traction) More Successful Than Other Treatment Options?

Cervical and lumbar traction is a pain-free alternative that has shown a very high rate of success at significantly reducing or even eliminating back and neck pain.  It is a comprehensive program of the newest traction techniques and targeted "core" stabilization exercises.

As an additional benefit, we use other adjunctive treatments such as Chiropractic adjustments, heat, ice, muscle stimulation, and ultrasound to help with inflammation and spasm reduction.  A gradual breakdown of the foundational support of your back is what puts undue stresses on the discs and leads to pain and loss of function.  Our hope is not only to help heal he disc, but enhance muscle control and support of the low back and neck.

It is this multi-facet approach that makes the overall treatment so effective.  If you suffer from acute, chronic, or debilitating, low back or neck pain, you owe it to yourself to call our office today to make an appointment to see if you're a candidate for cervical or lumbar traction!

How Long Will My Treatment Program Be?

It depends on the complexity and extent of the rehabilitation needed, however, we typically treat 4-5 times per week for one month, transitioning from passive to active treatments as you respond.  The treatment is administered over a reasonable time frame and your response is continually evaluated.

Cervical and lumbar traction sessions typically last about 20 minutes, and most patients feel pain relief with as few as 6-10 treatments.  It is important to remember, however, that pain subsiding does not mean that your discs and spinal are healed.  So it is critical that patients stick with the treatment protocol prescribed by their doctor in order to achieve the full value of cervical and lumbar traction.

Call the office today for a consultation with one of our Doctors to see if  Decompression Therapy is right for you.  (615) 646-1003.

By Dr. Adam Dixon

The gate theory of pain states that the two sides of the sensory neurological pathway are set up in such a way that they tend counterbalance each other.  The pain pathway is directly inhibited at the spinal cord level by neurons from proprioceptors and mechanoreceptors.  Proprioception is your brain’s awareness of where your joints are in space, and is partly responsible for coordination.  Without proprioception, we would have no balance and no understanding of how far we can push our joints without injury.  Also, these little guys inhibit pain and inflammation.  Genuine research has proven that the adjustment excites both proprioceptors and mechanoreceptors, and thus inhibits pain and inflammation.

However, if these little guys are left alone without stimulation, then our joints risk segmental dysfunction, which basically means that a joint is not working properly and the inflammation pathway goes relatively unchecked.  The ligaments around non-moving joints tend to tighten and further restrict motion. It therefore takes more effort from the muscles and surrounding joints to cover for the non-working joint’s “laziness”(, and to perform the actions that the joint alone normally should.)  And this is just the beginning of the downward spiral.

When you receive an adjustment, your sensory neurons are launched into mechanoreceptive and proprioceptive bliss.  (It’s as if the joints adjusted are now awakened to the brain.)  The joints are now more responsive to input from the brain, and they also move more easily( from forces put on them from the muscles around them.)  Your brain understands better where joint “end-range” is, meaning that the joints can better get the job done without injuring themselves.  (The ligaments around the moving joints loosen just enough for proper movement.)  When these adjustments are complimented with core strengthening and stretching exercises, the benefits multiply. (Where proprioception is increased, so is balance; where balance is increased, there is less risk of falling.  Interestingly, there is a strong correlation between balance and back pain.  Also, if a joint is moving properly, there is less strain put on the structures around the joint.)  Healthy joints are moving joints, and this is a part of what we chiropractors at Dixon Center do.  We help keep your joints healthy.  And there is so much more to what we do.

If you’d like to experience the science behind chiropractic, just schedule an appointment with us at Dixon Center of Chiropractic.  Call (615) 646-1003.

A chiropractic college grants a D.C. or Doctorate of Chiropractic degree. Chiropractors are licensed as health care providers in every U.S. state and dozens of countries around the world. While the competition for acceptance in chiropractic school is not as fierce as medical school, the chiropractic and medical school curricula are extremely rigorous and virtually identical. In fact, chiropractors have more hours of classroom education than their medical counterparts. As part of their education, chiropractic students also complete a residency working with real patients in a clinical setting, supervised by licensed doctors of chiropractic. Once chiropractic students graduate, they have to pass four sets of national board exams as well as state board exams in the states where they want to practice.

Just like medical doctors, chiropractors are professionals that are subject to the same type of testing procedures, licensing and monitoring by state and national peer-reviewed boards. Federal and state programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Workers' Compensations programs cover chiropractic care, and all federal agencies accept sick-leave certificates signed by doctors of chiropractic. Chiropractors are also commissioned as officers in the military.

The biggest difference between chiropractors and medical doctors lies not in their level of education, but in their preferred method of caring for people. Medical doctors are trained in the use of medicines (chemicals that affect your internal biochemistry) and surgery. Consequently, if you have a chemical problem, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, or an infection, medical doctors can be very helpful. However, if your problem is that your spine is mis-aligned or you have soft tissue damage causing pain, there is no chemical in existence that can fix it. You need a physical solution to correct a physical problem. That is where chiropractic really shines. Chiropractors provide physical solutions -- adjustments, exercises, stretches, muscle therapy -- to help the body heal from conditions that are physical in origin, such as back pain, muscle spasms, headaches, and poor posture. Another distinction is the fact that it is completely appropriate to receive chiropractic care even if you do not have symptoms. Unlike standard medical doctors, whom you visit when you have a symptom to be treated, chiropractors offer adjustments to improve spinal alignment and overall well-being before symptoms develop.

By Adam Dixon

The scientific basis for chiropractic is nearly endless. The profession has been growing and making steady improvements and modifications since its official beginning in 1895 by D.D. Palmer, though there are references to chiropractic-like maneuvers and patient care since ancient times.

Even websites dedicated to medical research such as Entrez Pubmed contain myriad studies, case reports, and double-blinded, placebo-controlled experiments that support the safe and cost-effective use of chiropractic. With proper statistical analysis, there is now a flourishing abundance of research that is helping chiropractic to maintain its respected and favorable reputation. More still needs to be done to explain some of the rather peculiar beneficial effects that have been reported from chiropractic adjustments, such as restored hearing or improved fertility.

Statistics aside, there are concrete effects attributable to the power of an adjustment. Adjustments increase joint range of motion, reduce pain and inflammation, and alleviate muscle spasm. Adjustments also relieve the spine of fixated joints and allow the joints to move properly, which has too many benefits to account for now. We will delve into the gate theory of pain, segmental dysfunction, and proprioception next time when we will explain the neurophysiological effects of an adjustment. Sound boring? It's not!

There is much more to chiropractic than adjustments. Your chiropractic physician at Dixon Center of Chiropractic is well-qualified to identify and diagnose not only musculoskeletal problems but also many other conditions, and to refer you to where you need to be, whether a medical physician or otherwise. Among many other things, your chiropractic physician will perform an in-depth physical examination, give you nutrition and exercise advice, help you triumph over pain and perform your daily activities with ease, and help to prevent future injuries or conditions. Give it a whirl!