50% of Americans admit to having chronic back pain according to the American Chiropractic Association. This means that every one of two people have back pain.
With this number, you or someone you know is bound to be struggling with back pain. If so, you should look into spinal decompression treatment.
Keep reading to learn about what spinal decompression is and what the potential risks of treatment are.
Spinal Decompression Treatment
Spinal decompression refers to the mechanical separation of the bones, joints, and discs of the back. This separation is believed to relieve any pressure that may be on your back. Relieving this pressure can lead to less pain and improved function.
Physicians that do spinal decompression treatments use computers to adjust the force that they are applying, the angle at which they are applying that force, and for how long they are applying that force.
Risk of Spinal Decompression
There are no known risks to non-surgical spinal decompression, but there are some considerations that you should know about before continuing with spinal decompression therapy.
Spinal Decompression Candidates
Some people may not be an ideal candidate due to their pre-existing conditions.
People with the following conditions may not be good candidates for spinal decompression treatments:
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Artificial disc or other implants
- Broken vertebrae
- Metal in your back or spine
- Osteoporosis
- Prior back surgery of any kind
- Prior spinal fusion
- Spinal infection
- Spinal stenosis
- Spinal tumor
This is not a complete list of conditions and criteria, so you should have an honest conversation with your chiropractor. He or she will be able to let you know if you are a candidate for safe spinal decompression treatment.
Side-Effects of Spinal Decompression Treatment
As with any medical treatment or therapy, some patients have reported various side-effects. These can unpleasant, but only a few people experience these. Click here to learn how to remove back pain.
Muscle spasms. Because your back muscles are being stretched and pulled during the spinal decompression therapy, you may experience muscle spasms for a few days following the treatment.
Back discomfort. You may have spinal decompression treatment to relieve your back pain, but this cannot be solved in one visit. In fact, you may have pain while the treatment is being done or for a few days after the treatment is over.
All of the twisting and turning can take a while to recover from especially if you aren’t one for moving around a lot due to your back pain.
Shooting pain. Some patients experience shooting pains from their back down to their legs and through their arms. This could be due to the twisting and turning as well.
These side-effects are not life-stopping, but they may be good to take into consideration before starting your spinal decompression therapy treatments.
Deciding on Your Treatment
Now that you’ve looked through what spinal decompression treatment is and what the potential side-effects of the treatments are, you should talk to your chiropractor about if having these treatments may be right for you.
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