Spinal Decompression

Spinal decompression therapy is a non-surgical treatment designed to relieve pressure on the spine—especially on compressed discs, nerves, and joints. It’s most often used for people with:

• Bulging or herniated discs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Sciatica or nerve compression (pain radiating into the arms or legs)
• Chronic neck or low back pain
• Facet joint dysfunction or spinal stenosis

How it works:

During a decompression session, you lie on a special traction table (either cervical or lumbar). The machine gently stretches and relaxes your spine in controlled cycles. This creates negative pressure inside the disc space, which can:

• Gently pull bulging or herniated material back into place
• Improve nutrient and oxygen flow to the disc (promoting healing)
• Reduce inflammation and pressure on nearby nerves

Indications (good candidates)

Lumbar

• Disc bulge/herniation with radiculopathy (sciatica)
• Discogenic low-back pain (annular tears, Modic-type changes) without instability
• Foraminal or lateral-recess stenosis (mild–moderate)
• Degenerative disc disease with nerve-root irritation
• Facet joint irritation with compressive symptoms (as an adjunct)
• Stable low-grade spondylolisthesis (Grade I) with radicular pain, no instability signs

Cervical

• Cervical disc bulge/herniation with arm pain/paresthesias
• Cervical spondylosis/foraminal stenosis (mild–moderate)
• Cervical radiculopathy flares
• Cervicogenic headache linked to nerve-root irritation (adjunct)

Less common / case-by-case

• Thoracic disc irritation (rare; careful screening)
• Post-operative persistent pain only with surgeon clearance and stable hardware/fusion

When not to use (contraindications)

Absolute

• Acute fracture, recent spinal surgery without clearance, or spinal instability
• Malignancy, infection, or active inflammatory arthropathy at the treatment region
• Cauda equina syndrome or progressive neurologic deficit (surgical emergency)
• Severe osteoporosis with high fracture risk
• Known aortic aneurysm (lumbar setups), or over abdominal/air-filled organs
• Pregnancy (for lumbar belt/abdominal-pressure setups)
• Unhealed spondylolysis (acute pars stress fracture)

Relative / use caution

• Rheumatoid arthritis with suspected cervical instability (e.g., atlanto-axial)
• Ehlers–Danlos or marked generalized hypermobility
• Anticoagulation/coagulopathy (assess risk/benefit)
• Severe peripheral neuropathy with absent protective sensation
• Post-op fusion/hardware, spinal stimulators—require device/surgeon guidance
• Uncontrolled hypertension or glaucoma with inversion-style traction

Quick selection tips

• Best responders: disc herniation with radicular pain; mild–moderate foraminal stenosis; cervical/lumbar discogenic pain without red flags.
• Pair it with: graded loading/HSR or McKenzie-style directional preference, hip/core work, and ergonomic coaching.
• Avoid: if red flags, myelopathy signs, or worsening neuro deficits; refer for imaging/surgical eval.