Spinal Decompression

How much is a good night worth to you? Every step feels like a knife stabbed in the back of your buttock and leg. The sharp, burning pain continues to streak down your buttock and leg as you cautiously limp around. Numbness and tingling take over as you take refuge on your favourite couch. Sciatica is one of the worst problems that you can have. Sciatica can temporary cripple your entire day when it strikes.

Sciatica refers to an irritation and inflammation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve gives sensory feeling to the back of your legs. A common cause of sciatic pain is piriformis syndrome. The piriformis muscle is often tight, over-active and full of trigger points as it compensates for a weak gluteal medius muscle and chronic sacroiliac dysfunction. The piriformis muscle can irritate and put extra pressure on the sciatic nerve causing pain around the buttock and down the leg.

Trigger points to the low back and gluteal muscles can also cause similar symptoms of sciatica. Trigger points are pain sensitive spots found in tight, shortened, over-active muscles. When these pain sensitive spots are pressed, not only will you experience intense localized pain, but also pain to other areas. Trigger points in the low back muscles cause referral pain down to the buttock, hip and groin areas. Trigger points in the buttock cause shooting pain down the leg.

Other causes of crippling, sharp leg pain with numbness and tingling are spinal stenosis, severe spinal arthritis, disc bulge (usually at L5/S1), spinal cyst and other space occupying lesions.

Whether you have a true sciatica or not, it is important to find out the exact cause of your leg pain, numbness and tingling. Treatments will be determined by the source of your leg pain, numbness and tingling.

Stretching the shortened, over-active piriformis muscle and strengthening the weak gluteal medius can prevent flare up of sciatica if there is no spinal stenosis, disc bulge, spinal cyst or any space occupying lesions. Chiropractic adjustment to the sacroiliac joint and soft tissue treatments such as Active Release Technique and trigger point therapy to the involve muscles relief sciatic pain and improve soft tissue and joint functions.

If your sciatic pain is from spinal stenosis or a L5/S1 disc bulge, conservative treatments may also be successful. This complicated situation requires the addition of a coordinated, manual distraction. When this procedure is done correctly it can provide much needed pain relief. The breathing coordinated, manual distraction procedure is different from spinal decompression, traction table or inversion table.

There are a few lifestyle changes that you can do to reduce the risk of having sciatic pain. Sitting with a wallet in the back pocket and sitting cross-legged promote sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Try to avoid this.

Maintaining a level of fitness is also important in preventing sciatica. Sedentary lifestyle weakens the gluteal muscles which causes the piriformis muscle to be over-active, tight and shortened. Extended sitting not only increases intervertebral disc pressure, but it also makes the gluteal muscles weak. People with flabby and heavy bottom tend to experience more sciatic pain.

Whether you have true sciatica or not, it is important to know what and where the source of pain is. A thorough and caring health care provider saves you time, money and any unnecessary emotional pain.

Spinal decompression surgery is becoming one of the most popular methods of relieving back pain and neurological threatening spinal conditions. Because of the rare side effects associated with the procedure, the minimally invasive procedure is widely desired. There are many reasons why this more revolutionary procedure is winning over millions. Among them include price, lower healing time than traditional open spine surgery, and less visible scarring.

The price of spinal decompression surgery is comparable to the price of its alternate, open spine surgery without the additional risks. Of course there is still a possibility of the rare side effects that exist, but what is that in comparison the relieving the pain that has taken control of your life...And probably saving your life. Because medical conditions of the spine are matters of life and death, most spinal decompression procedures are covered - at least partially - by your insurance. The amount you are required to pay out of pocket for your surgery will vary greatly on your insurance provider and their relationship to your chosen physician.

While there is still recovery time after spinal decompression, many of the elements that made recovery from open spine surgery so long are removed by the nature of the procedure. Spinal decompression uses a state of the art procedure that allows a doctor to perform a great many deal of tasks with minimal space. As technology increases, the abilities to perform more miracles continue to be revealed. With spinal decompression, there are no major incisions or opening of the tissue from which to heal. There is a minor incision that begins to heal very quickly.

There are no stitches to have to wait to either dissolve or reschedule an appointment to have them removed. You may require a light gauze to your incision for a few days. Most often, there is someone in your household can help you. Otherwise, you can often get your wound packing material replaced by the practicing surgeon himself.

Less time required for healing is not the only benefit to be gained from a smaller incision. There is a large concern of vanity among many of our culture, and minimal scarring is important. Gone are the days where a scar down the length of your spine is necessary. There is a barely noticeable incision mark after the body has completely healed. The scarring that is present generally fades into more of a blemish. This is not the case for open spine surgery. There is traumatic scarring involved that force you into the decision to spend more on cosmetic surgery or deal with it for the rest of your life.

Spinal decompression is one of the leading options in finding permanent relief from numerous conditions of the back. The spine is one of our most precious body parts, as it is the central hub to which our functioning limbs connect. The spine is as vital to our motor skills as the functionality of our brain. Spinal decompression surgery is the least invasive form of surgery, and is the top option among patients who demand something better.

If you experience lower back pain when lying down you are not alone. Pain can strike in different parts of the back and can affect different activities and functions. Lying down when you have this sort of pain can be uncomfortable and painful, as can walking, sitting, and standing. The big problem with getting this type of pain when you lie down is that it makes it impossible to get any rest, which puts you in a catch 22 situation. This is because you need rest in order to help alleviate the condition causing your back pain but the fact that you have this pain means you cannot get any rest.

There are a number of reasons why you may be getting this pain when you are lying down. The root cause of the condition can vary. Remember, the lower region of the back, also known as the lumbar region, is particularly susceptible to problems. Pain in this part of the back can strike at different times, such as when you sit, stand, walk, or lie down. If you experience the discomfort for more than a few days you may need to see your doctor to find out the cause of the problem. However, often the root cause of the condition can be simpler than you think.

What causes this pain when you lie down?

A number of problems can cause this sort of discomfort when you lie down. There are some conditions that may require medical assistance to address them. However, this problem can be caused by a number of simple things too. By identifying the cause of the pain you can then look at the options available to rectify it. Some of the things that may be causing this discomfort include:

• An underlying condition: Pain in the back region can be caused by many different things. If your pain persists and you cannot pinpoint the reason for it you should visit your doctor so that tests can be carried out. It is then possible for the doctor to determine the cause of your pain.


• Your bedding: The time when most people lie down is at night when they go to bed. You may therefore find that it is your bed, or more specifically your mattress, that is causing the problem. A change of mattress could prove to be a huge help.


• The way in which you sleep: Your sleeping position could also be affecting your comfort levels when lying down. If you sleep in a way that is awkward and causes twisting you could experience discomfort when you are lying down.

Stretching to ease your pain

Anyone that is experiencing this pain in the back when lying down may be able to ease the symptoms through stretching and exercise. This can help to ease stiffness and increase flexibility. It can also improve the strength of the spine and stretch the muscles. For those in pain with their backs this type of self help therapy can prove really helpful and can help to ease lower back pain when lying down.

The Institute of Medicine came out with some alarming statistics recently. They showed that over one third of the United States deals with chronic pain at a cost of over $500 billion annually. This becomes a major factor in physician office visits and also because of disability and lost time from work.

The most common reason that patients over the age of 65 undergo spinal surgery procedures is due to lumbar spinal stenosis. As we move into an ever increasing cutting-edge modern age of medical technology, forging ahead with minimally invasive surgical techniques will save patients significant risks of surgery and hopefully lead to quicker better outcomes.

For lumbar spinal stenosis one of these emerging technologies is MILD, which is short for minimally invasive lumbar decompression. This procedure is meant to be minimally invasive while at the same time offering a durable option for reducing pain and increasing mobility by bringing back space in the spinal canal while maintaining structural anatomic stability.

The gold standard for lumbar spinal stenosis in surgery is a decompression procedure. This may be a laminectomy, or it may be a laminotomy which involves taking away less bone and therefore contributing less to instability. Over the years there have been numerous attempts to try and introduce minimally invasive options for lumbar decompression.

With this new minimally invasive procedure patients do not need implants put in and there is less postoperative pain, and the recovery time is more rapid. The innovative procedure can be done under local anesthesia with some conscious sedation and general anesthesia is not necessary. The area in the epidural space is visualized utilizing fluoroscopy and instruments are used to take away some of the large soft tissue that has overgrown in the spinal canal.

This procedure is a less invasive option that has a fairly low risk profile. No long-term large studies have been performed to date utilizing the MILD procedure. It remains to be seen if it shows superiority compared to the current gold standard which as mentioned is a simple laminectomy.

With a laminectomy or a laminotomy, patients are often able to go home the same day or the following day. Typically the patients are a bit older so keeping them overnight is often prudent. A lot of patients who undergo a laminectomy end up with back stiffness or pain postoperatively. Research shows this incidence to be at 50%. Potentially the MILD procedure will cause less back pain and stiffness postoperatively. This remains to be seen.

You have had your share being teased "shorty". In a generation where every conceivable food and food supplement has been invented to produce taller kids, you, sadly were left behind. Are there really ways to grow taller? There are ways and means that you can try to for you to grow taller fast.

Stretching exercises- are good to extend your muscles and lengthen your muscles. There are a lot of exercises designed to give your muscles a good stretch. There are three targets for stretching exercises. The first is the muscle and tonal development of your back muscles; second is the decompression of the spinal column and third is the thickening of the spine.

These exercises will take time to take effect but they are effective and you can expect a height increase of up to three inches.

Food Supplements - Take supplements that are loaded with the necessary vitamins and minerals to help your gain height. There are plenty of supplements in the market today that contains vitamins essential for growth and bone health like calcium, vitamin D and certain amino acids.

Get plenty of sleep - The average person needs about 7 to 8 hours of sleep to rejuvenate the body. Sleep is the time the different organs in your body do their "work". The human growth hormone is released during deep sleep and how can you possibly achieve deep sleep if you sleep for only 5 to 6 hours and sometimes even less.

Eat the right kind of food - Eat nutritious food like veggies and fruits, lean meat and poultry, milk and fiber. Cut down if not totally eliminate sweet and starchy food as they would only add up to your weight and not to your height. Load on protein like nuts and legumes for the vegetarians out there.

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes? If yes! Then your doctor must have advised you to keep a close eye on the condition of your feet. It is because the feet condition is a most obvious signal of setting the diabetic complications. It is a straight-forward parameter of the current treatment plan.

Here we'll explore that why feet are important in diagnosing diabetes.

Diabetes is a disorder that affects the pancreas. The disease causes the beta cells of the pancreas to either malfunction or destroy. The basic responsibility of these cells is to produce a hormone termed "insulin". The insulin is used for the regulation of glucose level in the blood. The lack of insulin in the blood is the basic reason of inability of cells to convert glucose into energy. This condition if left untreated poses serious health related problems.

Sometimes the insulin has to be injected to control this condition. The diabetics have to personally manage the blood sugar levels as the nature betrays to do so. It is thought that high-level of sugar in blood leads to many complications. The body gives different signs and symptoms to tell the person that things are going wrong.

One such complication is numbness and tingling in hands and fingers. The first complication in the feet arises when blood circulation is impeded because of diabetes. It has been researched that high levels of blood sugar affect lining of blood vessels thus making it rough. The rough lining of blood vessels allows the accumulation of fatty deposits and leads to arteriosclerosis. It becomes difficult to push blood in the body and the extremities or the outermost body parts are the one that suffer most.

This is the reason that feet are the body parts which are most liable to pick bruises and cuts and take maximum healing time. With the passage of time poor blood circulation starts to affect small blood vessels and capillaries. These vessels are responsible for providing blood to extremities and nervous system. Eventually the poor circulation of blood starts to affect nervous system. This complication of diabetes is termed diabetes neuropathy.

The diabetic neuropathy that causes numbness and tingling in hands and fingers is termed peripheral neuropathy. The person suffering from peripheral neuropathy loses the sensation in hand and feet. It appears in the form of needles and pins or numbness.

Non-surgical Spinal decompression is often the treatment of choice for herniated and degenerative discs, but finding a facility that provides true decompression, not just traction, can be a challenge in this day of heavy marketing. Anyone doing their due diligence searching for a DRX9000 in Ocala, will find that very few machines in use today actually provide true spinal decompression which the research has shown to be superior to traction. Applying traction and other stretching maneuvers to the spine does not produce the negative pressures inside the disc that are required for proper healing.

Ensuring that you are getting what you are promised is, unfortunately, up to you, the consumer/patient. Just because you see the word "decompression" in an ad or in some literature simply will not mean that you will get the benefit you paid for. It is imperative that you do some basic research on the particular unit in question; find out if it is FDA cleared to provide true non-surgical spinal decompression.

The Spinal Decompression Institute is one of the very few facilities in Ocala which employs the DRX9000 and has a very high success rate in treating low back pain and radiating pain to the legs. A heavy emphasis is put on careful and thorough diagnosis before any treatment is recommended. Not all cases are candidates for this procedure and great care will be given to each individual to ensure that proper recommendations and referrals are made.

If you or anyone you know suffers from chronic lower back pain conditions such as herniated disc, bulging disc, sciatica, or degenerative disc disease, please visit [http://www.spinaldecom.com] or call our office in Ocala at 352-622-8544 to learn more about non-surgical spinal decompression and the DRX9000. Disclaimer: This article is not intended nor should be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Consult your physician before considering any medical treatment method available.

A herniated or bulging disc is a back condition where by the internal gel-like portion of the intervertebral disc has infiltrated through the outer segment of the disc. The gel-like center of an intervertebral disc is held together by layers called the annulus fibrosis. Once the center of the disc has penetrated through the annulus fibrosis, it may cause mechanical pressure on neighboring structures and elicit chemical reactions resulting in back pain. If this problem is left untreated, it may develop into a life-altering back pain condition.

Herniated or bulging discs may be caused by a severe strain or injury, as well as ongoing movement or stress associated with daily lifting. As we get older the continuous wear and tear of the intervertebral disc may also lead to disc herniations. The symptoms of a herniated or bulging disc will vary depending on the location of the problem and your body's response to pain.

Herniated lumbar disc symptoms have always been difficult to differentiate from other spinal disorders, as well as minor back injuries. Intense lumbar or low back pain radiating to the buttocks, legs and feet are a common symptom of those suffering from a herniated or bulging disc, which may also feel worse by simply coughing or laughing. Tingling or numbness in legs or feet is also a symptom for this back pain condition. If the disc herniation is not corrected, a back pain sufferer may experience muscle weakness or even muscle deterioration as time passes by.

A herniated cervical disc may lead to slight or severe neck pain. Neck pain may be classified as slight or intense pain in shoulders, upper arm, chest, forearm, hands and fingers. Neck pain may be intensified by simple movements such as turning or bending over, laughing and coughing.

A relatively new back pain therapy identified as non-surgical spinal decompression, provides relief of back pain associated with herniated, bulging discs, degenerative disc disease, posterior facet syndrome, and sciatica. The theory behind non-surgical spinal decompression is a course of action whereby forces are applied to the spine in a manner that maximizes spinal elongation.

Non-surgical spinal decompression utilizing the DRX9000(TM) involves application of forces logarithmically to elongate the spine without causing the muscles that guard the spine to contract. The technology necessary to apply spinal decompressive forces is very advanced. The DRX9000 True Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression System(TM) utilizes high-speed treatment computers to calculate the logarithmic spinal decompression treatment curve for each patient. Recently published clinical research data demonstrates very promising results for patients suffering with herniated or bulging discs.

Sometimes the remedy can be worse than the disease

It is about a ten-hour surgery in which they open you up on your side and on your back. In my particular surgery they would put three rods in my back and hold them together with five screws. In order to help my bone grow they took out one of my ribs and six of my discs, and they also took a bone graft from my lower hip (right on my butt). They took this bone and filled three cages that hold the bone which are in between the vertebra.....

- Culled from Scoliosis Surgery: Corey McConnell's Experience

If it sounds, gruesome, remember this is just the beginning. Corrective spinal surgery for scoliosis can be quite a distressing experience for adolescent patients and their parents. Spinal surgery often involves an extensive amount of tissue and bone trauma that can result in excreting pain that the patient simply has to live with.

Worse, there is no guarantee that despite the steep cost of spinal surgery, the results would be as expected. In many cases, the remedy can be worse than the disease.

Then why do so many scoliosis patients continue to opt for spinal surgery?

That's a million dollar question! I've been baffled by it and discovered that over these years, we have veered so far away from traditional modes of treatment and scalpel-free cures, that we've forgotten that there were "miraculous" recoveries from scoliosis even when doctors didn't wield any scalpel.

This set me on an intensive research and during my last few years of practice and experience with hundreds of scoliosis patients, I've come to discover that THERE ARE, time-tested non-surgical treatment for scoliosis.

Non-surgical Scoliosis Correction offers a combination of these effective, safe and painless non-surgical treatments for various disorders of the spine such as neck problems, low back pain and slipped disc.

Non-surgical Scoliosis Correction techniques draws the best protocols and methods from around the world, such as the Schroth method pioneered in Germany, the Vertetrac system developed in Israel and also vibration therapy, physical therapy and used in U.S.A. for correcting spinal curves (scoliosis), low back pain, sciatica and herniation, with very encouraging results.

The biggest advantage of Non-surgical Scoliosis Correction is that besides being painless, it's more cost-effective (costs a fraction of the cost of spinal surgery) and there are no side effects! The only requirement is that you begin your treatment with the commitment to follow through with the recommended exercise and treatment protocols over a period of time.

Non Surgical Scoliosis treatment basically includes:

Nutrition therapy

We are what we eat. As most people are well aware, good nutrition and a balanced diet are important components of overall health. What may surprise people with back problems is that diet, nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight also play a major role in the back - including preventing many problems and healing from injuries. The bones, muscles and other structures in the spine need good nutrition and vitamins so that they are strong enough to support the body and to perform their other functions. Using these nutritional guidelines, patients can integrate back-friendly vitamins and nutrients into their diets.

Posture & Body Balance Training There is now a huge body of research on outpatient physiotherapy, intensive inpatient rehabilitation, and bracing that's proven the effectiveness of exercise in scoliosis treatment. A paper from researchers in Turkey published in the Saudi Medical Journal on Schroth's three-dimensional exercise therapy --- that I use at my clinic for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis --- found that after six weeks, six months and one year, of therapy, all patients had an increase in muscle strength. What's more, they also reported a significant improvement in their postural defects.

Chiropractic

Children with mild scoliosis treated with chiropractic adjustments have shown a reduction in their spinal curvature, according to the findings of a three-year, $143,000 study funded by the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research.

It is imperative that a scoliosis suffer gets treated from a trained chiropractor with good knowledge in treating scoliosis. Too often and untrained manual therapist will try to "click and "crack" the spine to push it back into place. While this method works for a normal spine a person it wont for a scolioctic spine but may actually increase the Scoliosis.

State of the art medical devices

There are several state-of-the-art medical devices that I use at my clinic, namely:

Vibration therapy

The Russian cosmonauts first investigated vibrating platforms as a way of maintaining bone & muscle mass while in outer space.I first began using vibration therapy as a way of retraining the brain's control over the muscles more effectively. When you stand upon the vibration machine, your postural muscles have to make multiple, rapid adjustments - as many as 50 times per second to adapt to the stimuli and balance accordingly. For this reason, exercises & spinal rehabilitation performed with vibration therapy can be as much as 3 times more effective than if they were done alone!

Meditrac & Vertetrac

This is a huge improvement over the traditional traction devices devised by Dr. L. Stabholz and Dr. A. Grober. These doctors found that applying differential traction to patients with an antalgic lean (Sciatic Scoliosis) helped in restoring normal upright stance and decreasing muscle spasm, often leading to full recovery. Meditrac & Vertetrac are now extensively used in the patient's rehabilitation process and accelerating blood flow to the tissues and intervertebral discs at my clinic.

Shockwave Therapy

Shock Wave Therapy implies the application of high-intensity ultrasonic acoustic radiation for the treatment of certain musculo-skeletal disorders. The machine focuses high energy sound waves on the injury through a protective pad that breaks down scar tissue and calcifications in the area, resulting in structural changes in the tissue, stimulation of bone growth, regeneration of the lost tissue and calcium absorption by the body, all of which are great for a full or partial recovery from scoliosis.

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression

This FDA cleared technology relieves pain by enlarging the space between the discs. The treatment has been found to be remarkably effective in severe cases of herniation, degeneration, arthritis, stenosis and pressure on the nerve root. According to a clinical study performed by the Orthopedic Technological Review in 2004, 86% of all cases experienced spinal pain relief with disc decompression.

When is the best time to treat my Scoliosis?

It is always advisable to correct your scoliosis or any back problem as early as possible before it spirals out of control. With timely intervention, we are able to reduce the curve to an ideal 5 degrees or less, thus defeating the disease rather than taming it.

The only thing to be borne in mind is that while surgery is usually over in a day or two at the hospital followed by subsequent rehabilitation, my program requires a lot more consistent effort, dedication and time. The advantage is that its significantly cheaper and safer than surgery.

Just think about it. Over 650,000 surgical procedures are performed annually for back pain in the United States that cost in excess of $20 billion per annum. "Can this money not be put to some better use," questions Dr. Gunnar Andersson, former chairman of the department of Orthopedics at Rush. Dr Andersson and his team have found that often there is no link between people's health care expenditures and their health outcomes. This means that we often spend money on surgeries that are not required.

Don't be part of that depressing statistic.

Failed back syndrome is a term used to define pain experienced after back surgery that is the same or worse as the pain it was meant to treat. Spinal fusion surgery is prescribed and administered en masse to treat a number of spinal problems, including disc degeneration, spinal misalignment and facet joint syndrome. The procedure carries a unique risk: adjacent segment degeneration (ASD), also called transitional syndrome.

Spinal fusion entails the use of bone grafts and often hardware to fuse two or more vertebrae together. The disc in between is removed and the bones are joined to immobilize the segment, reducing pain caused by nerve impingement, friction and/or joint instability.

When a spinal disc is removed, it changes the mechanics of the spine. The now-immobilized segment limits the range of motion of the spine and surrounding discs must take on extra pressures and stresses, since their fellow shock absorber has been removed. Transitional syndrome or ASD are terms that describes the accelerated degeneration of discs above or below the site of spinal fusion.

For people experiencing post-operative back pain caused by ASD, the recommended treatment may be shocking: another fusion surgery. The more levels of the spine that are fused, the more likely yet another operation will be needed as the stress on adjacent discs increases with every disc lost. Anyone has a right to be wary of spinal fusion surgery, especially those who have already experienced complications from it. Fortunately, there may be alternative treatments for pain after spinal fusion.

Spinal Decompression Therapy

Most fusion procedures utilize hardware to reinforce the fusion site, but some do not. If you had a fusion without hardware, you may benefit from spinal decompression treatments. Chiropractors sometimes purchase decompression machines for their offices. To receive the treatment, you lay on a table while a specially-designed belt gently pulls the vertebrae of your spine apart. These machines contain biofeedback mechanisms that monitor your body's response to the force exerted to eliminate the risk of causing harm. The pulling action increases disc space and allows degenerating discs to rehydrate. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-yJgcbg9Xk for a video that shows one type of decompression machine.

It is wise to couple these treatments with physical therapy to build muscle surrounding the fusion site. Strong muscles help the spinal discs support the spine, thereby reducing the stress experienced by the discs.

Artificial Disc Replacement

If conservative treatments don't work to remedy ASD, fusion may not be the only surgical procedure available to you. Instead of removing another disc from the spine, it may be possible to replace it with an artificial disc. It is necessary to first be certain that the pain is not being caused by a joint problem or failed fusion.

While disc replacement has not been studied for long-term effectiveness since it only became available in the U.S. in 2000, studies up to now are promising. The rationale behind this procedure rests on maintaining spinal mobility and shock absorption capacity while eliminating the disc that caused pain. A small study, found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16506474, indicates that artificial disc replacement may be a safe and effective treatment for transitional syndrome.

If you have back pain due to a fusion surgery that was meant to correct it, make sure you are aware of all possible treatments. Surgeons are quick to prescribe fusion; doing your own research will ensure that you are not misinformed about your options.