DEAR DR. GOTT:
What do you know about a procedure called “non-surgical decompression”? I have pain in my thigh and lower leg because of disc problems. Physical therapy and traction work well but the pain returns in a few months without it. I followed the therapist’s instructions explicitly about at home exercises and do them religiously four times a week. However, the pain is still noticeable, especially when I sit or lie down. I don’t want to have surgery.
DEAR DR. GOTT:
My 73-year-old mother has been told she had spinal spurs. She had an epidural but it only lasted about two weeks. She is paying $5000 to a spine specialist who doesn’t accept her insurance who puts her in a machine that is supposed to stretch the spine but it doesn’t work. She is not a candidate for surgery so what other options does she have?
DEAR READERS: I have combined your questions because they are both about back pain caused by spinal abnormalities. One of you has used a spinal decompression machine and the other would like to.
As you can see, one of you also benefited from traction, the other has not.
A spinal decompression machine is a mechanical form of traction. The patient lies on a split table that is motorized and separates, stretching the lower spine and “decompressing” the discs.
While advocates of these machines claim they can correct degenerated, herniated or desiccated discs and relieve pain , there is no clinical evidence to prove it. For some, especially those who benefit from traction, it can work well. For others it may not provide any discernable results. For a rare few, the procedure is downright painful and cannot be tolerated. In one study, a patient with a large herniated disc was treated with a spinal decompression machine only to have symptoms worsen immediately during the procedure. Upon MRI, the disc was shown to have herniated even further out of place and required immediate surgery.
This is not to say the machines don’t work for some. They do. However, they do not consistently work for many as has been claimed.
There are other alternatives to surgery including manual tractions, physical therapy, chiropractic manipulation, acupressure, acupuncture and medication. I urge both of you (and others with similar pain) to seek the advice of a chiropractor or orthopedic surgeon who can examine and recommend appropriate testing and treatment options.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Managing Chronic Pain”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
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