Pros and Cons of Spinal Decompression | VIP Medical Group

Spinal Decompression: What Is It and What Are the Pros & Cons?

If you suffer from neck or back pain, you know how it can affect everything from your mobility, to your mood and energy. You may have seen your primary care physician early on to treat your pain with medication, physical therapy, or other neck and back pain remedies. But your pain still hasn’t gotten any better. With the pain becoming unbearable, you’re now considering one of the big guns — spinal decompression. Does it work? Are there any risks involved? Read on to learn if spinal decompression is right for you.

Nonsurgical and surgical spinal decompression work by relieving the pressure put on spinal nerves by surrounding spinal structures. They can be used to treat all types of painful neck and back conditions: bulging or herniated (slipped) discs, degenerative (damaged) disc disease, spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal), facet syndrome (damaged spinal joints) and sciatica (back pain associated with hip, butt and/or leg pain).

In nonsurgical spinal decompression, your spine is gently stretched on a decompression table for 30 – 45 minutes over a series of visits. The back stretching machine is so gentle that many patients even fall asleep during the treatment. In surgical spinal decompression, parts of spinal nerve compressing structures such as discs, vertebrae, and bony growths are removed. Sometimes, surgical fusion of the vertebrae is required after decompression to stabilize the spine.

Both types of spinal decompression are highly effective in providing relief from neck and back pain. Nonsurgical decompression is the safer of the two treatments, as it is non-invasive. Surgical decompression may be needed if nonsurgical decompression fails. Risks of surgical decompression include nerve or tissue damage, infection, bleeding, blood clots, and allergic reactions to anesthesia. Both treatments can be costly if not covered by insurance.

What Type of Doctor Can Perform Spinal Decompression?

If your pain is severe or significantly affects your life, you can’t afford to delay treatment. Seeing a board certified pain doctor for spinal decompression can help you obtain relief from neck and back pain.

Pain medicine doctors have specialized training in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all kinds of pain conditions, including neck and back pain. If you are looking for a premier pain management clinic, that accepts most health insurance plans, check out Pain Treatment Specialists.The pain doctors at Pain Treatment Specialists are Harvard-trained and board-certified with the American Board of Anesthesiology Pain Medicine. Pain Treatment Specialists are trained in the most advanced techniques and procedures, such as minimally invasive lumbar decompression. Pain Treatment Specialists clinics are located in New York City, and in Clifton, Paramus and Wayne, New Jersey.

Why Visit VIP Medical Group in NY or NJ?

Upon arrival at one of our clinics, your pain doctor will meet you for your scheduled consultation. At this time, he or she will have the opportunity to talk with you about your overall health and your specific pain symptoms. After getting to know you and your pain better, your doctor will perform a careful physical examination with attentive bedside manner. He or she may even order some lab tests, nerve conduction studies, or imaging studies, such as an x-ray or MRI. With this information, your doctor will be able to diagnose your back pain, and will discuss if spinal decompression is right for you. In addition to spinal decompression, a wide array of neck, back and lower back pain treatment options are available, including those outlined below that only a pain specialist can offer.

Back Pain Treatments

• Cervical and Lumbar Epidural: Pain physicians administer cervical or lumbаr еріdurаl, a combination of a corticosteroid injection and local anesthetic medication, to treat neck, low back, and leg pain.
• Cervical and Lumbar Facet Injection: Corticosteroid injections delivered by a pain doctor into the facet joints of the spine can reduce pain and swelling of your back and neck.
• SI Joint Injection: Corticosteroid injections are delivered by a pain doctor into the sacroiliac (SI) joint, which connects the sacrum and ilium bones of the pelvis to treat pain and swelling.
• MILD Procedure: MILD, or “Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression,” is a special procedure performed by pain physicians to treat lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). LSS is narrowing of the spinal canal that compresses the spinal cord and nerves of the lower back. With a very small lumbar incision and imaging guidance, small pieces of bone and excess tissue are removed to decrease nerve compression.
• Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation: When other treatments fail to provide lower back pain relief, pain doctors turn to radiofrequency ablation of the lumbar spinal nerves. This treatment involves lumbar spinal nerve block and removal using radiofrequency. It is performed at affected facet joints of the spine.
• Coolief SI Joint Cooled RF: When other treatments fail to treat chronic back pain due to sacroiliac joint dysfunction, pain doctors turn to radiofrequency ablation of the sacroiliac nerve. This treatment involves sacroiliac nerve block and removal using radiofrequency. The additional cooling technology of the procedure allows for a more effective treatment.
• At the end of your visit, you will meet with a member of our billing department. She will help explain to you your treatment insurance coverage and benefits. Before any treatment is done, you will be given a detailed outline of how much you will owe (if anything). We will work directly with your insurance company to help you get treated as soon as possible. You can rest assured that there will be no surprise bills or hidden costs. Schedule an appointment with one of the best back pain medicine doctors in NY and NJ for management of your back pain today.