Back pain can make your life miserable. It can be disruptive to your ability to do the normal activities of daily life. Dr. Philip Gura offers decompression therapy at his East Rockaway, NY practice in addition to many other services to meet all of your chiropractic needs. 

One reason for back pain is discs that are herniated or bulging. In the past, surgery was considered to be the only way to provide relief. Today, there are other, non-invasive options including decompression therapy to treat bulging discs by getting them back where they belong. 

Understanding disc problems

Your entire body is controlled by your brain through your nerve system.  Your spine is how messages get out to the extremities and every part of your body. An adult back has 24 vertebrae and 23 discs that are the shock absorbers between the vertebrae. They are spread between the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions of the back. When a disc becomes deformed or its inner gel moves out of the place between the vertebrae where it belongs, it may press on a nerve. This results in pain. When this happens, it is called a herniated, slipped, or bulging disc. 

The bulging disc can be the result of trauma or just degeneration of the disc’s outer ring, usually resulting from aging. It can happen anywhere in the back but is most common in the lumbar region, which is the lower back. 

What is decompression therapy?

The object of decompression therapy is to get the disc material to go back into the position where it belongs. This will remove the pressure from the nerve and the pain should go away. The spinal decompression occurs on a computer-operated table. Your chiropractor will operate the computer and the program will be tailored to you and your body. Your back is gently stretched, and the eventual result is that your disc will be pulled back into its original location. Studies have shown it to be successful for many people and allow you to potentially avoid surgery. 

Contact Dr. Gura at his practice in East Rockaway, NY if you have back pain that is the result of a bulging, slipped, or herniated disc. Call our office at 516-593-8333 or use the form on our website to request an appointment for an evaluation to discover if you are a good candidate for decompression therapy.