Spinal Decompression Therapy in Boise

Balance Chiropractic Clinic in Boise has been helping patients for 20 years and have served thousands of patients. We provide advanced spinal decompression and chiropractic adjustments utilizing “state of the art” chiropractic techniques.

Dr. Troy Norris has advanced training from the Spine Institute of San Diego for whiplash injury treatment and is also certified in spinal decompression therapy.

Questions on our Boise Decompression Therapy:

What is Spinal Decompression?

Spinal Decompression Therapy is a non-surgical, traction based treatment used to help improve herniated, or bulging, discs in the neck and lower back.

Anyone who has back, neck, arm or leg pain may receive relief from Spinal Decompression Therapy

How many spinal decompression sessions will be needed and are they painful?

The number of sessions needed, along with your specific treatment plan, will be determined by the doctor after your examination. In almost all cases, the treatments are completely painless. In fact, some patients fall asleep during the spinal decompression session.
What type of decompression system is used and is the doctor certified in spinal decompression therapy?

After a significant amount of research, our office chose, what we believe to be the most sophisticated, technologically advanced, state-of-the-art decompression system in the world. We also selected this decompression system due to its ability to treat discs in both the neck and the low back.

Dr. Troy Norris has completed the Kennedy Decompression Technique course work and passed the qualifying examination to achieve the status of “Certified Practitioner” in Spinal Decompression Therapy. He is one of only two certified Spinal Decompression practitioners in the area.
What Makes Spinal Decompression Therapy so Effective?

The key to Spinal Decompression efficacy is the doctor’s high qualifications and skill combined with the specifically chosen decompression unit. With the proper assessment, correct positioning and the use of pre programmed patterns of distraction and relaxation disc pressure may be reduced thus allowing essential nutrients to enliven and accelerate disc healing.
Who can benefit from Spinal Decompression Therapy?

Anyone who has back pain or neck pain due to a damaged disc may see results from spinal decompression therapy. Examples of these conditions include herniated, protruding or bulging discs, Spinal Stenosis, Sciatica or even failed spine surgery.
Are there medical studies that document the effectiveness of Spinal Decompression Therapy?

Yes! One study documented, using MRI results, up to 90% reduction of disc herniations in 10 of 14 cases. Additional studies have reported that the majority patients seeking treatment for a ruptured disc achieved “good” to “excellent” results after spinal decompression therapy. (Click here if you would like to review these studies) To read an article about spinal decompression that appeared in “To Your Health” magazine
Are there conditions where Spinal Decompression Therapy is not indicated?

Spinal Decompression Therapy is not recommended for pregnant women, patients who have severe osteoporosis, severe obesity or severe nerve damage. Spinal surgery with instrumentation (screws, metal plates or “cages”) is also contraindicated. However, Spinal Decompression Therapy can be utilized after bone fusion or non-fusion surgery.
How many sessions will be needed and what is the cost?

Our customary fee for each spinal decompression session is only $65.00. This is a small fraction of the amount that some other doctors are charging for the same services you will be receiving in our office. Because insurance coverage and reimbursement rates vary we will be happy to check your insurance coverage for you. If your insurance company covers spinal decompression therapy your out-of-pocket expense could be as little as your co-payment! If these services are not covered by your insurance we offer payment arrangements ahead of time to help make care more affordable.
Do most patients receive therapy and rehabilitative exercises in addition to Spinal Decompression Therapy?

To reduce inflammation and assist the healing process, supporting structures (the spine, muscles and tendons) are treated with passive therapies (ice/heat), chiropractic adjustments (as indicated) and/or active rehabilitation in order to strengthen the spinal musculature.
How do I get started?

We want to make it easy for you to learn if you are a candidate for spinal decompression therapy. Just call our office to arrange a consultation or use the email links at the bottom of this page and we will contact you directly to arrange a time that best fits your schedule.

Note: Please remember to bring any MRI reports so the doctor can review them and best advise you about your treatment options.

Spine Decompression Studies and Back Pain

The second study included 129 patients (21 female) with a chief complaint of pain and/or numbness in the lumbar spine, buttock and/or lower extremity (Cai, Pua et al. 2009). Patients were excluded from the study based on:
- current pregnancy
- signs of spinal cord injury
- history of spinal fracture, surgery or osteoporosis
- pain was determined to be non-spinal pain
The treatment in the study was three motorized lumbar traction sessions over a 9 day period. Twenty five patients (19.4%) were found to have a 50% improvement score on the modified Oswestry Back Disability Questionnaire (OBDI) and were termed the responders.

After 6 treatments, 44% of patients were categorized as having a successful treatment outcome (greater than or equal to a +6 on the Global Rate of Change (GROC) scale – “A great deal better’)

Patients who best responded to lumbar traction therapy:
1. being 30 years of age or older
2. having no neurological deficit (this contradicts previous findings from other low back pain CPR research)
3. having a low Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) score
4. non-involvement in manual labor
Having at least 3/4 variables present in the patient, the probability of successful traction was deemed to be 42.2%. If 4/4 variables were present in the patient, the probability of successful traction was deemed to be 69.2%.

The authors caution that this CPR should not be used in a multi-modality treatment regime and should not be used to formulate treatment strategies longer than 3 sessions over a 9 day period.

While this study demonstrates several limitations, it is useful in assisting clinicians to identify variables in low back pain patients most likely to respond to lumbar spinal decompression traction therapy alone and patients who most likely require multi-modal care (Cai, Pua et al. 2009).

References

Cai, C., Y. H. Pua, et al. (2009). “A clinical prediction rule for classifying patients with low back pain who demonstrate short-term improvement with mechanical lumbar traction.” Eur Spine J 18(4): 554-561.

Raney, N. H., E. J. Petersen, et al. (2009). “Development of a clinical prediction rule to identify patients with neck pain likely to benefit from cervical traction and exercise.” Eur Spine J 18(3): 382-391.