04 Feb Chiropractic Spinal Decompression
During an automobile accident, even one that does not feel like it is a major event, your body can be thrown about the cabin of your vehicle with great force. This can result in many types of injuries, including, among many others, bruises, broken bones, neck whiplash injury, minor and major lacerations, and head trauma. This can result in long -term pain and or depression or both.
A severe accident can also contribute to or create a feeling of general discomfort and pain that comes from a sudden compression of the spine. In so many words, this sounds odd, given that it would require a very particular type of movement to create a spinal compression. However, spinal compression is seldom a situation involving the entire spine. It is much more likely and more common for a certain portion of the spine to be subjected to compression. As such, it is more common than it may sound.
In the meantime, pain can result from several factors. A nerve could be pinched and sending serious pain signals to your brain, depending on the position you are in. Bones could be rubbing other bones when you move. A disc could be seriously out of alignment, causing a rupture of the flexible cushion that lies between each vertebra. (This is called a ruptured or a herniated disc.) Back muscles can also be affected by spinal compression.
The spine
From an anatomical point of view, the spine is divided into four sections. These include the eight vertebrae of the neck, called the cervical cord, the 12 vertebrae of the upper back called the thoracic cord, the lower back (five vertebrae) called the lumbar region and below that the five sections of the sacral region and the coccygeal region.
Compression is normally associated with the three higher regions, the neck, the upper and lower back. This is the portion of the spine that does the heavy lifting, holding your torso and your head in proper alignment.
Decompression Therapy
Many people benefit from one to 10 sessions of decompression therapy. This can include different techniques, including hanging from a specially devised shoulder harness while letting the weight of your legs and torso pull down on your spine.
More highly regarded and more often recommended (especially if just starting decompression therapy) are controlled decompression sessions at the doctor’s office. This usually includes sessions of 15 to 45 minutes long that involve the patient outfitted (while fully dressed) with a harness that secures the waist and legs, but allows a computer-assisted harness to pull gently, essentially stretching the patient’s spine to eliminate or reduce the compressed situation.
Results of the decompression session can vary greatly. Most patients feel immediate relief, especially if their pain has come from a pinched nerve that is relieved of pressure by the treatment.
On the other hand, while most patients feel immediate relief from this type of treatment, there is a chance that the pain can return after a while – after a few hours or a day or two. If this is the case, it may be recommended that you undergo several decompression treatments until the therapy begins to work for longer periods of time.
It is possible that spinal decompression therapy will be effective for even longer periods of your life. Many patients choose to return to a periodic decompression session, say once or twice a year, to keep their spine in alignment.
Seeking help
By all means, keep our phone number handy. Colorado Accident & Injury can be reached at (719) 917-1000.
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