Cervical and Lumbar Decompression

Neck and back pain are two of the most common complaints for those who live with pain. Spinal decompression is a pivotal treatment for many of our patients suffering from these conditions. Whether a patient has cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spinal ailments, we address each patient’s diagnosis individually. For example, with neck pain, almost all patients with frequent headaches – either migraine or tension – have pain and postural abnormalities. Whether this pain is from a whiplash injury (car accident or sports related incident) or is a chronic, nagging pain, spinal decompression followed by EMS and cold/heat therapy works to bring down the severity of the pain.

Spinal decompression, simply put, is a nonsurgical treatment that works to take the pressure off the spinal discs and alleviate neck and back pain. It works by gently stretching the spine in order to change the force and position of the spine itself. Joints of the lordotic spinal regions (cervical and lumbar sections of the spine) are decompressed and simultaneously aligned in a corrected curved configuration. Air cells expand from the lordotic spinal concavity, separating the joints on front and back of the vertebral bodies. Additionally, this keeps the discs in a ratio with their natural wedged spacing.

This continual process of expansion (decompression) and contraction of the air cells creates alternating hydration of the intervertebral discs. This treatment, typically lasting for 15 to 20 minutes, works to mold the spine into a curved shape. Decompression does not remove the normal curve of the spine, so it is not harmful. While alleviating overall pain, decompression also decreases bulging discs and can tremendously increase alignment in the spine. This procedure helps alleviate or treat conditions such as sciatica and bulging, herniated, or degenerative discs. Over time, negative pressure from this type of therapy can cause bulging or herniated discs to retract. This retraction will promote movement of water, oxygen, and nutrient-rich fluids to the discs to speed up the healing process.

PILATES

Pilates is a form of exercise we have eagerly implemented into our physical therapy at Mountain View Pain Center. Originally designed under the name contrology by physical therapy pioneer Joseph Hubertus Pilates, it is an innovative system of movement and exercise designed to realign and balance the body, while promoting maximum muscle strength to increase flexibility, coordination, and stamina. In his own words, “[Pilates] develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit.”
Each treatment plan has a target-specific phase of exercises, whether a patient has cervical, lumbar, or another type of injury in the body. Additionally, a central part of physical therapy within our office is keeping each patient’s pain level at a minimum while also starting or continuing a regular exercise program.
Some of the stabilization exercises include the spinal twist, quadruped, single knee-to-chest, and floor bridges, while some more challenging exercise include planking, exercise ball superman, reverse flies, and external rotation (targeting the rotator cuff). Certain exercises may also be performed on a reformer, allowing for spring resistance.
Pilates also decompress joints, which, in return, improves circulation throughout the body. Combining floor exercises and reformer Pilates increases strength, range of motion, and allows for a more balanced musculature, promoting healthy tissue that allows for efficient movement patterns. If a patient has never tried Pilates or is a novice to exercise in general, it is a perfect way to ease the body into a low-impact style of workout.

Through our various physical therapy treatments, we address each and every patient individually. When patients stay proactive about their bodies and take the necessary steps towards physical therapy treatment, we target and help to fix various body ailments that hinder each individual’s life.