Today I met with a nice lady from San Francisco with disc herniations in her neck to discuss cervical spinal decompression therapy on the DRX 9000. She was concerned that the treatment would hurt her because she had recently had a bad experience with physical therapy. I explained to her that her neck was not in good enough condition to be able to handle the exercises she described to me. There is too much inflammation because of the multiple-level disc herniations and advanced spinal degeneration. We must first work toward reducing the inflammation and making the spine healthier before we attempt any exercise. This is what the DRX 9000 was designed to do. It does this basically by helping the spine do what it would if it could. By design, the discs receive nourishment and expel waste products through a process called imbibition, the pumping action on the discs created by motion of the spine. When the discs are injured they are unable to perform this function and waste products build up inside of them. In addition, the body seeks to prevent the disc from further injury by signaling the supporting muscles into spasm, locking the vertebrae into place. The process also triggers an inflammatory response by the immune system, further complicating the problem. To try and exercise your way out of this condition can be very detrimental. Up until now, cortisone, which can be very dangerous (causes loss of bone mass and liver/kidney problems) short and long term was the treatment of choice to get the inflammation down so that the physical therapy could be implemented. Well, this is all well and good but, the spine is still in the same place, the disc are still herniated, they have not been re hydrated, all that has happened is the symptoms have been masked, the inflammation temporarily contained (until the cortisone wears off), and a program initiated that could make the problem worse. Of course there is surgery, but we will leave this discussion for another time. For now, just know that the time to exercise the spine is after about 10 sessions on the DRX9000. At this time we will initiate some stretches that you will do at home. A few sessions later we will add to some isokinetic range of motion exercises to the stretches. Then, we will incorporate some strengthening exercises using a fitness ball and floor exercises. This is all done in a controlled fashion and on an individual basis. Some of you will do our in-house core spinal rehab on the SpineForce machine. Either way, our personal trainers will be with you every step of the way. We will pick our spot (as far as when) to begin exercises wisely, when you are ready. If it means we have to wait a little longer then so be it. We always start off real easy and build up a little bit at a time. We work with seasoned athletes and elderly patients, so we have experience across the board. In an depth article about our treatment approach to treating disc herniations non-surgically can be found here.
Today I met with a nice lady from San Francisco with disc herniations in her neck to discuss cervical spinal decompression therapy on the DRX 9000. She was concerned that the treatment would hurt her because she had recently had a bad experience with physical therapy. I explained to her that her neck was not in good enough condition to be able to handle the exercises she described to me. There is too much inflammation because of the multiple-level disc herniations and advanced spinal degeneration. We must first work toward reducing the inflammation and making the spine healthier before we attempt any exercise. This is what the DRX 9000 was designed to do. It does this basically by helping the spine do what it would if it could. By design, the discs receive nourishment and expel waste products through a process called imbibition, the pumping action on the discs created by motion of the spine. When the discs are injured they are unable to perform this function and waste products build up inside of them. In addition, the body seeks to prevent the disc from further injury by signaling the supporting muscles into spasm, locking the vertebrae into place. The process also triggers an inflammatory response by the immune system, further complicating the problem. To try and exercise your way out of this condition can be very detrimental. Up until now, cortisone, which can be very dangerous (causes loss of bone mass and liver/kidney problems) short and long term was the treatment of choice to get the inflammation down so that the physical therapy could be implemented. Well, this is all well and good but, the spine is still in the same place, the disc are still herniated, they have not been re hydrated, all that has happened is the symptoms have been masked, the inflammation temporarily contained (until the cortisone wears off), and a program initiated that could make the problem worse. Of course there is surgery, but we will leave this discussion for another time. For now, just know that the time to exercise the spine is after about 10 sessions on the DRX9000. At this time we will initiate some stretches that you will do at home. A few sessions later we will add to some isokinetic range of motion exercises to the stretches. Then, we will incorporate some strengthening exercises using a fitness ball and floor exercises. This is all done in a controlled fashion and on an individual basis. Some of you will do our in-house core spinal rehab on the SpineForce machine. Either way, our personal trainers will be with you every step of the way. We will pick our spot (as far as when) to begin exercises wisely, when you are ready. If it means we have to wait a little longer then so be it. We always start off real easy and build up a little bit at a time. We work with seasoned athletes and elderly patients, so we have experience across the board. In an depth article about our treatment approach to treating disc herniations non-surgically can be found here.