Spinal Stenosis – How Spinal Decompression Lawrenceville GA Works

Spinal stenosis is a condition that causes narrowing in the spine. It can take place at the center of your spine, where the canals branch off the spine and/or between its bones. The narrowing puts pressure on your nerves and spinal cord and can induce pain. Men and women older than 50, are more likely to be affected with this condition. Nonetheless, younger people with a spine injury or a narrow spinal canal and those with arthritis and scoliosis are also at risk. Symptoms may show up progressively or may not show at all. A person with spinal stenosis may experience back pain, neck pain, numbness, weakness or pain in the arms or legs, and foot problems.

Medications, physical therapy, braces, and surgery are traditionally used as treatments that address problems accompanying spinal stenosis. However, they only work to relieve the symptoms, not the cause. Remedying the cause is the most effective solution to relieve the symptoms and prevent its recurrence. That is what spinal decompression can do. Spinal decompression Lawrenceville GA is an alternative treatment that eases back pain, neck pain, and other symptoms caused by spinal stenosis and it can be an excellent alternative for surgery.

What is spinal stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of spaces in the spine which results in pressure on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots. This disorder usually involves the narrowing of the canals and openings of the vertebrae where the nerve roots pass through. The narrowing may involve a small or large area of the spine. This can occur in the neck (cervical) as well as the lower back (lumbar) and on rare cases, in the mid spine (thoracic).

What are the symptoms of spinal stenosis?

Symptoms usually get worse gradually over time. Most commonly, symptoms will be on one side of the body or the other. If the pressure it causes takes place on the lower part of the spine or on nerve roots branching out from that area, it may give rise to pain or numbness in the legs. If it occurs in the upper back, it may cause similar symptoms in the neck, shoulders, or arms. Additional symptoms of spinal stenosis include difficulty or poor balance when walking and problems controlling urine or bowel movements.

What causes spinal stenosis?

Arthritis, the weakening of any joint in the body, is the most usual cause of spinal stenosis. In the spine, it is the result of degenerating disc and loss of hydration. As an individual gets older, the discs start to dry out and weaken. This problem causes settling down, or collapse of the disk spaces and loss of disk space height. Other causes of spinal stenosis include accidents, falls, and bone diseases.

How can spinal stenosis be treated?

In treating the disorder, traditional concepts such as medications and physical therapy can help lessen pain but only with short term results. Moreover, they only work on reducing the symptoms rather than treating the root cause, which is why pain only reoccurs before long. Surgery on the other hand may work on the actual cause but it comes with dangerous risks and complications and it does not ensure success either.

Luckily, doing away with the pain for good just takes much safer and cost-friendly conservative treatments. Spinal decompression therapy can be used to help minimize the pain for a long time. It works by lessening mechanical stress on bone surfaces, resulting to a substantial decrease in inflammation.

Decompression Therapy Lawrenceville GA supports improved moisture to the discs, which can eventually improve their thickness and in turn reduces the mechanical stress on the spine. The immediate effect of this reduced mechanical stress is often a dramatic reduction in inflammation. And because spinal decompression corrects the affected area of the spine, where the underlying cause is, the effect can be lasting. Disc decompression also enhances disc hydration which helps slowing down or stopping the progression of the abnormal bone formation.

To sum it all, spinal decompression can be a highly effective treatment for spinal stenosis and can help prevent the need for invasive treatments. The spine and rehab center in Lawrenceville accepts patients with spinal stenosis Lawrenceville GA. For those who are considering surgery, this treatment can be a very good alternative to surgical treatment.

What is Facet Joint Syndrome? Learn How Spinal Decompression Lawrenceville GA Can Help

Facet Syndrome

Facet joint syndrome is a disorder mostly caused by structural degeneration of one or more spinal joints by which can eventually cause pain. It may occur in the upper back or lower back. If the condition occurs in the cervical spinal area or upper back, it is called cervical facet syndrome. If it occurs in the lumbar spinal area or lower back, it is called lumbar facet syndrome.

Facet syndrome generally causes back pain and neck pain which can be excruciating for some people. It reduces quality of life if left untreated. Patients can find an excellent solution for facet joint syndrome Lawrenceville GA with the help of spinal decompression, a nonsurgical treatment that uses technological advances to provide relief in a precise yet gentle way.

Facet Joints

Facet joints are the connections between the bones of the spine. These are the joints where nerve roots from the spinal cord pass through to the other parts of the body such as the arms and legs. They allow the spine to move smoothly and keep the back from slipping or twisting past limits.

Symptoms

The most frequent complaints of people with facet syndrome are pain and stiffness. The pain commonly occurs on the affected area of the spine and is exaggerated while twisting, bending, or straightening up. A person loses range of motion and flexibility in the affected vertebrae.

For someone who has cervical facet syndrome, the condition can be presented with neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches, or difficulty turning the head or having to move the entire body to look over to the left or right.

In lumbar facet syndrome, symptoms may feature low back pain, thigh and groin pain, and discomfort in the buttocks.

Causes

Facet joints are in almost constant motion with the spine and commonly wear out or become degenerated in many people. When facet joints become worn or torn, the cartilage may become thin or disappear which may result to overgrowing of bone spurs and enlargement of the joints.

Facet joint syndrome is a form of arthritis, in which the root causes are not clearly known. What is known is that the aging process and traumatic injury can both cause cartilage to degrade, which can result to pain as adjacent bones rub together.

Older people are more susceptible to facet joint syndrome. Natural aging process usually gives rise to osteoarthritis and joint degeneration. Athletes like gymnasts and acrobats are also at risk of facet joint syndrome. The rigors of their sport cause exceptional degeneration in their spine.

Treatment

Spinal decompression is more likely to be efficient in improving the symptoms of facet syndrome. It is a nonsurgical treatment that offers relief to distressing back and neck pain sufferers by gently separating the bones of the spine using a decompression equipment.

As the bones are gradually and methodically separated, the pressure in the facet is reduced. Decompressing the affected spinal joints can significantly reduce pain and disability. Spinal decompression also sets off vacuum effect that can pull much-needed oxygen, nutrients and fluids into the injured part to enable healing.

Spinal decompression Lawrenceville GA is a computer-controlled treatment, providing precise therapeutic decompression to the injured joints. It uses angulated elongation methods to target specific joints of the spine.

If you have been living with this kind of pain and other treatments do not work, try Lawrenceville GA Spinal Decompression. In a clinical study, this impressive treatment has been proven effective that it remarkably decreased the pain and provided a high success rate in patients with facet joint syndrome.

Spinal Decompression Lawrenceville GA – What Is A Bulging Disc?

Throughout your lifetime, your spine goes through a lot of stress from almost every activity. As you age, your spinal discs decrease in fluid and gets weaker, causing them to degenerate and result to bulging discs. A bulging disc is a spinal condition where a weakened disc flattens out and can exert pressure on nearby nerves. This can be very problematic because you may suffer disabling low back pain or neck pain that can affect you with your usual everyday activities. In a case like this, treatment is needed. Although most doctors recommend medications, injections, physical therapy, and surgery, these traditional treatments may not be effective for this kind of problem because they only work to treat the symptoms.

Problems caused by bulging discs are often improved with conservative therapies. Among these is spinal decompression therapy, an excellent treatment for bulging discs Lawrenceville GA, which also has been proven effective for eliminating back pain and neck pain caused by disc problems.

What is bulging disc?

A bulging disc is a spinal condition that characterizes deformity in a weakened spinal disc. Normally, a disc is made of two parts, the tough outer shell or annulus fibrosis and the jelly-like inner structure or nucleus pulposus. A bulging disc has lack of elasticity due to dehydration and it flattens out of its normal parameter due to constant pressure.

What causes bulging disc?

Your spine receives a lot wear and tear throughout your lifetime. As you get older, your discs lose fluid which causes them to become less spongy. Constant pressure causes the discs to flatten and spread out of its normal limits. This alone does not cause problem. However, when the bulging disc presses on a nerve, this can be problematic. The nerves of your spine are highly sensitive to pressure. When the bulging disc presses on a nerve, you may feel pain on a certain body part depending where the affected disc is located. Risk factors of bulging disc include excessive weight, poor muscle tone, lack of exercise, cigarette smoking, advancing age, poor posture, and poor body mechanics.

What are the symptoms of a bulging disc?

Bulging disc is common among people although some of them might not know they have it. Bulging disc shows no symptoms unless it presses on a nerve. For some people, bulging disc causes them numbness or debilitating pain.

Most bulging discs occur in the thoracic area or lower back. When a bulging disc occurs in the thoracic area, you may experience low back pain. If it presses on the sciatic nerve, you may suffer from sciatica, a type of lower back problem where pain radiates from the buttocks down to the legs, where the sciatic nerve runs. If the bulging disc occurs in the cervical area or upper back, you may feel neck pain which may radiate to your arms.

Generally, you may feel worsening pain when bending over or sitting down for a long time or when coughing or sneezing. You may also experience numbness or pins and needles in an arm or leg.

What is the best treatment for pain from bulging discs?

Most pain from disc problems can be improved with conservative treatments. Among these treatments is the spinal decompression therapy. Spinal decompression therapy offers results better than those of traditional treatments. It is a nonsurgical treatment that works effectively for disc-related pain. While traditional treatments such as medications, injections, physical therapy, and surgery work to reduce the symptoms, spinal decompression therapy corrects the cause, which is the bulging disc, to provide long-term pain relief.

How does spinal decompression work?

Spinal decompression Lawrenceville GA works by using motorized traction to stretch the area of your spine where the bulging disc is located. To increase the effectiveness of the treatment, vibrating units are used to relax your back muscles while you are lying fully clothed on the decompression table. The table is angled to a certain degree and then the gravity will gently pull your spine and open its segments. When the segments are opened, your discs and your nerves will be lifted from pressure which then eliminates the pain. The vacuum effect created by the decompression allows the bulging disc to return to its normal parameter and the oxygen, nutrients, and fluid will be drawn into the disc to promote disc healing.

Where to get help? Simply call your chiropractor Lawrenceville GA to have your spine checked. Sugarloaf Spine and Rehab Center offers nonsurgical spinal decompression to help you relieve the pain and restore your quality of life.

What is Degenerative Disc Disease? Why Spinal Decompression Is the Best Treatment?

Low back pain and other problems associated with spine are sometimes caused by degeneration of intervertebral disc. Everything you do during the day, once you stand up straight, it already tests the spine’s ability to support your body weight. The stress from everyday wear and tear can add up and cause deterioration to your spinal discs. When the degeneration of your spinal discs gets severe, the nerves may be affected and cause painful symptoms such as low back pain, neck pain, or sciatica which sometimes can be debilitating enough to affect your everyday activities. Most doctors recommend surgery to reduce the symptoms of degenerated disc disease, however, almost everyone knows that surgery is expensive and risky.

We believe that you do not have to go through surgery or frequently take pain killers to stop the pain. We can help eliminate the pain and fix the cause of the pain itself – degenerated disc, through a nonsurgical therapy, Spinal Decompression Lawrenceville GA.

What is degenerative disc disease?

Degenerative disc disease refers to the deterioration of the spinal discs and arthritic changes that happens because of wear and tear with aging. It is not actually a disease. In fact it is a natural aging process. It is a condition characterized by pain caused by a damaged disc. Degenerative disc disease can occur anywhere in the spine but is most often in the lower back and neck. In medical terms, degenerative disc disease is known as spondylosis.

What are the symptoms of degenerative disc disease?

Generally, chronic back pain, leg pain or neck pain is present in people with degenerative disc disease Lawrenceville GA. If you have degenerative disc disease, you may usually notice these symptoms:

• You feel more pain when you bend, lift, twist or simply sit for a long period of time
• You feel less pain when you walk or run
• You feel less pain if you change body positions frequently
• You feel less pain when you lie down

There may be other symptoms of degenerative disc disease in terms of function such as tingling or numbness in your legs or buttocks, or difficulty walking.

Sometimes, degenerative disc disease may show no symptoms in other individuals. Therefore, it is better to have a regular spinal check-up to prevent problems.

What are the causes and risk factors of degenerative disc disease?

Normally a disc contains a tough outer layer and an inside gel-like core. Each disc is located between your spinal vertebrae to support the bones and cushion your movements. As you age, the discs lose some fluid. It flattens out and spread sideways. The outer layer can become brittle or crack and the soft core can leak or bulge, causing pressure on nearby nerves or joints which can result to pain.

Together with aging, degenerative disc disease is associated with some risk factors including:

• Heredity
• Excessive weight
• Smoking
• Rigorous activities
• Sports activities

What treatment works best with degenerative disc disease?

Most people with degenerative disc disease manage the pain by minimizing the activities that can stress their spine. They use proper ergonomics and posture, exercise, and going through rehabilitation program.

Some people rely on pain killers, consider surgery, or simply rest to ease the pain. However, the benefits they offer are limited and in some cases cause undesirable effects such as recurring pain, and further problems. So it is usually in the best interest of most pain sufferers to treat the pain using treatments that are less invasive and less pharmaceutical, yet effective.

Spinal decompression is the only nonsurgical and drug-free treatment that can treat the cause of pain to provide long-term relief. It is a revolutionary therapy that has shown effectiveness in thousands of patients. The Decompression Therapy Lawrenceville GA works by reducing the pressure on the nerves, restoring the normal position and rehydrating the damaged disc with nutrients and essential fluids.

Most patients who receive disc decompression therapy have experienced life-changing benefits and are now able to resume to their regular physical activities and enjoy their favorite sports and pastimes. Here at Sugarloaf Spine and Rehab Center, we offer only the best treatments for you and your spine. With just a course of spinal decompression therapy, you’ll find yourself in your best condition in no time. No other treatment can give you such benefit other than decompression therapy.

What is a Herniated Disc? Find Out How Spinal Decompression Lawrenceville GA Can Help

Are you struggling with debilitating conditions such as back pain and rely on medications on a daily basis? Does your back pain limit you with your daily activities? Have you tried different kinds of treatments but just do not seem to work? Are you considering surgery but uncomfortable with that choice?

Herniated disc is one of the underlying causes why people suffer from back pain, neck pain, and sciatica. If you are diagnosed with herniated disc, then probably you may be experiencing any of these symptoms.

For us in Sugarloaf Spine and Rehab Center Lawrenceville GA herniated disc should be best corrected by using a nonsurgical treatment method called spinal decompression. Spinal decompression can effectively provide relief using the negative pressure to put the herniated disc back into place, eliminating the pressure along the nerves.

What is a herniated disc?

A herniated disc is a condition of a spinal disc by which a portion of its nucleus is pushed out of its outer layer through a tear or rupture. A disc herniation is also known as slipped, bulging, or ruptured discs. It can occur anywhere in the spine but is most commonly found in the lumbar spine (lower back) and neck (cervical spine).

What causes disc herniations?

The most common cause of disc herniations is the wear and tear. As we age, our discs lose some of the fluid that helps maintain flexibility.

Injury to the spine can also cause disc herniations. A sudden heavy strain, increased pressure, sudden twisting, or even sneezing will push some portion of the nucleus out of the annulus, the disc’s outer layer. Repetitive activities such as lifting, prolonged exposure to vibration, or sports injuries can cause stress to your spine.

How does a normal disc work?

The spinal discs are found between the vertebrae in the spinal column. There are 7 cervical (neck), 12 thoracic (mid-back) and 5 lumbar (low back) discs. The discs provide three main functions:

• Reduce the stress of impact by absorbing shock from the daily wear and tear
• Allow movement of the spinal column
• Separate the vertebrae

Each disc consists of an outer layer called annulus fibrosis and a soft gel-like core called nucleus pulposus. The discs normally compress everytime there is pressure exerted on them and then decompress when the pressure is relieved.

Spinal discs are made up of collagen and proteoglycans, which are proteins that attract water. The discs do not have blood supply; therefore they exchange nutrients by a process known as imbibition. It works like a sponge by which if compressed, the water is forced out, and drawn back in if the sponge is decompressed. That is precisely how the discs stay healthy and functional.

What is spinal decompression?

Spinal decompression is a non-surgical treatment used as an alternative for spinal surgery. It has helped thousands of back pain and neck pain sufferers in relieving their pain caused by herniated discs and other problems such as facet syndrome, degenerative disc disease, and pinched nerves.

Chiropractors are the best choice if you need to see a doctor to treat the cause of your back pain. They specialize in treating spine-related issues and they provide the most effective treatments that do not require medication or surgery. In some cases, spinal decompression is required if other treatments such as physical therapy and medications do not work. However, not all chiropractors offer spinal decompression. Fortunately, your chiropractor Lawrenceville GA offers spinal decompression, excellent for disc pain sufferers who are considering surgery.

How does spinal decompression work?

Spinal decompression is a traction-based therapy that reduces pressure on the nerves exerted by herniated discs. Yet, it works differently from a regular traction. Spinal decompression targets the affected area of the spine and pulls and stretches the spinal segments to open up and relieve the pressure on the nerves and disc. It creates negative pressure or a vacuum effect inside of the disc which allows the disc’s nucleus to be reabsorbed into its normal position.

Spinal decompression can replenish the herniated disc with nutrients through the decompression’s vacuum effect. The vacuum draws in nutrients, oxygen, and necessary fluids to rehydrate the disc and facilitate its healing.

The procedure takes place as you are lying full-clothed on a comfortable table, which has vibration units to relax your spinal muscles. Having relaxed muscles increases the efficacy of the treatment. The table is then tilted to an angle of 20-30 degrees which allows the gravity to gently pull downward and then cause the spinal segments to isolate. This treatment is not painful at all; in fact, some patients even fall asleep during the treatment.

How effective is spinal decompression?

Patients usually feel relief within the first few treatments. Generally, all patients experience reduction of symptoms by 12th to 15th session.

Thousands of patients have been treated with an incredible success rate. Most patients who successfully completed the treatment course have remained pain-free.

If you are tired of coping with the problems caused by the herniated disc, spinal decompression Lawrenceville GA may be able to help you experience relief and gain back your quality of life. With decompression therapy, the end result is actually a stronger and much healthier disc that functions the way it should be.

Inflammation Brought By Disc Disorders Can Be Prevented By Your Lawrenceville GA Chiropractor

Sometimes, we may be hearing terms such as slipped disc or herniated disc. But what is the real deal with these spinal conditions? Spinal discs are so critical that our spines could easily collapse without those. A disc can be crushed or misaligned by traumatic injuries and by growing older. Up to ½ of the patients who seek chiropractic treatment are found to have some type of disc disorder.

The vertebral disc

A vertebral disc is normally sandwiched between two vertebrae supported by ligaments. Composed of collagen, the disc has an inner core which is soft and outer core which is tough. When a certain disc disorder occurs, the annulus fibrosus, that constrains the soft dics component, nucleus pulposus may tear or compress by degeneration, wear and tear, or trauma.

Disc disorders

Disc disorders can be either contained or non-contained. Contained discs are intact but protruding, while non-contained discs are ruptured and can also protrude, and their fluid leaks which can cause irritation to the delicate soft tissues in the spinal cord.

A bulging disc is an example of a contained disc disorder. The disc is not yet broken open and the nuleus pulposus does not leak from the annulus fibrosus. This can be a precursor to herniation. Herniation is an example of a non-contained disc disorder. In this condition the nucleus pulposus leaks out.

Disc disorders can bring pain, numbness, and tingling sensations. It is more common that the disc bulges, protrusions, and extrusions occur in a postero-lateral direction. The disc is moved backwards and to one side. This causes impingement to the disc upon a spinal nerve and may lead to pain on one side of the back.

According to several medical literatures, the disc disorders are mostly associated to spinal trauma. During auto accidents, head injuries, sport accidents, and falls, the trauma is directed to the neck more often. The control center that is responsible for the postural muscles of the spine is located in the brain stem. Neck injury can affect the normal control of the brain and the muscles may be interrupted which could result to muscular weakness, atrophy and spasm throughout the neck and back. The spinal vertebrae and its discs would compress.

Chiropractic treatment

Misalignment of a vertebra can press the nerves, which can lead to inflammation. The pain may even reach the legs. Chiropractic treatment in Lawrenceville GA can get rid of the pain. Before your chiropractor Lawrenceville GA starts any program, he will study your medical history first. Neurological tests and physical tests are needed prior to the chiropractic program.

To determine where the problem is located, the chiropractor examines the posture and structure of the spine. When the problem is found, the chiropractic program may begin. The chiropractor may carry out a highly recommended therapy called, spinal decompression which is a powerful tool that can treat disc disorders.

Together with rehabilitation, the spinal decompression can provide stability and correction. Rehabilitative therapy enhances and stabilizes the beneficial effects of spinal decompression and it can also rehydrate a degenerative disc.

Appropriate use of decompression and effective application of rehab protocol are provided to the patients with disc disorders in Lawrenceville GA. This can yield restoration of spine and lasting predicable results.