Lumbar disc problems are extremely common.  The point in the lumbar disc degeneration process where pain begins is variable. Some will have pain with very slight degeneration and some won’t notice anything until it becomes advanced.

Discs do not have a blood supply of their own so they depend on the bone above and below for their nutrition. The bone blood supply is dependent on motion of the joint. If the joint is in any type of distress the small muscles of the spine begin to tighten to limit motion to protect the joint. This begins to reduce the blood supply to the entire joint including the nerves related to that joint.

Reduced blood supply causes reduced nutrition to the bone and therefore disc. The disc can be considered the weak link so it begins the degeneration process first. Degeneration of the disc feeds back to the spine which triggers an increase in spinal muscle tension that further restricts joint movement and the cycle repeats.

Some conditions are self limiting. For example a minor cut of your lip won’t require a visit to the lip doctor as it will heal up on its own. Discs are not like that. The degeneration cycle will continue unless something specific is done to break that cycle.

We have found that devices that utilize an intermittent linear traction can be very healing for the disc. Various terms are used for this therapy including axial decompression and disc decompression. It has been our experience that static traction devices such as a back swing are of limited use in most cases.

Determining the correct approach for you will depend on the history, exam and results of the MRI and X-rays. Treatment is usually 1-3 times per week for a few weeks. It takes a few months to see the improvement on the MRI in most cases. Often our patients tell us that their medical doctor told them that discs cannot heal. My response is that if you follow their treatment advice, that will be true. If you do what we recommend the chances are excellent that your discs will heal.

The treatment is very relaxing. Most doctors who learn disc decompression are too aggressive in their approach.  We learned many years ago that if we proceed slowly, we can easily determine the correct angle, time and weight to get the fastest results and we won’t irritate an already sensitive low back.