Two Tools, Two Different Jobs
Patients sometimes assume spinal decompression and a chiropractic adjustment are just two versions of the same treatment. Dr. Brett Chavez explains to new patients at Back 2 Health Chiropractic that they actually do different jobs on the spine, which is exactly why they’re often used together rather than one replacing the other.
An adjustment restores motion to a joint that has become restricted, using a quick, targeted movement to correct how two vertebrae move relative to each other. Spinal decompression works on a slower timescale, using gentle, controlled traction to reduce pressure within the disc itself and create space around a nerve root that may be irritated.
Why Disc Cases Often Need Both
A disc under pressure, whether from a bulge, herniation, or general degeneration, often also creates restricted movement in the joints above and below it, as the spine compensates for the affected segment. Decompression alone can relieve pressure on the disc, but if the surrounding joints stay restricted, the spine doesn’t move as efficiently once the disc pressure improves, and that restriction can eventually contribute to the same disc problem recurring.
Conversely, adjusting the joints around a compressed disc without addressing the disc pressure itself tends to provide only short-term relief for pain that’s genuinely coming from the disc rather than the joints. Combining the two addresses both pieces of the mechanical picture.
What a Combined Treatment Plan Looks Like
Dr. Chavez typically builds a plan where decompression sessions and adjustments are scheduled together over a course of weeks, with the exact frequency depending on how the disc is responding. Decompression sessions involve lying comfortably on a treatment table while a controlled traction force is applied and released in cycles, which most patients find relaxing rather than uncomfortable. Adjustments are worked in around those sessions to keep the surrounding spinal joints moving properly as the disc pressure improves.
For patients with significant muscle guarding around the affected area, massage therapy or professional stretching is sometimes added as well, since relaxed surrounding muscle tissue lets both decompression and adjustments do their job more effectively.
Who Is a Good Candidate
This combined approach tends to benefit patients managing a herniated, bulging, or degenerated disc, as well as patients with sciatica that traces back to disc-related nerve irritation. Dr. Chavez determines candidacy through a thorough exam and, when needed, imaging to confirm what’s actually happening at the disc level before recommending decompression.
What to Expect Over a Course of Care
Results build gradually rather than resolving in a single session. Most patients notice initial changes within the first several sessions, with continued improvement as inflammation around the disc settles and the surrounding joints regain normal motion. Dr. Chavez reassesses progress regularly rather than running every patient through a fixed number of sessions regardless of how they’re responding.
Habits That Support the Process
- Avoid heavy lifting or high-impact activity during an active course of decompression care unless cleared otherwise
- Keep moving with light activity like walking, which supports circulation without adding compressive load
- Maintain good posture during the day, since sustained poor posture works against the space decompression is creating
- Stay consistent with scheduled sessions, since gaps in the course of care can slow progress
Is This the Right Approach for You
If you’re managing disc-related back or leg pain that hasn’t fully resolved with adjustments alone, schedule a new patient visit at Back 2 Health Chiropractic in Lubbock, TX and ask Dr. Chavez whether combining decompression with your adjustments makes sense for your case.
References
- North American Spine Society, “Nonsurgical Treatment for Herniated Discs,” spine.org
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “Low Back Pain Fact Sheet,” ninds.nih.gov
