Spinal Decompression at Advanced Health Chiropractic

Spinal decompression therapy is a non-surgical, hands-on traction treatment for disc injuries and the nerve pain that can come with them. It is used for conditions like herniated discs, bulging discs, sciatica, and degenerative disc disease, and your doctor will tell you at your exam whether it fits your case. At our South Loop clinic, spinal decompression is one of the main tools we use for patients who have been told surgery may be their only option and want to know whether a conservative course of care is worth trying first.

The key difference between spinal decompression and simple traction is control. On a manual decompression table, your doctor applies a gentle pull at a specific angle and force chosen for your spine and your condition, and adjusts it to how you respond in the moment. That controlled pull is designed to lower the pressure inside the disc, which is the mechanism decompression relies on.

If you live with the burning, shooting, or aching pain of an irritated nerve, whether it runs down the leg as sciatica or from the neck into the arm, decompression is aimed at the pressure behind that pain rather than the pain signal alone. Surgery takes disc material out. Decompression takes a conservative route, working to create conditions in which an injured disc may recover. If your findings point toward a surgical opinion instead, we will tell you and refer you.

Spinal decompression in Chicago's South Loop

Disc pain shows up in all kinds of Chicago days: long hours at a desk in the Loop, a commute that stacks more sitting on top of that, weekend miles on the lakefront path, or a back that finally gave out on an ordinary lift. Whatever brought it on, spinal decompression at Advanced Health is part of a care plan, not a stand-alone package of table sessions.

Your first visit is the evaluation: a detailed health history, orthopedic and neurological testing, and digital X-rays taken on site when your history and exam call for them. If you have an MRI, bring it. At your second visit we go over the findings with you and recommend a plan, including whether decompression belongs in it. When it does, it usually sits alongside chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, soft tissue therapy, and in some cases Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) to correct the posture that loaded the disc.

When adjustments are part of your plan, your findings decide the technique. Our doctors are Palmer College graduates and draw on the Palmer package: Diversified, Gonstead, Thompson drop, Cox flexion-distraction, a gentle table-based technique often used in low back disc cases, and instrument-assisted adjusting with the Activator.

We're at 1147 S. Wabash Ave. #250B, above the Trader Joe's, close to Printers Row and the Museum Campus and a short trip from downtown and the West Loop.

Book your new patient exam online or call (312) 987-4878. Same-day and same-week appointments are usually available.

Spinal decompression works by lowering the pressure inside a disc, known as negative intradiscal pressure. A healthy disc is under constant load from gravity and body weight. When a disc bulges or herniates, displaced material can press toward a nearby nerve root and cause pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness. By slowly drawing the vertebrae apart at a chosen angle and force, the table is designed to create lower pressure inside the disc space.

That lower pressure is intended to do two things. It gives displaced disc material room to move back toward the center of the disc, away from the nerve. It is also thought to help draw fluid and nutrients back into the disc, which supports the tissue as it recovers.

Each session runs through a series of pull, hold, and release cycles that your doctor controls by hand, set for your disc level, the angle of pull, and your tolerance, so the force builds gradually rather than all at once. The table pass is short, and it is followed by a longer period of traction from the CBP protocol.

The same principle applies to the neck, with a different setup. Neck cases don't use the table. We use weighted two-way cervical traction from the CBP protocol, 10 to 15 minutes a session, for neck disc problems and for nerve pain that travels into the arm or hand.

Spinal decompression is often recommended for:

• Herniated or ruptured discs in the low back or neck, especially when pain travels into an arm or leg (see disc injuries)
• Bulging discs that cause persistent local or referred pain
• Sciatica caused by disc pressure on the nerve roots that form the sciatic nerve
• Degenerative disc disease, where lost disc height adds to nerve and joint stress
• Cervical radiculopathy: nerve pain, tingling, or weakness running from the neck into the arm or hand (see neck pain)
• Some post-surgical cases, where pain after a prior spine surgery involves the disc levels next to the one that was operated on

It is also a common part of care for disc-related low back pain.

Decompression is not right for everyone. Severe osteoporosis, a vertebral fracture, spinal instability, spinal tumors, pregnancy, and some types of spinal hardware can rule it out, which is one more reason the exam comes first.

If you want to read more before you come in, our posts on the benefits of spinal decompression therapy and decompression for back pain go deeper.

For low back decompression, you lie on the manual decompression table and your doctor positions you for your disc level. Neck cases are set up differently: there is no table, and you're fitted for weighted two-way cervical traction instead. Your doctor has already decided your protocol from your exam: the angle of pull, how much force, and the hold and release timing.

Once you're positioned and the session begins, you'll feel a slow, gentle pulling sensation as your doctor works the table through its pull and release cycles. It should not be painful. If it is, say so: your doctor is right there and adjusts the pull as you go. Most patients find the sessions comfortable enough to read, listen to podcasts, or rest during them. The table portion of a low back session is short, 3 to 5 minutes, followed by 10 to 15 minutes of traction from the CBP protocol. A cervical traction session runs 10 to 15 minutes. You can return to normal light activity immediately afterward.

We generally recommend avoiding heavy lifting or high-impact exercise on the day of your decompression session. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing, because jeans and belts make positioning more difficult. Your doctor may also combine your decompression session with chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue therapy, or physical therapy on the same visit. A visit that combines several therapies typically runs 60 to 90 minutes, so plan your day around the whole visit rather than the table time alone.

Spinal decompression is not a single-session treatment. It's a course of care. Many patients in our decompression program begin to feel meaningful improvement as the course progresses. Early improvements often include reduced intensity of radiating pain, less frequent pain episodes, or an easier time sitting and walking. This is encouraging, but it's important to complete the full course to work toward lasting change in the disc itself.

Your clinical findings and your goals set the course. Most decompression plans at Advanced Health run two to three visits a week over four to twelve weeks, and your doctor gives you the expected number of sessions at your report of findings, based on your diagnosis, the severity of the disc injury, and how your body responds. Decompression is always integrated with your broader care plan: chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue therapy, physical therapy exercises, and in some cases CBP corrections, because a disc tends to respond better when spinal alignment and muscular support are addressed at the same time. Many patients who complete a full course maintain their relief with a home exercise program and periodic maintenance visits as needed.

This is general information, not medical advice. Book an exam for a diagnosis specific to you.

Is spinal decompression painful?

It shouldn't be. The pull is applied gently and gradually, not abruptly, and the hold-and-release cycles are designed to work with your body rather than against it. Most patients feel a slow stretch through the low back or neck, and many find sessions relaxing enough to read or rest. Some feel mild muscle soreness after the first few sessions, similar to starting a new exercise. Sharp pain during a session is not expected: tell your provider right away and the settings will be adjusted.

How many spinal decompression sessions will I need?

There is no set number that applies to everyone. Your clinical findings and your goals drive the plan. Most decompression plans at Advanced Health run two to three visits a week over four to twelve weeks, and your doctor gives you the expected number of sessions for your case at your second visit, when we go over your findings. We track how you respond and adjust the plan as care progresses.

How long does each session take?

For the low back, the decompression table itself takes 3 to 5 minutes, followed by 10 to 15 minutes of CBP traction. Neck cases use weighted two-way cervical traction for 10 to 15 minutes. Visits that combine decompression with adjustments, soft tissue therapy, or physical therapy typically run 60 to 90 minutes.

Am I a candidate for spinal decompression?

Many patients with disc-related pain are candidates, but not all. It may not be appropriate if you have severe osteoporosis, a vertebral fracture, spinal instability, a spinal tumor, or are pregnant, and some types of spinal hardware from a prior surgery can rule it out. Your doctor reviews your history, imaging, and exam findings before recommending it, and we won't recommend it unless we believe it fits your case.

Can I have spinal decompression after back surgery?

In some cases, yes. Patients who still have pain after a discectomy, or who have developed problems at disc levels next to a fusion, may be candidates. Patients with fusion hardware at the affected level are generally not candidates for decompression at that level. It's a case-by-case decision, so bring your operative reports and most recent imaging to your new patient exam.

Is non-surgical spinal decompression the same as decompression surgery?

No. "Decompression surgery" usually means an operation, such as removing part of a disc or bone, to relieve pressure on a nerve. Non-surgical spinal decompression uses a traction table, either computer-controlled or a manual mechanical table, with no incisions and no anesthesia. Surgery is the right call for some patients. For many disc problems without red-flag signs, a conservative course is a reasonable place to start, and your exam tells us which applies to you.

Can spinal decompression help neck pain?

It may, when the neck pain comes from a disc. Neck cases don't use the table: we use weighted two-way cervical traction from the CBP protocol, 10 to 15 minutes a session, for neck disc problems and for nerve pain, tingling, or weakness that travels into the arm or hand. Our neck pain page explains how we evaluate the neck first.

When is back or neck pain an emergency?

Loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin or inner thighs, or leg weakness that is getting worse quickly need same-day emergency care. Go to an emergency room or call 911 rather than waiting for a decompression appointment.

Does insurance cover spinal decompression?

Coverage varies by plan. Some plans cover it under chiropractic or physical medicine benefits, and others don't. If you're using insurance, we run a complimentary benefit check and go over the results with you at your second visit, alongside your findings, so you know where you stand before care begins.

Where can I get spinal decompression in Chicago?

At Advanced Health Chiropractic, 1147 S. Wabash Ave. #250B in the South Loop, above the Trader Joe's. We're close to Printers Row and the Museum Campus and a short trip from downtown and the West Loop.

How do I get started?

Book your new patient exam online or call (312) 987-4878. Same-day and same-week appointments are usually available. Your first visit is the evaluation, and your exam determines whether spinal decompression belongs in your plan.