How Spinal Decompression Works

0:00
Hi, my name is Dr. Jacob Hendendrickson
0:02
and I’m here at my chiropractic office
0:04
in one of my spinal decompression rooms.
0:07
Now, spinal decompression, I just want
0:09
to explain how it works because if you
0:12
watch one of my prior videos, I explain
0:14
how the spine gets compressed and how we
0:16
stand and gravity pulls us down and it
0:18
does uh what we call axial compression
0:20
where it squishes the discs and it
0:23
eventually leads to bulging and
0:25
herniations and how it eventually also
0:27
leads to arthritic changes. Imagine like
0:30
a sponge getting squished and dried out
0:32
over time, right? That’s what happens to
0:34
the discs and happens to the bones. I
0:37
want to explain how the spinal
0:38
decompression tables work. So imagine
0:44
um that we have compression on the
0:46
spine. This is a vertebrae and there’s a
0:48
disc here. And over time, just by being
0:51
alive uh or maybe even traumas or things
0:54
have happened, we get compressive forces
0:57
squishing our spine
1:00
down down down like this. And this can
1:03
eventually also lead to disc bulging and
1:06
disc herniations just like that. If you
1:09
can see this putting pressure on the
1:11
nerve root. Now the spinal decompression
1:14
tables do exactly that. We end up
1:17
strapping you in. This one currently is
1:19
set up for your lower back and then we
1:22
also have the piece for the neck that
1:24
you would set up separately.
1:26
But your lower back gets strapped in.
1:28
your upper uh your chest gets strapped
1:30
in and then the machine comes out and
1:33
starts pulling the lower back
1:37
tractioning out that area decompressing
1:40
this squished and bulging disc if there
1:42
is one. Um, and you don’t necessarily
1:45
have to have a disc herniation or bulge
1:47
uh for spinal decompression therapy to
1:50
benefit you as well because if you just
1:52
have any compression forces on the
1:53
spine, which you would essentially just,
1:55
you know, living dayto-day, uh it’s
1:57
really good to stretch that out and
1:58
rehydrate those um joint spaces. So, the
2:02
spinal decompression literally pulls
2:05
apart the tissue,
2:08
stretches the spine, stretches the low
2:09
back, stretches the neck. This one’s set
2:11
up for the neck.
2:13
and takes the pressure off of the discs,
2:15
off of the nerves. And what this is
2:17
doing is it’s creating space within the
2:20
joints so that you have more movement,
2:22
more ability. More space in the joint,
2:24
the better because the more space we
2:25
have, the more the joint can move and be
2:27
mobile and flexible. Also, the
2:31
chiropractic adjustments add in
2:33
decompression. That’s what the pop is
2:34
from. And it allows the function of your
2:37
spine to move better. So, that’s a brief
2:40
explanation of how our spinal
2:41
decompression tables work and how if
2:43
you’re having any sort of symptoms, even
2:45
just general pain, that these can help
2:47
you because there’s compressive forces
2:48
on your spine.