More Decompression and a Setback!
Just over a week ago I had my 12 decompression and it wasn't nearly as good as the therapy immediately after my trip to Chicago. What makes it worse is I am just getting back from a family trip to California and I feel the worst I have felt since beginning this process 6 months ago. Apparently lifting kids flying and sleeping on three different futons and a couch isn't the best environment. I am pretty frustrated now and not sure I want to continue therapy until I am in a place where I can limit my activity...perhaps when the kids are in high school. I will consult with the doctor and try to figure out my next step.
Back Decompresion Number 11
Aaaaaah, what a session. I talked the tech into increasing the weight as I think I was initially weighed incorrectly. I felt really good after decompression and throughout the day. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. I continued to feel good the following day. I cant explain the feeling...I still feel week but less pain.
Being out of town for 4 days, not lifting the kids may have helped as well. Overall I am very excited about the progress and hope it continues.
Time to Start Physical Therapy
I won't have too much for physical therapy as we are starting really slow. The initial exercises are pretty basic...
- Laying on a table, back down with my knees partially bent and do really short pelvic raises. My butt hardly comes off the table and I really don't feel too much with this one.
- There is a special chair that allows you to rotate around your core. It's pretty interesting and I gegt fatigued doing this very basic exercise.
- My personal favorite is the blind leg lift. Close your eyes and balance on one leg...it's very difficult and you can feel your leg firing all the way up through your hips.
It's only the beginning so I will continue to do these and report my progress.
Low Back Decompression Week 2
I continued this week with 5 more days of decompression. I remain cautiously optimistic, as I feel better but have yet to have that "aaaah" moment. I have been told to be patient so I will. I am getting used being tied down to a table and actually look forward to it. The brace I am wearing keeps me aligned and, in my opinion, is what is making me feel so much better. I still feel the back pain from time to time, but it is becoming more sore rather than the the dull pain I have felt in the past. Not too much to report...I do start my physical therapy next week which will start rebuilding the interior core muscles.
Back Decompression Therapy 2 – 5
I now have a week of therapy under my belt and am getting quite comfortable on the table. It’s still difficult to breathe with the harness around my torso, but I have learned to adapt. I typically bring an iPod and something to read and the time flies.
My back is starting to feel better but I am still cautiously optimistic. The combination of the decompression, a brace, and inactivity has me feeling much better, but I can’t help but wonder which is contributing most. The brace is keeping me from sitting in awkward positions, inactivity has kept me from doing anything that typically causes pain and the pulling should get my disc back into position. At any rate I am feeling better and I am very excited to start doing some physical therapy and strengthening my core.
I have another week of decompression until we reevaluate my situation….we shall see!
Back Decompression Therapy No. 1
Other than cost, the decision to have decompression therapy was an easy one, non invasive, non painful and just a block from my office.
I did get a chance to speak to a friend who had successful decompression therapy 4 years ago...he has since relapsed, but apparantly his herniation which was measured at 8 mm prior to therpay, was measured at 3 mm post therapy.
I arrived at the office around 8am and was immedietly laid face-down on a table with heating pads on my lower-back. After 15 minutes of heat, I was fitted into a contraption that was a cross between a climbing harness and a chastity belt. It's basically a large belt that surrounds your waste and has a strap that goes to the floor when standing. They then wrap a heavy Velcro harness just below your rib cage...it's very tight and makes it extremely difficult to breath. This belt has a strap that will eventually go behind your head.
After I am fitted with these two belts, I lean against the machine and am lowered into laying position. Once I am laying down the belt around my waste is attached to the machine by the strap that goes between my legs. The belt attached to my abdomen and rib cage is connect ed behind my head. It's a bit clostrophobic! The machine gently starts to pull, and you can feel the pressure change as it attempts to tire you out. It pulls pretty hard but it actually feels pretty good. The most uncomfortable part of the whole process is trying to breath for 28.15 minutes with the belt cinched down on your rib cage.
Getting off the machhine is quite a chore as your body attempts to get back to equilibrium. It takes a few minutes to get back to normal, but I felt no new pain and the old pain was gone inititally.
I was then laid back down on a table for some ice therapy and then fitted with a pretty large back brace. The back brace is great and I feel like I have more support and less pain that I have felt in a long time.
Overall I am very optimistic after the first day and will report back soon.
Looking for a Low Back Pain Solution
I have had low back pain for over ten years, and now that I have two small children, I figured it was time to do something about it. I have lived in Seattle for a few years and don’t know anyone local that could help me so I started searching the internet and came across Dr Graham, of Graham Rehabilitation. I went in for the initial consult, got x-ray and started getting the standard adjustments. I like Dr. Graham but after two months of treatment my pain was not going away. I didn't have shooting pain in my legs but in the evenings and at night the pain was at times, unbearable. About the same time I consulted an old college friend, Carlos, who owns a clinic in LA. I kept Carlos in the loop with what Dr. Graham was saying and their analysis of my situation was very similar. They both suggested I get an MRI and find out why my pain was not going away. I got the MRI and noticed that my L5 disc was protruding forward. I am no doctor, but I was certain that was not supposed to look like this.
I sent the image to Carlos and he was surprised that the bulge was anterior and information that I found on the internet supported his surprise. Most disc herniations or bulges are posterior. I have not been diagnosed yet by Dr Graham so I am anxious to hear what he has to say. So at this point I am not sure if the disc is herniated or just bulging.
According to my research my options are the following:
- Surgery….(there are several options here)
- Decompression
- Orthopedic Massage, although I have had some massage and no change
- Acupuncture
- Do nothing
I am leaning towards decompression but have not made a decision yet.
Low Back Decompression Therapy
As far as I know decompression is the act of stretching your spine..the idea is to take pressure off the vertebrae, create a vacuum and allow the bulging or herniated disc to return to it’s original position. In doing this nutrients and blood are allowed to flow to the damaged disc and that helps it to heal. There are a number of machines on the market some better than others. The machine that my chiropractor uses is the dx 9000.
Typically it takes 10-20 or more 1 hour sessions to achieve noticeable results. In some cases the results are immediate, in other cases no change takes place.
Unfortunately, insurance does not cover decompression and the machines are very expensive. If it works it will be worth every cent, if it does not, it will be very disappointing.
Alki Beach 2009
