Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few frequently asked questions about Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy (NSSDT).

1.    Does the treatment hurt?
No, not at all.  This gentle treatment feels like a mild stretching of the lower back or neck.  It’s so comfortable that most people fall asleep while they’re on the table.

2.    Will I be sore?
If you just had the spinal decompression therapy done by itself, yes you would be sore.  In our office we incorporate other treatment modalities such as ice and therapeutic laser so that you do not get sore after your treatment.

3.    Do I have to take off work?
No, not unless the current symptoms you are having keep you from working.

4.    What else is involved in the treatment?
Each time you undergo NSSDT at Yeomans Chiropractic, we assess to make sure you are aligned and make any small corrections needed before your treatment, then you are placed on the NSSDT table for 23 minutes, then you spend 10 minutes on ice and finally the area is treated with therapeutic laser.

5.    How much does treatment cost?
Each part of the procedure cost a certain amount of money.  The chiropractic treatment is $40.  The NSSDT is $135.  The ice is free and the therapeutic laser is $50.  The total treatment is $225 per session.

6.    How long does it take?
Most patients undergoing NSSDT are here for approximately one hour per treatment.

7.    Does insurance cover the treatment?
It depends on the insurance but most only cover a portion of the treatment.   Usually the chiropractic manipulative therapy is covered.

8.    How effective is the treatment?
In one study, 86% of participants had symptomatic relief for one year (which is considered permanent) after completing their recommended treatment protocol.

9.    How many treatments does it take?
Each patient is different.  The number of treatments is determined by the severity of the condition and the number of disc levels involved.  The least number is 10 treatments.  The most we’ve had is 40 with the average being 20 treatments.

10.    How do I know if I’m a candidate for this procedure?
A new patient examination with x-rays will be performed.  Those findings along with an MRI evaluation will determine if you are a candidate for NSSDT. 

11.    If I qualify, how often will I need to be treated?
Like most things, there is good, better and best.  Best case scenario is four treatments per week for the first two weeks and then treatment tapers off from there.

12.    How does NSSDT work?
NSSDT uses a distraction technique that applies a patented logarithmic force creating a negative pressure within the disc. Experts believe this negative pressure creates a vacuum affect that draws in nutrients and fluids to promote the repair of injured discs and surrounding tissues. This vacuum affect has also been shown to aid in the retraction of the escaped gel from herniated or protruding discs.

13.    Does SDT accomplish the same thing as traction or an inversion table?
Traction and inversion tables apply traction to the entire spine and cannot be localized onto a specific disc level.  Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy, on the other hand, creates a negative pressure or a vacuum inside a specific disc. This effect causes the disc to pull in the herniation and re-hydrate the disc. Traction and inversion tables, at best, can lower the intradiscal pressure from a +90 to a +30 mmHg. Spinal Decompression is clinically proven to reduce the intradiscal pressure to between -150 to -200 mmHg. Traction also triggers the body's normal response to stretching by creating painful muscle spasms that worsen the pain in the affected area.  Decompression on the other hand reduces patient guarding through slow and methodical pumping of the disc while a patient lays on the table comfortably.

14.    Who is not a candidate for NSSDT?
A person would not be a candidate if they are pregnant, have recently fractured their spine, recently (less than six months) had surgical fusion, past surgically repaired aneurysms, unstable spondylolisthesis, metastatic cancer, hemi- or paraplegia, infection of the spine, and/or moderate to severe osteoporosis.

15.    How long does it take to see results?
Most patients notice a significant decrease in symptoms within the first two weeks of treatment.