Decompression
Chiropractic Care & Decompression
A low back that's been tight for a while starts pulling the joints above and below it out of their natural motion too. Decompression works on that whole stretch, not just the sore spot.
Chapter 01
What a tight low back is actually doing
When the low back has been compressed and guarded for a stretch of time, it isn't just the one segment that's stuck. The joints on either side of that spot start compensating, and the whole stretch of the spine loses the give it's supposed to have. That's usually further along than a single manual adjustment on its own is built to unwind in one visit.
Mechanical axial traction is designed to stretch and gap the joints of the low back, using forces in flexion and distracting the joints above and below the tight areas. It's a table, not a stretch you're doing on your own at home, so the pull is controlled and repeatable visit to visit.
A clinical treatment room at Mahle Chiropractic in New Castle, with a therapy cart and lead wires beside the table.
Flexion and distraction, one segment at a time
The table works in flexion, bending the low back forward slightly, while it distracts, or gently pulls apart, the joints just above and just below the tight segment. That combination reduces muscle spasm around the area and can help reduce disc herniation, in the practice's own words for what this therapy does.
It's a slower, more deliberate stretch than anything a patient can manage on their own, which is why it's done on the table under a doctor's eye rather than handed out as a home exercise.
Chapter 03
How it sits alongside the adjustment, not instead of it
Decompression doesn't replace the adjustment, whether that's manual or by the Sigma instrument. It's paired with it. The adjustment restores motion at the specific joint. Decompression works the broader stretch of low back around that joint so the adjustment has room to hold.
Same day appointments are available if the low back is bad enough that it can't wait, and the front desk can tell you over the phone whether decompression is likely to be part of your plan before you even come in.
Mahle Chiropractic at 101 Decker Dr in New Castle, Lawrence County. Call (724) 656-9050 to ask if decompression fits your low back.