4 Ways To Decompress Your Spine Without Surgery

Category: Spine | Author: Stefano Sinicropi

Decompression of the Spine

Spinal compression is one of the most common causes of pain in a person’s back. Compression can occur for a number of different reasons, like a narrowing spinal cord, the shifting of an intervertebral disc or the development of bone spurs in the region. Unless the compression is caused by a dangerous tumor, odds are conservative techniques will be the first choice for treatment.

However, you may be able to help decompress your spine on your own without needing to head into the doctor’s office. We’re always available to diagnose and treat, but we also want to provide some basic decompression tips that you can try before you step into our clinic. Today, we share four ways you can try to help decompress your spine on your own.

 

Exercise

Exercise is a great way to help decompress structures and tissues in your back. Exercise helps to strengthen areas of your spine and decrease inflammation, which may be contributing to your spinal compression. It also works to keep spinal structures healthy, which can ward off future problems like shifting or degenerating discs. If normal exercise is too painful, consider heading to the pool where aquatic exercise can help take some stress off of your spine.

Stretching

Stretching is another great way to free compressed nerves and tissues. Sometimes your shooting spinal compression pain is caused by a tiny nerve being impinged by a spinal disc. Chiropractic care can manipulate your spine in such a way to free the nerve from the crevice, but you may be able to decompress the area on your own. Do a 15-minute stretching routine twice a day that really focuses on your spine and your core muscles. Done correctly, you may notice pain relief within minutes.

Yoga

Yoga is a combination of the two techniques listed above. It combines exercise with stretching techniques, and many people with spinal compression have found relief by participating in a yoga session 2-4 times. You can probably join a class at a nearby gym or studio, or you can find a simple enough routine on Youtube that you can perform from the comfort of your living room.

Posture Awareness/Lifestyle Changes

Sometimes our daily actions help to contribute to the onset of decompression pain and we don’t even know it. If you work in an office, odds are you spend hours on end sitting down. If you don’t have good posture throughout the day, compression issues can develop. Aside from being cognizant of your posture when you’re sitting or driving, you can also invest in posture control aids. For example, many people prefer to sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair, as it can help to guide your spine into alignment. Others may find it easier to invest in a sit-to-stand workstation to help keep from overstressing their spine. Smaller measures include putting a small pillow or towel behind your back while you’re driving to keep from slouching, and to move your phone out in front of you when texting instead of keeping it in your lap and stressing your cervical spine. Posture changes can go a long way in helping to prevent and treat spinal compression pain.

Comments are closed.

Make an Appointment