Spinal Decompression

Auto injuries , whiplash and other forms of trauma to the cervical spine can lead to these painful conditions. MRI usually displays normal water content in the disc; however if the bulge is large enough it can create pain by encroaching upon sensitive nerve roots or the spinal cord.

Conservative treatment may include whiplash , physical therapy and medical care with short term pain management. In severe cases or those that aren’t responding spinal decompression can be a successful alternative to avoid neck surgery.

Spinal decompression can help repair the pump mechanism in the disc which has always been lost when the disc begins to bulge or collapse.

Many patients come to us stating that they have a disc bulge but have never had an MRI. There is no way to know if a bulge is present without first obtaining an MRI to see the state of the disc is. For example: Is it a bulge, herniation or extrusion. None of these show up on a plain film x-ray. Once we determine what state your disc is in, we can then determine what the best course of treatment will be.

Call the office today at 407-522-5858 for your comprehensive consultation and examination. Don’t forget to bring your MRI films as they are critical to assessing whether or not you are a candidate for spinal decompression.

Dr. Steven Harrison

A herniated disc or disc protrusion is different from a bulging disc. A disc herniation is more severe and involves the tearing of annular fibers (the outer portion of the disc which is a fibrocartilage) which allows the nucleus (the center portion of the intervertebral disc made up mostly of waters and sugars), to begin to migrate or push through the torn fibers creating a focal protrusion or herniation of the disc.

As you can see from the picture above, disc herniations can be very painful due to the high potential for nerve root compression causing pain locally   but may even radiate down the leg or arm. Most disc herniations occur posterior and lateral irritating either the left or right nerve root (lateral recess stenosis) causing leg or arm pain on that same side. Less common is a posterior herniation which pushes directly posterior into the spinal cord (spinal stenosis or central canal stenosis) and may generate pain in the limbs bilaterally.

On MRI disc herniations generally make the disc appear black. The reason for this is when the tear of the annular fibers occur, water content in the disc is lost. The MRI displays water on the film as whitish. When the water is absent it will show up dark as shown in the picture below.

Notice the discs above and below the herniated disc appear whiter in the middle. If your disc looks dark, like in the disc circled above, then your disc is in trouble. Its pump mechanism has failed and the ONLY   procedure I know that corrects this problem is spinal decompression.

Call the office now at 407-522-5858 for your consultation and comprehensive examination.   You must bring your MRI films or the appointment will need to be rescheduled. The films are very important to my evaluation to see if you are a good candidate for this highly successful procedure.

Dr. Steven Harrison

A bulging disc is where the outer layers of the intervertebral disc (the annular fibers or annulus) are pushing or bulging outward beyond the border of the vertebrae that its sits between. This is usually a diffuse bulging; meaning that it is broad based and covers a large portion of the disc. In contrast, a herniated disc or disc protrusion is much more focal and involves tearing of the annular fibers. Symptoms associated with a bulging disc range from no pain at all, to severe pain locally.

Disc bulges are can be considered a normal part of aging; however bulging discs can occur from trauma as well. Axial loading of weight, for example performing dead lifts or squats in heavy weight lifting, can cause a disc bulge. Hyperflexion / hyperextension injuries suffered in auto accidents can also cause bulging discs.

MRI examination usually reveals normal water content but bulging discs can still be very painful. When large enough, a bulging disc can encroach upon sensitive nerve roots and or the spinal cord generating low back pain, leg pain or both.

Conservative treatment should include chiropractic care, physical therapy, medical care and short term pain management. For those cases that don’t respond, spinal decompression may your answer to relief from lower back pain , leg pain or both.

Call the office now at 407-522-5858 for your complete consultation and examination to see if you are a candidate for spinal decompression. Don’t forget to bring your MRI!

Dr. Steven Harrison

It is said that over 65% of American’s will suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives that will be severe enough to cause them to seek medical attention. This is an epidemic due to our sedentary lifestyles, increase in obesity and lack or core strength, as well as the great deal of sitting that we do in modern America.

What cause lower back pain?

Causes of back pain, after ruling out life threatening causes, usually breaks down to just a few different categories and I am going to keep it really simple for you in order of most common to least common.

1. Tight muscles and restricted mobility (kinetic subluxation).  Definitely the number one cause of lower back pain.  I see it in the office every day and due to muscle tension and the stresses of daily living, patients develop hypertonic muscles which restrict joint mobility.  Examination reveals decreased range of motion and pain and x-rays examination looks normal.  This can occur in any joint in the body.  There are many reasons neurologically why this leads to the generation of pain which isn’t important to explain.  What is important, and the good news is, is that relaxing the muscles and increasing the joint mobility quickly reduces the pain.  Chiropractic is a wonderful way of accomplishing this and has been doing so for over 100 years.  Stretching, massage and anything that will increase mobility and decrease muscle tension can be a great adjunct.  Left uncorrected, decreased mobility has been shown in the literature to accelerate the rate of degeneration (arthritis) in the joint.


2. Static subluxation.   Static subluxation is where there is a shift in one or more of the vertebrae, enough to irritate muscles, ligaments, nerves and circulation, but the bone isn’t dislocated.  This is easily diagnosed on x-ray.  When compared to normal posture and alignment, you will see that the alignment has shifted from normal at one or more levels of the spine.  This situation can also lead to accelerated degeneration but can also lead to unwanted postural changes as well.  Unlike number one above, this isn’t quite as quick of a fix because now we have to deal with the shift in the structure as well as the tight muscles and restricted mobility which can take time depending how long the shift in the structure has been there.
   


3. Lumbar spine degenerative disc disease , spondylosis and osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine.  These conditions develop secondary to neglecting to address numbers 1 and 2 above or secondary to some trauma to the lumbar spine.  All can lead to serious lower back pain.  Getting mobility back into the involved segment or segments is critical, not only to reducing pain, but also to slow the process of accelerated degeneration.  In severe cases the level of degeneration may prevent the patient from being able to achieve a full recovery.  Bulging or herniated discs may develop over time as the supporting ligaments and muscles weaken around the affected joint.
   


4. Bulging disc or disc herniation is the last and most difficult to treat.  If caught early in the process conservative chiropractic care and physical therapy may be a solution for back pain , however in chronic or advanced disc degeneration with associated bulging or herniated disc the patient may need to undergo spinal decompression therapy in order to avoid back  surgery.

If you have questions about your lower back pain and whether or not you are candidate for chiropractic , physical therapy or spinal decompression , call the office now at 407-522-5858.  My staff and I are here to help.

Dr. Steven Harrison

Disc degeneration can lead to pain, nerve root or spinal cord irritation, stenosis and restricted mobility and can occur one of two ways. We have primary disc degeneration which is just normal wear and tear, also known as primary osteoarthritis. The other is secondary disc degeneration or secondary osteoarthritis which is accelerated primary due to an injury.

Diagnosis is clued in on history, but really confirmed by x-ray examination. The space the disc occupies will be reduced and many times will be accompanied by misalignment, roughening of the borders of the vertebrae and bone spurs (calcium deposits).

Disc degeneration can be secondary to a bulge or disc herniation where the discs pump mechanism has failed. In this case the only treatment I know that can effectively restore the discs pump mechanism and allow it to regain its health is spinal decompression.

In the absence of disc herniation and loss of the pump mechanism, the best approach for treatment is to try and restore normal joint mobility and stabilize the surrounding muscles and ligaments. Doing so will slow the progression of arthritis in the low back.

To set a time to discuss your treatment options and begin your course of back pain relief call the office now at 407-522-5858. We can help!

Dr. Steven Harrison

We have great success in treating back pain in the office.

Back pain is usually caused by one of the following conditions:

• Decreased joint mobility (restricted motion or stiffness in the joints of the back).  This is diagnosed visually during my examination.


• Subluxation (A shift in the normal position of one or more of the neck bones or vertebrae but less than a dislocation).  This is usually accompanied by number one above.  This can be diagnosed visually during my exam but also may be verified by x-ray examination.


• Arthritis.  This is diagnosed by x-ray and appears in the form of calcium deposits, bone spurs, or degeneration of the disc space (disc degeneration).  This is many times accompanied by numbers one and two above.


• A disc problem such as a disc herniation or disc bulge.  A disc problem can be confirmed only by MRI or CT examination which I will order if I suspect a disc problem and feels it is warranted.

Call the office now for your free consultation and let me help you find relief as I have with thousands of others in the greater Orlando area!  407-522-5858

Dr. Steven Harrison

Leg pain is a condition that must be evaluated closely to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.

Leg pain can be caused by a variety of different conditions. The most common cause that I see in the office is sacroiliac joint (SI) dysfunction. This is many times misdiagnosed as a sciatic problem or sciatica. Sacroiliac joint problems are quickly and easily evaluated in the office, but if missed can lead to continued pain unnecessarily for the patient. You must address the fixated part of the sacroiliac joint specifically to obtain a good result. Many doctors miss this. Aggravated gluteal muscles or the buttocks muscles will refer pain due to trigger point formation for working extra hard due to the SI joint restriction.

The second most common cause that I see in the office is referred pain from the joints in the lower back called facet joints. Some doctors will refer to this as a facet syndrome. In these cases the patient will experience lower back and leg pain. Pain referred by the lumbar facet joints follow sclerotogenous patterns which can be vague, ignoring normal nerve root patterns.

The third most common cause of leg pain would be nerve root irritation in the low back related to arthritis or disc involvement. Bone spurs may irritate the nerve roots causing a true sciatica or a disc bulge or herniation may do the same. Pain generated by nerve root irritation is typically well defined and may correlate with x-ray or MRI finding of the lumbar spine.

Skill in the diagnosis and treatment of leg pain comes with years of experience. Let me put my 20 plus years in treating leg pain to work for you. Call the office now at 407-522-5858 for your consultation to see how we can help you find pain relief once and for all.

Dr. Steven Harrison

The sciatic nerve is the largest peripheral nerve in the body and is a joining together of all the lumbar nerve roots. The sciatic nerve travels through the pelvis, down the back side of the leg all the way to the foot providing nerve innervation to muscle groups along the way. Sciatica is a condition where one or more of the lumbar nerve roots have been irritated, sending pain down the sciatic nerve or down the back of the leg.

Possible causes of sciatica are subluxation, disc herniation , disc bulge , disc protrusion, spinal degeneration , stenosis , bone spur formation just to name a few, which irritate one or more of the lumbar nerve roots. In rare instances the sciatic nerve passes through the pyriformis muscle which if in spasm will clamp down on the sciatic nerve causing sciatic pain.

There are instances where patients may have pain that mimics or appears to be sciatica. The most common would be decreased mobility in the sacroiliac joint. You can call it the SI joint for short. You have two sacroiliac joints. One on either side of the sacrum (your tail bone) where the sacrum meets the ileum. This is a mobile joint and as we walk the ileum bones move around the sacrum at the SI joints. There is also some slight movement at the pubic symphasis where the two ileum meet in the front. Checking the movement in these two joints is simple, but is many times overlooked. This can lead to improper treatment of sciatica type symptoms so should always be checked in th examination.

Sciatica responds well to chiropractic care in cases of minor bulging discs and subluxation. Sciatica caused by disc herniations or protrusions can be more difficult and may be better suited for spinal decompression.

Call the office now at 407-522-5858 to discuss the best possible solution for your sciatica.

Dr. Steven Harrison

Stenosis refers to the narrowing of a structure, in this case either the spinal canal (which houses the spinal cord), or the lateral recess (the hole which the spinal nerve roots pass through). Symptoms may include spinal pain at the level of involvement, arm pain or leg pain.

Spinal Stenosis Treatment in Orlando

Frequent causes of spinal stenosis include arthritis, facet hypertrophy, disc bulge, disc herniation and disc protrusion just to name a few. Diagnosis is usually made by a solid history, x-ray examination, MRI or CT scan of the involved area.

Spinal stenosis can be very debilitating and depending on the severity is sometimes difficult to treat. Mild cases respond favorably to chiropractic care and traction. Disc bulges , herniations or protrusions respond well to spinal decompression. In cases of severe degeneration, pain management may be the only course of treatment. In some severe cases surgery may be a consideration.

Call the office now at 407-522-5858 to schedule your consultation and examination so we can determine the best course of treatment for your spinal stenosis.
Dr. Steven Harrison