How it works

Non-surgical spinal decompression

Seated, gentle, non-surgical treatment aimed at the disc itself. Whether it is appropriate for you is decided at your free first visit.

Why it keeps coming back

Why disc pain keeps coming back

Between each pair of vertebrae sits a disc. When it's healthy, it's tall and full of fluid, and it holds open the space where a nerve leaves your spine.

Years of sitting, lifting and gravity compress it. It loses water and height, that space narrows, and the nerve gets crowded. That's what sends pain, numbness and tingling down a leg or an arm.

It doesn't fix itself, because discs have no blood supply. They depend on pressure changing as you move — and a compressed disc isn't getting that.

How spinal decompression treats it

Non-surgical spinal decompression gently separates the vertebrae, taking pressure off the disc and giving the nerve room. Repeated over a course of care, that's what gives symptoms a chance to settle.

Seated and reclined. The space around the nerve opens as the vertebrae separate.

What a treatment visit is like

It is non-surgical. No incisions, no injections, no anesthesia.
You are seated and reclined, not face-down on a table and not in a harness. Most patients describe it as comfortable; some fall asleep.
The table gently separates the vertebrae to take pressure off the disc and the nerve beside it, then releases, in a controlled cycle.
Treatment can be directed at the low back or the neck.
The settings are set for you (the angle, the force and the timing) and tuned as you respond.
We decide whether it is appropriate from your condition, your exam and your imaging. It is not for everyone.

We treat on two decompression tables, both FDA-cleared, so two patients can be treated at once. Every treatment visit is built around you.

Honest about who it's for

It is not for everyone, and no one can promise you an outcome before examining you. For the right patient it is an effective way to take the load off a painful disc without surgery, and we measure your response rather than assume it. The free first visit is how we find out whether you are that patient.

Alongside treatment

Depending on your condition you may also be given specific movement and positioning instructions, load-management advice for work and sleep, and a graded plan for returning to the activities you have been avoiding. When another kind of care is the right answer (physical therapy, a physician, imaging or a surgical opinion) we say so and help you get there.

A patient seated and reclined during a treatment visit, with treatment directed at the neck

Treatment directed at the neck. The same seated treatment is used for the low back.

Is it appropriate for you?

That is what the free first visit decides. You'll leave knowing whether you're a candidate.

Schedule my free consultation

Honest about fit

Who this is for, and who it isn't for

Spinal decompression is not for everyone, and we would rather tell you that before you come in.

It is often right for

Bulging or herniated discs in the lower back
Cervical disc herniation
Sciatica, or pain that runs down a leg
Neck pain that travels into the shoulder, arm or hand
Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
Grip weakness
Headaches from neck tension
Pinched nerves
Degenerative disc disease
Spinal stenosis with positional leg symptoms
Facet pain
Pain after back or neck surgery, including a fusion once the recovery period has passed
Pain that hasn't responded to the usual care

It is usually not right for

Spinal fractures
Severe osteoporosis
Tumors or infection
Spinal instability or cord-level symptoms
Some conditions we screen for at your first visit

The first visit is where we find out which list you're on. If you've had a fusion or have hardware, we check how long ago and clear it with you at the first visit.

The clinic

Inside the clinic.

A clinic team member recording a patient's response during a treatment visit

A patient seated and reclined during a treatment visit

Two patients seated and reclined during treatment visits

A patient seated and reclined during a treatment visit, talking with a clinic team member

FAQ

Questions about treatment

How does spinal decompression work?

It is non-surgical, and you are seated and reclined for it, not face-down and not in a harness. The table gently separates the vertebrae to take pressure off a disc and the nerve beside it, then releases, in a controlled cycle. Treatment can be directed at the low back or the neck, and the settings are set for you. How it works, in plain English.

Does it hurt?

Most patients describe it as comfortable, and some fall asleep. You are seated and reclined, not face-down, and the force is gradual and set for you. If anything is uncomfortable, the settings change.

Does it work for neck pain?

Yes. It is the same seated, reclined treatment, set for the neck: for neck pain, a cervical disc, and pain, numbness or tingling that runs into the shoulders, arms and hands. About neck pain.

What if it doesn't work for me?

We measure your response from the first visit, so we both know whether it is working. If the numbers aren't moving, we tell you, change the plan, or point you to a different kind of care. No outcome is promised to anyone before an exam.

All questions

Find out whether we can help.

If you're dealing with disc, nerve or spine pain that hasn't gone away, start with a free first visit.

FreeYour first visitConsultation, imaging review, exam and your first treatment. New patients only. Some insurance plans are excluded by law.

Schedule my free consultation

Or call or text (913) 355-5998

1011 E 151st St, Olathe, KS · By appointment