| Vertebral axial decompression therapy is | | | | particularly, by lying down, which |
| a very useful tool for people who have | | | | unloads the spine and reduces |
| horrible back problems because it is | | | | intradiscal pressure. The causes of |
| relatively inexpensive and it does not | | | | mechanical low back pain may include |
| involve surgery. Data was collected | | | | degenerative disc disease, degenerative |
| from twenty-two medical centers for | | | | spondylosis with limitation of range of |
| patients who received VAX-D therapy for | | | | motion, facet arthropathy, relative |
| low back pain, which was sometimes | | | | lateral recess stenosis from a |
| accompanied by referred leg pain. Only | | | | combination of the above, |
| patients who received at least ten | | | | microenvironment presure changes |
| sessions and had a diagnosis of | | | | affecting the thecal and epidural space |
| herniated disc, degenerative disc, or | | | | from disc bulging, subligamentous and/or |
| facet syndrome, which were confirmed by | | | | extruded herniation, and segmental |
| diagnostic imaging, were included in | | | | instability. |
| this study. | | | | A number of potential mechanisms are |
| The data contained the patients' | | | | specifically addressed by the lumbar |
| quantitative assessments of their own | | | | vertebral body separation achieved |
| pain, mobility, and ability to carry out | | | | during therapy. With aging, disc |
| the usual 'activities of daily living'. | | | | desicction occurs, disc height is lost, |
| The treatment was successful in 71% of | | | | and this process is accelerated with |
| the 778 cases, when success was defined | | | | activities which produce high physical |
| as a reduction in pain to 0 or 1, on a 0 | | | | loading of the lumbar spine. Osteophytes |
| to 5 scale. Improvements in mobility and | | | | develop along the anterolateral and |
| activities of daily living correlated | | | | posterior border of the vertebral |
| strongly with pain reduction. The causes | | | | bodies, and facet arthropathy increases |
| of back pain and their relationship to | | | | as degenerative disc change advances . |
| this therapy are also discussed. | | | | Normal vertebral body separation is lost |
| Although imaging procedures, including | | | | as the disc degenerates. blood supply |
| CT and MRI, are able to accurately | | | | to the nerve roots of the cauda equina |
| define structural pathology, the | | | | is sensitive to compression. Even at |
| correlation of these anatomic findings | | | | pressures of only 5-10 mmHg, the flow in |
| with physiology, back pain, and other | | | | over 20% of the venules was completely |
| clinical complaints is imprecise. | | | | stopped. Flow in all the capillaries |
| Although surgical decompression, | | | | stopped at pressures between 20 and 50 |
| epidural blocks, and spinal | | | | mmHg. A pressure of 30 mmHg is slightly |
| instrumentation can sometimes help | | | | less than one pound per square inch, so |
| patients suffering from back pain, these | | | | solute transport is easily reduced. Even |
| treatments do not completely take the | | | | vertebral distractions of 1 or 2 mm per |
| biomechanical function of the disc into | | | | disc would reduce ligamental redundancy |
| account, and may leave patients | | | | and help to restore canal/foraminal |
| unrelieved of their suffering. | | | | patency, reduce venous congestion and |
| Low back pain is aggravated by | | | | increase axoplasmic flow. |
| activities that increase axial loading | | | | For greater resources on Vax-D and |
| on the spine, such as sitting, standing, | | | | especially about spine or even about |
| and lifting. Patients may describe some | | | | Lumbar please visit these links. |
| relief with walking, but more | | | | |