Q: How big a problem is back pain?
8 out of 10 Americans will suffer from low back pain in their lifetime.
1 out of 3 Americans has back pain. One third of the country, right now!
Q: Are surgeries common?
Surgeons tell us that only about 5% of these low back cases are appropriate candidates for surgery. That means that 95% suffering people must seek other treatment. The RAND corporation recommends 4-6 weeks of non-surgical care before most surgeries.
Q: What can cause chronic back pain?
Chronic back and neck pain can come from dysfunction of the joints, muscles, nerves, or any combination of these elements.
Q: What are some common causes of chronic back pain?
Your spine is made of bones, called vertebrae:
7 Cervicals (neck) C1-C7
12 Thoracics (mid back) T1-T12
5 Lumbars (lower back) L1-L5
And the Sacrum
We’re supposed to carry all our weight through the thick body of the vertebrae cushioned by the soft, shock-absorbing intervertebral discs.
Sometimes though, all our weight can be shifted to the small joints at the back called Facet joints. This can be painful, as they aren’t designed for this. Joint dysfunction, muscle splinting, inflammation of the nerves can all add up to back pain.
Q: What about disc conditions?
Another source of chronic back & leg pain or neck & arm pain comes from injured or degenerated discs.
The healthy disc has an outer layer of annular fibers (like concentric rubber bands) and a soft, gel-like center, which gives it a shock-absorbing ability.
In a herniated, or protruding, or “slipped disc” the nucleus migrates as the annular fibers weaken, through degeneration or injury.
The severity of the back or extremity symptoms may tell us how the disc is compressing, or irritating the exiting nerves or the spinal cord.
Early diagnosis treatment can save a lot of suffering and lost time.
Q: What is Non-surgical Decompression?
Over 40 years ago, research began to be pioneered by Dr. James Cox, which today has revolutionized both the Osteopathic and Chiropractic disciplines.
His painstaking work has demonstrated thousands of successful recoveries from back, neck, leg, and arm pain (in scientific journals) without surgery or drugs.
I’m proud to have traveled and trained under Dr. Cox myself and, in addition to being certified in all his techniques…ours is the only office in this are offering his newest instruments for decompression of the neck and upper back, in addition to the lumbar spine.
Patients from as far East as Amagansett are traveling to our Smithtown office.
Q: What does Decompression do?
There are 4 Proven, positive, sustainable, and sometimes life-changing effects:
- Increasing Disc Height (improving disc circulation)
- Decreasing pressure on the disc center (up to 192mmHG)
- Increasing space for the exiting spinal nerves
- Restoring normal joint motion
Q: Is all spinal decompression the same?
In the past, you may have heard an alphabet soup of the names of some conventional spinal decompression devices using linear or 2-dimensional decompression.
We’re excited to be using the next generation of decompression instruments…kind of like when LASIK® changed the vision care field.
The Extentrac (With M3D® technology) has provided the doctor with a new level of three-dimensional specificity and freed the patient from being in one position for treatment.
This painless, non-invasive procedure allows the Doctor to target specific discs, directing treatment right to the source of pain.
With moveable leg and lumbar sections…here the patient can be vertical, horizontal, face-up, or face-down. While effectively restoring normal ranges of flexion, extension, side-bending, and rotation, we can accommodate individual weight and physique.
But, in the end it is the skill and training of your doctor that matters the most. We trained with the architect of the Extentrac, himself, and we are the only office in Suffolk County making this state-of-the-art instrument available.
Q: What conditions are responding?
The FDA clearance for the Extentrac (with M3D®) is for Low back pain (and sometimes radiating leg pain or sciatica) due to:
- Herniated or bulging discs
- Degenerative disc disease
- Acute joint problems of the facets
And…the newest Cox Decompression® instrument has shown excellent patient response with a wide range of neck and back problems:
…Degenerative spinal and acute disc conditions
…from Headaches to Pelvic pain
…from pregnant patients to those with osteoporosis…
There’s a lot of excitement around here about bringing Suffolk County, the kind of technology that was only previously available in Manhattan.
