When a disc is pressing on a nerve, the pain does not respond to the things that usually work. Stretching aggravates it. Sitting aggravates it. You find one position that helps and you organise your day around it.
Spinal decompression takes the pressure off directly. Momentum Health Center has a DOC decompression table on site in Arlington Heights, and this page is one the practice already ranks first for locally, which tells you something about how long we have been doing it. Sessions are comfortable, there is no surgery and no injection, and most people read or rest through them.
How Does Spinal Decompression Work?
The table applies gentle, controlled traction along the axis of your spine, cycling between pull and release rather than holding a constant stretch. That cycling creates negative pressure inside the disc, which can draw bulging material back toward the centre and improve fluid exchange in tissue that has very little blood supply of its own. The practical effect is less mechanical pressure on the nerve root, which is what has been producing the symptoms down your leg or arm. Each session runs for a set period with you fully clothed and comfortably supported, and the cycling pattern is what distinguishes decompression from simple traction. The DOC table is set up for the neck as well as the low back, so cervical disc symptoms are handled on the same equipment rather than sent elsewhere. We reassess your symptoms and your range between sessions so the plan responds to how you are actually doing.
Benefits of Spinal Decompression
Why patients choose decompression over the alternatives:
- Non-Surgical: No incision, no injection, no recovery period afterwards.
- Targeted at the Disc: It addresses the structure causing the nerve pressure rather than the muscle around it.
- Comfortable Sessions: Most people find it the easiest appointment of their week.
- Works Alongside Adjustments: Decompression and corrective care do different jobs and combine well.
- No Downtime: You go back to your day straight afterwards.
- Measured Progress: We reassess as we go rather than continuing indefinitely.
Common Conditions Spinal Decompression May Help
Decompression is most relevant when the exam points to disc or nerve root involvement:
- Herniated discs and bulging discs
- Sciatica and radiating leg pain
- Back pain with a disc component
- Neck pain with arm symptoms
- Degenerative disc change
- Pain following a car accident and whiplash injury
What to Expect at Your Visit
A decompression visit is straightforward:
- Consultation and Exam: We confirm decompression is appropriate before starting.
- Positioning on the DOC Table: Comfortable, fully clothed, adjusted to your build and the level being treated.
- The Session: Cycles of gentle traction and release, typically while you rest.
- Progress Tracking: We reassess your symptoms and range as the plan advances.
Most patients describe the sensation as a slow stretch rather than a pull, and many find their symptoms ease during the session itself.
The Option Most People Have Not Tried Yet
If you have been told surgery is the next step, it is worth knowing whether decompression is an option for you first. Decompression is not right for every disc presentation, and we will tell you if yours is one where it is unlikely to help. What you will get either way is a clear explanation of your own imaging and an honest view of your options.
We are proud to serve Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Wheeling and Buffalo Grove, from an office one block from the Arlington Heights Metra station.
Book your first visit at our Arlington Heights office.