'LENGTHENING' THE SPINE
DECOMPRESSION THERAPY: MACHINE TREATS DEGENERATIVE JOINT PROBLEMS, LOWER BACK PAIN
[Illustration: Color photo by Jacob Hannah Watertown Daily Times]
By NORAH MACHIA
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
KaLeanna Weatherup-Otero suffered from severe back pain following a 2004 motor vehicle accident.
"I felt immobilized at times," the Theresa resident said. "I was in constant pain."
Mrs. Weatherup-Otero, a licensed practical nurse, didn't want to turn to narcotics to ease her pain, but did try medications such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen and muscle relaxants. She also tried traditional chiropractic care, but nothing seemed to help.
"I had to walk very carefully and slowly," she said. "There was pain from my sciatic nerve. It was being pinched."
Last year, the private-duty nurse decided to try a new type of treatment, spinal decompression therapy, that was being introduced by her chiropractor, Becky Keshmiri, 1116 Arsenal St.
"The Spinal Decompression Unit is a pretty phenomenal piece of equipment," said Ms. Keshmiri, who purchased the machine last year for her business, the Spinal Disc Regeneration Center.
Spinal decompression is described as a "nonsurgical solution to low-back pain and sciatica." The machine that provides this type of therapy can cost $75,000 to $100,000.
It's designed to treat degenerative joint problems and can be more than 88 percent effective in preventing the need for back surgery, Ms. Keshmiri said.
The therapy is also referred to as VAX-D (vertebral axial decompression) and the goal is to relieve pain by decompressing discs in the spine over a period.
"It takes about 20 treatments," Ms. Keshmiri said. "It depends how bad the degeneration is."
Patients with chronic back pain as a result of herniated discs, degenerative disc disease and sciatica (irritation of the sciatic nerve) have been treated successfully with spinal decompression therapy, she said.
During the treatment, the patient lies down on the machine fully clothed and is fitted with a pelvic harness. The machine provides a slow, gentle pulling motion designed to "lengthen" the spine, allowing the discs to decompress gradually and to be relieved of pressure. Each session lasts about 45 minutes.
Treatments are done three to five times a week, and it can take one to two months for the process to be completed, Ms. Keshmiri said.
Annette Miller, account manager and radio personality for Community Broadcasters, turned to spinal decompression therapy after a 2000 motor vehicle accident.
"My whole spine felt twisted, and the pain would just shoot all the way down," she said.
She had initially tried medications, including muscle relaxants and painkillers, along with physical therapy.
"I was still in a lot of pain," she said. "Traditional chiropractic care brought down the level of pain. But I was not completely recovered."
Ms. Miller, who had been diagnosed with herniated discs in her spine, underwent spinal decompression therapy earlier this year.
"I really had no relief from the pain until I tried this therapy," she said.
Spinal decompression therapy, however, is not for everyone. Patients with certain conditions such as tumors, bone fractures or osteoporosis are not candidates for the treatment, Ms. Keshmiri said.
"I even had my mother, who is 68 years old, try the machine," Ms. Keshmiri said. "She suffered from severe back pain and constantly woke up in the middle of the night." Despite having traditional chiropractic adjustments, her mother didn't see any improvement until she underwent spinal decompression therapy, Ms. Keshmiri said.
"She was the worst case I could put on the machine," she said. "And she improved dramatically."
Lower back pain affects at least 80 percent of people at some time in their lives, according to the American Spinal Decompression Association.
It is often recurrent, and subsequent episodes may increase in severity, according to the organization. Lower back pain is common in those who lead sedentary lives or engage in manual labor.
The pain can occur at any age, but is most prevalent in people ages 30 to 60, according to the ASDA.
A team of Duke Medical Center researchers reported that patients suffering from back pain account for more than $90 billion annually in health-care expenses, according to the ASDA Web site.
There are tremendous costs associated with lower back pain, including lost productivity and income from work, the expense of medical, rehabilitation and surgical interventions, and the costs of disabling pain and limited daily function, the ASDA reported.