Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression in Laguna Hills

What spinal decompression is — and when it fits.

Spinal decompression is a non-surgical, computer-controlled traction therapy designed to relieve pressure on compressed discs and nerves. It is most often used alongside chiropractic adjustment for a disc bulge or herniation, sciatica, and chronic low-back patterns.

The principle is straightforward. A spinal disc has no direct blood supply of its own — it takes in fluid and nutrients through movement and changes in pressure, the way a sponge draws water when released. A disc under sustained compression loses that exchange. Decompression applies gentle, graduated traction to a targeted segment with the aim of lowering the pressure inside the disc, which both eases the mechanical load on an irritated nerve root and encourages the fluid exchange the disc depends on.

What distinguishes it from the traction table of decades past is the control. The table is motorised and computer-governed, and the pull is applied in cycles that rise and fall rather than held at a constant load. That cycling matters: held traction provokes the spinal muscles into guarding against it, which defeats the purpose. Angle and force are set for your specific segment and adjusted over a course of care.

A session is undemanding. You lie clothed on a padded table, harnessed at the pelvis and trunk, for roughly fifteen to twenty minutes while the table works through its cycles. Most patients describe a gentle stretch and nothing more; some find it relaxing enough to fall asleep. There is no recovery period and you drive yourself home.

Decompression is rarely the whole plan. It addresses pressure at the disc, while chiropractic adjustment addresses the segments above and below that have usually locked up from months of guarding — treat one without the other and the results tend not to hold. Dr. Rundle uses decompression as part of a customized plan, not as a one-size protocol, and whether it fits your case is decided after the exam and motion-study X-ray rather than assumed beforehand.

It is not right for everyone. Certain fractures, spinal hardware or fusion, advanced osteoporosis, some abdominal conditions, and pregnancy are reasons not to proceed, and screening for them is part of why the examination comes first. If the findings do not support decompression, Dr. Rundle will tell you that instead of selling you a package of sessions.

Spinal Decompression FAQ.

What does a decompression session actually feel like?

You stay clothed and lie on a padded table with a harness at the pelvis and trunk, for about fifteen to twenty minutes. The table applies traction in gentle rising and falling cycles. Most patients describe a mild stretch through the low back and nothing more — a fair number fall asleep. There is no recovery period, and most patients report no soreness afterwards.

How is this different from the traction they used to do?

Older traction applied a steady pull, which provokes the spinal muscles into guarding against it and works against the goal. Modern decompression is computer-controlled and cycles the load up and down so the muscles do not brace, and the angle and force are set for a specific segment rather than applied to the spine as a whole.

Who should not have spinal decompression?

Certain fractures, spinal hardware or a surgical fusion, advanced osteoporosis, some abdominal conditions including aortic aneurysm, and pregnancy are all reasons not to proceed. Screening for these is a specific part of the first-visit examination and X-ray, which is why decompression is never scheduled before you have been examined.

Do I need decompression, or would adjustment alone do it?

That depends on what the exam finds. Decompression targets pressure within a disc; adjustment restores motion to restricted segments. Cases involving genuine disc compression with nerve symptoms usually want both, while a facet or muscular case may need no decompression at all. Dr. Rundle decides after the examination, and the answer is sometimes that you do not need it.

Is this covered by insurance?

Coverage for decompression varies considerably between plans and is less consistently covered than adjustment. We participate with most plans, including Medicare and Blue Shield, and our staff will check your specific benefits and tell you what applies before you commit to a course of care — not after.