How the Decompression Table Works
You lie fully clothed on a motorized table that is secured at the pelvis and trunk. The table then applies a slow cycle of gentle pull and release along the axis of your spine.
That cycling is the important part. A steady, unrelenting pull would cause the muscles to guard and tighten, blocking the stretch before it reaches the disc. The alternating rhythm lets those muscles relax, so the traction actually reaches the structures that matter. The result is a drop in pressure inside the disc space, which relieves the load on compressed nerve roots and encourages fluid, oxygen and nutrients to move back into the disc.
What Non-Surgical Decompression Is Used For
Decompression is most valuable when nerve compression is driving your symptoms rather than simple muscle strain. We commonly use it for:
Herniated and bulging discs in the lumbar or cervical spine
Sciatica radiating from the low back through the buttock and down the leg
Degenerative disc disease and loss of disc height
Persistent back pain that has not responded to rest or medication
Hip and leg pain traced to lumbar nerve compression
The spinal component of some peripheral neuropathy cases, where numbness, burning or tingling reaches the hands and feet
Recovery after an auto accident injury, once acute inflammation has settled
Decompression is closely related to cervical traction, which applies the same principle specifically to the neck.
Is Spinal Decompression Right for You?
It is not the right answer for everyone, and we will tell you when it is not. Certain conditions — including some fractures, spinal implants, advanced osteoporosis and specific instability patterns — make decompression inappropriate.
Dr. Moss screens for those through your health history, a hands-on examination and functional x-ray analysis when clinically indicated. If your pain is mechanical rather than disc-driven, manual adjusting alone may serve you better and cost you less. New patients can begin with the $99 exam, consultation and digital x-rays if necessary, which excludes Medicare and auto accident patients.
What to Expect During a Session
Sessions are calm and comfortable. Most patients describe a slow, relieving stretch through the low back, and many relax completely — some fall asleep. There is no anesthesia, no injection and no recovery time, so you drive yourself home and return to your day immediately. Sessions run up to roughly 45 minutes depending on your plan.
You will be positioned carefully, and the force is built up gradually rather than applied all at once. If anything feels uncomfortable, tell us and we adjust it. Dr. Moss explains exactly what to expect before your first session so nothing about the process is a surprise.
How Many Decompression Sessions Are Needed?
Disc tissue changes slowly, so decompression is delivered as a course of sessions scheduled across several weeks rather than a single appointment. Many patients report meaningful relief partway through, but completing the plan is what allows the change to hold.
Dr. Moss sets the number of sessions from your examination and imaging, re-evaluates you along the way, and adjusts if your response is faster or slower than expected. You will always know where you are in the process and what the remaining sessions are meant to accomplish.
Lumbar and Cervical Decompression
Most decompression care targets the lumbar spine, where disc compression produces low back pain and sciatica. The same principle applies to the neck, where compressed cervical discs cause pain, stiffness and symptoms radiating into the shoulder, arm and hand. For neck-focused cases we generally use cervical traction, which delivers a gentler, more precisely controlled stretch suited to the smaller and more delicate cervical vertebrae. Dr. Moss determines which approach fits after examining you and reviewing your imaging, and some patients receive both across a course of care when compression is present at more than one level of the spine.
How Decompression Fits With the Rest of Your Care
Decompression unloads the disc, but it works best inside a complete plan. Manual adjusting restores motion to the joints around the disc. Wobble chair therapy keeps fluid cycling through it between visits. Myofascial release and trigger point therapy release the guarding muscles that build up around a painful segment. Stretching and strengthening exercises rebuild the core and postural support that keeps pressure off the disc long term.
Used together, these address the problem from several directions at once rather than relying on any single technique. Explore all therapies and techniques or the full chiropractic services list.
A Drug-Free Alternative Worth Trying First
For many Arlington patients, decompression is the conservative step taken before considering injections or surgery — non-invasive, medication-free and reversible. It does not suit every case, but when nerve compression is the cause, it addresses that cause directly rather than masking the symptom.
Patients recovering from a collision or other personal injury frequently include decompression in a coordinated recovery plan, and our team provides the documentation insurers and attorneys require. See our accident injury treatments and personal injury FAQs, or read our chiropractic care FAQs for more background.
Book Spinal Decompression in Arlington, TX
True Works Chiropractic is located at 5801 W Interstate 20 Suite 350, Arlington, TX 76017, open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 am–12:00 pm and 3:00 pm–6:00 pm. Learn more about our practice or read our reviews from patients who came to us with disc and nerve pain.
Call (817) 718-1052 or request an appointment online for a spinal decompression evaluation, and find out whether your pain is coming from where you think it is.