Can Spinal Decompression Help a Bulging Disc? – Clairemont, CA

A Bulging Disc Doesn't Always Mean Surgery

If you've had an MRI and were told you have a bulging or herniated disc, the first thing Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC would tell you is not to panic.

After more than 20 years working with disc injuries, Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC has seen just about every reaction to an MRI report. Some people are terrified by what they read. Others have been told to try an injection and come back if that doesn't work. Some have already been told they should start thinking about surgery.

The MRI is important, but it doesn't make the decision for us.

What Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC really wants to know is what you're feeling, where the symptoms are going, whether a nerve is involved, what you've already tried, and whether what he sees on your imaging actually matches your symptoms.

For some patients, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be a very good option.

For others, it isn't.

The first job is figuring out which group you're in.

Amanda Could Barely Walk When She Came In

Amanda's story is a good example of the type of disc case we see.

She had spent months going back and forth between doctors' appointments and urgent care. She described the pain as unbearable. Getting out of bed hurt, walking and standing were extremely difficult, and she was taking medication just to get through the day.

Eventually, an MRI showed an extruded disc pressing on her L5 nerve.

Her doctor scheduled two appointments: one with pain management for spinal injections and another to be evaluated for surgery.

Before those appointments, she found our office.

Amanda eventually reported that she was walking normally again, standing upright and exercising. She had gone from needing a cane to doing two 45-minute workouts a day and lifting weights again.

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— Amanda, San Diego, CA

Amanda's experience doesn't mean everyone with an extruded or bulging disc should receive spinal decompression. It does show why it can be worth having your individual case evaluated before assuming you know what comes next.

Not Sure If Your Disc Problem Is a Decompression Case?

Start with a No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

Bring your MRI if you have one. Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC will sit down with you, review what you've been dealing with, look at your available imaging and determine whether your condition appears appropriate for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

There is no obligation to begin treatment.

Not everyone is a candidate. If Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC doesn't believe decompression is appropriate for you, he'll tell you.

Call 619-298-0800 to schedule. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Hablamos Español.

So What Exactly Is a Bulging Disc?

Your spinal discs sit between the vertebrae and act as cushions. When part of a disc begins extending outside of its normal boundary, it may show up on an MRI as a bulge.

You might also see words such as protrusion, herniation or extrusion.

Those terms describe different disc findings, but none of them tells Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC everything he needs to know about you.

We've seen patients with ugly-looking MRIs who aren't in much pain.

We've also seen patients with what sounds like a relatively modest finding on the report who can barely sit, sleep or walk.

That's why the MRI is only part of the picture.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC wants to know whether the findings on that MRI actually make sense with the symptoms you're experiencing.

When the Disc Starts Irritating a Nerve

A disc problem can become particularly miserable when a nerve gets involved.

With a lumbar disc problem, that can mean sciatica.

Instead of just having an aching lower back, the pain may travel through the buttock and down the leg. Some people describe burning. Others have numbness or tingling. Sometimes the foot or toes are involved.

Sitting may become miserable.

Getting out of the car can hurt.

Putting your shoes on can become a project.

Some people wake up feeling reasonably good and progressively hurt more as the day goes on. Others wake up barely able to straighten themselves out.

Those details matter. They give Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC clues about what's actually going on and whether the symptoms correspond with the findings on your imaging.

Where Does Spinal Decompression Come In?

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression uses controlled decompressive forces directed at targeted areas of the spine.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC doesn't tell patients that we're going to “suck the disc back in” or magically make their MRI normal.

That's an oversimplification.

The question is whether the mechanical environment around the injured disc and nerve is something that may be appropriately addressed with decompression.

To make that decision, Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC looks at the imaging, symptoms, neurological findings, spinal stability and previous treatment.

If those things line up and there isn't something that makes decompression inappropriate, then it makes sense to have a conversation about treatment.

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Has Been Our Focus for More Than 20 Years

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression isn't an add-on service in our office.

It has been a major focus of the practice for more than two decades.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego has seven DRX9000 Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression systems—four lumbar and three cervical.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC also founded the Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy and trains other doctors in decompression protocols and techniques.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC — Credentials & Experience

• Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor
• Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist
• Founder, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy
• Founding Member, American Spinal Decompression Society
• Member, International Disc Education Association
• California X-Ray Radiography Licensed Doctor
• 20+ Years of Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Experience
• 100,000+ Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Treatments Performed & Supervised
• Instructor of Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Protocols & Techniques to Other Doctors

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC has also dealt with significant spinal injuries personally and has spent thousands of hours over the years working on his own rehabilitation.

That's a big part of why the focus in our office isn't simply getting someone out of pain for a few days. We want patients to be able to get back to the things that matter to them.

Sometimes We Tell People No

This is something patients should know before they call us.

We turn people down for decompression.

Toni W. drove from Lake Elsinore to see Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC. She had previously undergone back surgery and had extensive hardware in her spine.

After reviewing her situation, Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC told her she wasn't a candidate.

Interestingly, she still left the office a five-star review:

“Very nice Dr. and Honest!... Just not in my personal case. As I have a lot of hardware in my back. But I'm glad I took the time to meet with him. It was very informative all around.”

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— Toni W., Lake Elsinore, CA

That's exactly how the consultation is supposed to work.

Sometimes the answer is yes.

Sometimes we need more information.

And sometimes the right answer is no.

The purpose of the consultation isn't to find a reason to put you on a decompression table. It's to determine whether Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC believes you are actually an appropriate candidate.

What If You've Already Tried Everything Else?

A lot of our disc patients feel this way by the time we meet them.

They've tried physical therapy. They've been adjusted. They've stretched. They've taken medications. They've had injections. Some have even had previous back surgery.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC isn't interested in telling patients that everything they did before coming here was wrong. Usually it wasn't.

The question is why you're still hurting.

Maybe the problem has changed. Maybe a nerve is still irritated. Maybe there's another finding on the MRI that hasn't been discussed. Maybe you're a good decompression candidate.

Or maybe you aren't.

We don't know until we look.

Another Patient Who Had Already Had Back Surgery

Anthony K. had surgery for a bulging disc about five years before coming to our office.

Then the disc problem returned and began affecting his sciatic nerve.

He described the leg pain as so severe it made him want to cry.

After trying other options, Anthony came to The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego.

He later wrote:

“After just a few sessions I noticed a difference. Now after being there for the past few months I'm able to go about my normal life again.”

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— Anthony K., San Diego, CA

Anthony also wrote that he was thankful to find a doctor who genuinely cared and understood how to help someone in his situation.

What Happens at the No-Charge Consultation?

It's pretty straightforward.

Bring your MRI if you have one.

You'll sit down with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC and go through what's been happening, where you're hurting and what you've already tried.

The consultation includes:

• One-on-one consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC
• Discussion of your back or neck symptoms
• Review of pain, numbness or tingling traveling into an arm or leg
• Discussion of treatments you've already tried
• Review of your available MRI or X-rays
• Discussion of whether the imaging findings match your symptoms
• Determination of whether additional examination or imaging may be appropriate
• Discussion of whether you may be a candidate for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression
• Time to ask your questions before deciding what you want to do next

There is no obligation to begin treatment.

If more information is needed before Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC can make a recommendation, he'll tell you.

If you appear to be a candidate, he'll explain why.

And if he doesn't believe Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression is appropriate for you, he'll tell you that too.

Bulging Disc Treatment Near Clairemont, CA

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego is located in Kearny Mesa, just minutes from Clairemont.

If you're dealing with a bulging disc, herniated disc, sciatica, numbness, tingling or pain that simply isn't getting better, you don't need to know whether decompression is right for you before contacting us.

That's the purpose of the consultation.

Find Out If You're a Candidate

If you've been diagnosed with a bulging or herniated disc and aren't sure what to do next, call 619-298-0800 to schedule a No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

Bring your MRI if you have one. We'll take a look at what you're dealing with, talk about what you've already tried and determine whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression makes sense for your condition.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC
Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor
Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist
Founder, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy

5095 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92123

619-298-0800
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