Can Spinal Decompression Help a Bulging Disc? – Scripps Ranch, CA

If you've been told you have a bulging or herniated disc, there's a good chance you've already tried something for it.

Maybe physical therapy helped for a while. Maybe you've been going to a chiropractor. Maybe you've had an injection, taken medication, stopped working out, or just kept waiting for it to settle down.

Then the pain comes back.

Or worse, it starts going down your leg.

That's when a lot of people start getting nervous and wondering whether they're eventually headed for surgery.

After more than 20 years of treating disc problems, Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC has learned not to make that assumption based on an MRI report.

A bulging disc can absolutely be part of the problem. But plenty of people have disc bulges on MRI. What matters is whether that finding makes sense with what you're actually experiencing.

If your back hurts and your MRI shows a disc bulge, that's one piece of information.

If that same disc is affecting a nerve and you're having pain, numbness or tingling following that nerve down your leg, now we have a much more interesting conversation.

And that's where Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may come into the picture.

“The Pain in My Leg Was So Bad I Wanted to Cry”

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

Eventually the disc problem returned and started affecting his sciatic nerve. He described the leg pain as so bad that it made him want to cry.

He tried other options and wasn't getting where he wanted to be.

After coming to our office and beginning Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression, Anthony said he noticed a difference after just a few sessions.

Later he wrote:

“Now after being there for the past few months I'm able to go about my normal life again.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
— Anthony K., San Diego, CA

That's obviously what we want to see.

But Anthony's story doesn't mean that every person with a bulging disc should have spinal decompression.

They shouldn't.

Not Sure If Your Disc Problem Is a Decompression Case?

That's exactly what the No-Charge Consultation is for.

Bring your MRI if you have one and sit down with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC. He'll go through what's been happening, where you're hurting, what you've already tried and your available imaging.

The point isn't to talk you into treatment.

It's to figure out whether this is actually the kind of problem we treat.

If it is, we'll explain what we'd recommend. If more information is needed, we'll tell you. And if you're not a candidate, Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC will tell you that too.

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

Hablamos Español.

What We Look for With a Bulging Disc

Patients will sometimes come in, put their MRI report on the desk and say, “Here's the problem.”

Maybe. But not necessarily.

We've seen some pretty awful-looking MRIs on people who are functioning surprisingly well. We've also seen patients in terrible pain whose MRI report doesn't sound nearly as dramatic.

So we don't treat the report.

We want to see where the disc problem is, whether a nerve is involved and whether that fits what you're feeling.

If you have an L5 nerve being irritated, for example, does your pain and numbness follow a pattern that makes sense for L5?

Are you having weakness?

Can you sit?

Can you sleep?

Can you walk normally?

Has the problem been getting better, getting worse or staying exactly the same?

Those things matter.

This is also why Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC personally reviews available imaging rather than simply reading the impression at the bottom of the radiology report.

Where Spinal Decompression Fits

We use DRX9000 Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression in our office.

We have seven systems—four lumbar and three cervical—and decompression has been a major part of the practice for more than 20 years.

But the table isn't the treatment plan.

That's an important distinction.

You still have to know who you're treating, what level you're treating, how you're going to treat it and when you shouldn't treat the person at all.

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

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC

• 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+ Decompression Treatments Performed & Supervised

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC has also spent thousands of hours rehabbing his own significant neck and back injuries. So when patients say they want to get back to the gym, golf, surfing, traveling or simply being able to sit through dinner without their leg killing them, he understands why that matters.

We Also Tell People No

This is probably one of the easiest ways to explain how we approach these cases.

Toni W. came from Lake Elsinore to meet with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC. She had undergone previous back surgery and had a significant amount of hardware in her spine.

She wasn't a candidate for our decompression program.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC told her that.

Toni still left 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.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
— Toni W., Lake Elsinore, CA

That's how it's supposed to work.

We're not looking for a reason to put everybody on a DRX9000.

We're looking for the patients we think we can help.

Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes we need another X-ray or more information. Sometimes another doctor needs to be involved.

And sometimes it's simply no.

If You've Already Tried Other Treatment, That's Okay

Most people who come here haven't been sitting around doing nothing.

They've tried things.

Physical therapy. Chiropractic. Injections. Medications. Exercise. Stretching. Acupuncture. Massage.

Some have even had previous surgery.

We're not going to spend your consultation telling you why everything you did before was wrong.

We want to know why you're still hurting.

Maybe there's something on the MRI that explains it. Maybe your symptoms have changed. Maybe you're a good candidate for decompression.

Let's figure that out first.

What Happens at the Consultation?

Bring your MRI or X-rays if you have them.

You'll sit down with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC and go through the problem.

We'll talk about where you hurt, whether symptoms travel into your leg or arm, what you've already tried and what your imaging shows.

If Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC thinks additional examination or imaging is needed before making a recommendation, he'll explain that.

If you're a candidate for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression, he'll explain why.

If you're not, he'll tell you.

That's really it.

There's no obligation to start treatment.

Bulging Disc Treatment Near Scripps Ranch, CA

If you live in Scripps Ranch and you're dealing with a bulging or herniated disc, sciatica, numbness, tingling or a back problem that just isn't getting better, bring your MRI and let us take a look.

You don't have to decide whether you want spinal decompression before you come in.

First, let's determine whether you should even be doing it.

Find Out If You're a Candidate

Call 619-298-0800 to schedule a No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego
5095 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92123

619-298-0800
SanDiegoBackCare.com

Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Hablamos Español.