Does Spinal Decompression Help a Bulging Disc? | Tierrasanta, CA

Yes, spinal decompression may help certain patients with a bulging disc. It is actually one of the more common problems Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC evaluates in his office.

But here's where patients sometimes get confused. Just because an MRI says “bulging disc” doesn't necessarily mean that's what's causing your pain.

Dr. Boelk has seen plenty of patients with two or three bulging discs on an MRI. One may be important. Another may have nothing to do with their symptoms.

That's why he wants to see the MRI and hear what's actually happening to you.

Maybe your lower back hurts every morning. Maybe sitting is terrible. Maybe your back barely hurts at all, but after 10 minutes of standing your leg starts burning or your foot goes numb.

Those are very different presentations.

Dr. Boelk has focused on Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression for more than 22 years and has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments. His San Diego clinic has seven DRX9000 systems, and he also trains other doctors in spinal decompression protocols and techniques.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego is the largest known Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression clinic in Southern California.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “For the First Time in 10 Years, I Am Completely Pain-Free”

“I was one step away from back surgery.”

“For the first time in 10 years, I am completely pain-free. My sciatca is gone, and I no longer have back pain.

Before finding Dr. Boelk, I tried chiropractic care, acupuncture, pain medications, and several other therapies that simply didn't work. I was one step away from back surgery when I discovered spinal decompression treatment at The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego.

The results have been incredible. Every visit was comfortable, relaxing, and completely pain-free. Dr. Boelk and Patty always took the time to explain everything and made me feel genuinely cared for throughout the process.

They are warm, welcoming, and truly dedicated to helping their patients.

Thank you, Dr. Boelk and Patty!”

— Toni H., San Diego, CA

Toni had been dealing with sciatica and back pain for 10 years. She had already tried chiropractic care, acupuncture, medications and other treatments and was getting close to considering surgery.

Her situation was appropriate for spinal decompression. Someone else's may not be, which is why Dr. Boelk evaluates the patient before recommending treatment.

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Have an MRI Showing a Bulging Disc? Dr. Boelk Will Look at It at No Charge.

This is probably the easiest place to start.

You don't need to decide whether you want spinal decompression.

You don't need to sign up for treatment.

And you don't need to know whether you're a candidate.

That's what the consultation is for.

Bring your actual MRI images and report if you have them. Dr. Boelk will personally sit down with you and go through the case.

He'll look at things like:

• Which disc or discs are bulging.

• Whether the bulge appears to be affecting a nerve.

• Whether the MRI findings make sense with where you're hurting.

• Where numbness or tingling travels.

• Whether you've noticed weakness.

• How long you can sit, stand or walk before symptoms begin.

• What you've already tried and what happened.

• Whether your symptoms are improving, staying the same or getting worse.

• Whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression makes sense.

• Whether there is a reason Dr. Boelk would not recommend decompression.

No MRI? That's okay too. Dr. Boelk can still go through what's happening and discuss whether additional examination or imaging may be appropriate.

There is no charge for this consultation and no obligation to begin treatment.

The decision you're making right now isn't whether to start spinal decompression. It's simply whether it's worth getting an experienced opinion about your back.

Dr. Boelk performs these consultations himself while also treating his existing patients throughout the week. Because of that, the office can only set aside a limited number in the schedule.

Call 619-298-0800 and ask about the next available No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

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So What Exactly Is a Bulging Disc?

A spinal disc sits between two vertebrae and helps absorb and distribute load through the spine.

When part of that disc extends beyond its normal boundary, it may be described as a disc bulge.

The important part is what happens next.

Some people have a bulging disc and don't even know it. It shows up incidentally on an MRI.

Another patient has a bulge in a location that crowds or irritates a nerve. That person may have terrible sciatica, numbness or tingling even though their lower back doesn't hurt very much.

Dr. Boelk doesn't treat the words on the MRI.

He tries to determine whether the disc finding actually fits the patient's problem.

What Is Spinal Decompression Trying to Do?

Dr. Boelk uses the DRX9000 exclusively for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

Treatment uses controlled distraction of the spine with the goal of reducing mechanical stress at the involved spinal segment and creating a more favorable environment around the disc and surrounding structures.

It's not the same as hanging upside down.

It's not simply stretching someone's back.

And Dr. Boelk doesn't tell patients that the DRX9000 magically “sucks the disc back in.”

That's an oversimplification.

After more than 22 years doing this, Dr. Boelk believes selecting the right patient is one of the most important parts of spinal decompression.

The best machine in the world isn't going to help if you're treating the wrong problem.

How Would You Know If It's Helping?

Patients naturally want the pain to go away, but Dr. Boelk watches more than the pain number.

Suppose your sciatica currently runs from your buttock all the way into your foot.

A few weeks later, you're noticing it mostly around the buttock and thigh.

That's worth paying attention to.

Or maybe you could only stand for 10 minutes before your leg started burning. Now you're standing for 30.

Maybe you're sleeping through the night again. You're walking farther. You're able to sit through dinner. You're getting back to the gym.

Those changes matter.

Dr. Boelk wants the patient getting more of their life back, not simply reporting a different number from 1 to 10.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I Was Having Pain Radiating Down My Legs, I Couldn’t Sleep, I Could Barely Walk.”

“After treatment I am back to shoveling snow, teaching school, taking walks.”

“My name is Lynn. I am from Alaska, and I just want to say it was totally worth taking a trip to go to the Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego. I was having pain radiating down my legs, I couldn’t sleep, I could barely walk.

After treatment I am back to shoveling snow, teaching school, taking walks. So, I just want to thank Dr. Boelk and the clinic, you guys are wonderful, and you have created such a wonderful, friendly, kind and truly caring atmosphere. I highly encourage anybody that might be considering spinal decompression therapy, it really makes a difference.”

— Lynn C., Alaska

Lynn traveled from Alaska for treatment. Before coming in, pain was radiating down her legs, interfering with sleep and making walking extremely difficult. She later described getting back to teaching, walking and even shoveling snow.

That's a much more meaningful measure of progress than simply asking whether someone's back hurts today.

What If the Bulging Disc Is Touching a Nerve?

That's when symptoms can start showing up well away from the lower back.

Pain may travel into the buttock, thigh, calf or foot. There may be burning, tingling or numbness. Some patients notice weakness.

And yes, you can have a lumbar disc problem without much back pain.

Dr. Boelk sees this frequently.

Someone will tell him, “My back is fine. It's my leg that's killing me.”

Then the MRI shows a disc problem affecting a lumbar nerve.

This is why Dr. Boelk asks exactly where your symptoms travel and then compares that pattern with the MRI.

What If I've Had the Bulging Disc for Years?

That doesn't automatically rule out spinal decompression.

Dr. Boelk has treated patients with both recent and long-standing disc problems.

What matters is what is happening now.

Are you functioning reasonably well?

Or has your life gradually changed around your back?

Maybe two years ago you could walk for an hour and now it's 15 minutes.

Maybe you've stopped going to the gym.

You avoid long drives.

You don't golf anymore.

You aren't taking trips because sitting on an airplane is miserable.

Sometimes people say they're “managing” their back pretty well when they've actually stopped doing half the things they used to enjoy.

Dr. Boelk wants to know about that too.

Who May Be a Candidate for Spinal Decompression?

Dr. Boelk commonly evaluates patients with:

• Lumbar disc bulges.

• Lumbar disc herniations.

• L4-L5 and L5-S1 disc injuries.

• Degenerative disc disease.

• Disc-related sciatica.

• Foraminal narrowing.

• Selected cases of spinal stenosis.

• Certain cases of chronic disc-related lower-back pain.

Some patients have already tried physical therapy, chiropractic care, medications or epidural injections.

Others haven't.

Either way, the diagnosis alone isn't enough to determine whether someone should have spinal decompression.

Previous surgery, hardware, spinal stability, bone health, neurological findings and other medical factors all need to be considered.

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★ Sometimes Dr. Boelk Says No

This is an important part of the office that doesn't get talked about enough.

Not everybody who comes in wanting spinal decompression gets accepted for treatment.

“He could not treat me as I have to wait until the fracture in my neck heals.”

“I decided to see Dr. Boelk after a pretty gnarly motocoss neck injury. At the Hospital I was at, I felt I was getting pressured into a surgery which I refused. A friend of a friend referred him after Dr. Boelk successfully treated his broken back.

Dr. Boelk is a compassionate individual who truly cares about his patients. He looked at my MRI images, explained what he saw and potential routes for recovery. He could not treat me as I have to wait until the fracture in my neck heals, but the level of professionalism, compassion, caring and knowledge displayed by him was exceptional.

He also recommended to seek an additional opinion form another neurosurgeon. My experience was that he really cares and he's not someone who would take advantage of the situation someone's in (unlike some other doctors). I will definitely be back and already recommended him to others as well! Thank you Dr. Boelk!”

— Jan H., San Marcos, CA

Jan wanted another option after a serious neck injury. Dr. Boelk reviewed his MRI but would not treat him because the fracture had not healed. He also recommended another neurosurgical opinion.

That's what determining candidacy is supposed to look like.

There are other situations where spinal decompression may not be appropriate, including significant osteoporosis, unstable spondylolisthesis, certain malignancies and some situations involving surgical hardware. Pregnancy is also a contraindication for lumbar decompression.

Progressive neurological weakness needs to be taken seriously.

New bowel or bladder dysfunction, difficulty controlling or initiating urination, or numbness involving the groin, inner thighs or saddle region requires prompt medical evaluation.

Why Experience With Spinal Decompression Matters

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC has spent more than 22 years working with Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression and has performed more than 100,000 treatments.

His background includes:

• Doctor of Chiropractic

• Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor

• Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist (PPSC)

• Founder, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy

• Trains other doctors in spinal decompression protocols and techniques

• Founding Member, American Spinal Decompression Society

• Member, International Disc Education Association

• California X-Ray Radiation Supervisor & Operator

Dr. Boelk also understands spinal injuries from the other side of the table. He suffered an L5 compression fracture at age 16 and later dealt with disc injuries and sciatica himself.

Have a Bulging Disc and Aren't Sure What to Do With It?

Bring the MRI in.

You don't need to figure this out by reading the report yourself or searching every term online.

Let Dr. Boelk look at the actual images. Tell him where you're hurting, what causes the symptoms, what you've already tried and what you're having trouble doing now.

Then ask the question you actually want answered:

“Do you think spinal decompression can help me?”

Dr. Boelk will tell you what he thinks.

No charge. No obligation. And if Dr. Boelk doesn't believe you're a candidate, he'll tell you that too.

Because these consultations are personally performed by Dr. Boelk while he continues to treat his existing patients, only a limited number are available in the clinic schedule.

Call 619-298-0800 and ask about the next available 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

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