Does Spinal Decompression Help a Herniated Disc? | La Jolla, CA

A herniated disc doesn't automatically mean you need to stop everything you enjoy doing.

It also doesn't mean you should ignore the problem and keep pushing through worsening leg pain, numbness or weakness.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC sees both situations.

Some patients become afraid to move as soon as they read “disc herniation” on their MRI. Others do the exact opposite. They keep training, golfing, surfing or lifting through symptoms that are clearly getting worse.

Usually there needs to be a better plan than either extreme.

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be part of that plan for certain patients.

Dr. Boelk has focused on spinal decompression for more than 22 years and has performed more than 100,000 treatments. His San Diego clinic has seven DRX9000 systems and is the largest known Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression clinic in Southern California.

He also trains other doctors in spinal decompression protocols and techniques.

But before recommending treatment, he wants to know what that herniated disc is actually doing to you.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I Can Walk, Run and Exercise Without Any Pain”

“I lost mobility and had difficulty even putting shoes on.”

“I have been seeing Dr. Boelk since November for my back pain due to disc herniation. I lost mobility and had difficulty even putting shoes on. The pain was interfering with my everyday lifestyle. After reviewing the X-ray results, we agreed upon a treatment plan. Agreeing to this treatment plan was the best choice I've made for my back pain. The spinal decompression has relieved all the pain I felt in my lower back. I can walk, run and exercise without any pain and I'm able to get back in the gym and continue my daily routines. The office staff are very friendly and caring as well. I highly recommend Dr. Boelk's office to anyone seeking exceptional care.”

— Paul C.

Paul wasn't just trying to get his pain number down. His back problem was interfering with normal life, including something as basic as putting on his shoes.

Later, he described walking, running, exercising and returning to the gym.

That's the kind of progress Dr. Boelk wants to see.

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Have a Herniated Disc? Bring Your MRI in for a No-Charge Consultation.

If you're looking at an MRI that says disc herniation, protrusion or extrusion and you're not sure what to do with that information, bring it in.

Dr. Boelk will personally review your case.

If possible, bring the actual MRI images, not only the report.

He'll want to know:

• Which disc is herniated.

• Where the herniation is located.

• Whether a nerve appears to be affected.

• Whether your pain stays in the back or travels into the leg.

• Where you're experiencing numbness or tingling.

• Whether you've noticed weakness.

• What happens when you sit, stand, walk or exercise.

• Which activities consistently flare you up.

• What you've already tried.

• Whether your MRI actually matches your symptoms.

• Whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression makes sense.

There is no charge and no obligation to begin treatment.

You aren't coming in because you've decided to start spinal decompression.

You're coming in to find out whether Dr. Boelk thinks you're a candidate.

And if he doesn't, he'll tell you.

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

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

Live 24/7 Answering Service • Hablamos Español

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Can You Still Exercise With a Herniated Disc?

Sometimes, yes.

Dr. Boelk doesn't automatically tell someone with a herniated disc to stop exercising.

He also doesn't recommend putting your head down and pushing through everything.

A better question is: what happens when you exercise?

Suppose you're doing an exercise and your back feels a little achy, but nothing changes in the leg.

That's one situation.

Now suppose that same exercise starts producing electric pain into your calf and numbness into your foot.

That's different.

Dr. Boelk also wants to know what happens afterward.

You may feel fine while you're exercising and then be substantially worse two hours later or the following morning.

Pay attention to that.

The goal isn't to become afraid of movement. It's to understand which movements your back is tolerating right now and which ones may be aggravating the problem.

What If My Back Doesn't Hurt Very Much?

You can still have a symptomatic herniated disc.

Sometimes the leg is the main problem.

Dr. Boelk sees patients who have pain into the buttock or calf, burning down the leg, tingling or numbness in the foot, yet they tell him their lower back feels pretty good.

That can happen when a lumbar nerve is irritated or compressed.

It's also why Dr. Boelk wants to know exactly where your symptoms travel.

He isn't only interested in where the herniated disc is on the MRI. He wants to see whether that finding makes sense with what you're feeling.

What Is the DRX9000 Trying to Accomplish?

The DRX9000 provides controlled Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

The goal is to reduce mechanical stress at the involved spinal segment and create a more favorable environment around the disc and surrounding structures.

It's not simply an expensive version of stretching.

And Dr. Boelk doesn't tell patients that the machine is going to “suck the herniation back in.”

He'd rather watch what happens clinically.

Can you sit longer?

Can you walk farther?

Is the leg pain traveling less distance?

Is the numbness changing?

Are you sleeping better?

Are you starting to return to activities you've had to stop?

That's useful information.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I Could Get Back to Surf, Jiu Jitsu and Work”

“After 36 sessions I felt I was back to normal.”

“When I first came here I was suffering from sciatica pain for several months non stop. I tried many different non invasive treatments, pain killers but relief was just temporary. I heard about Dr. Boelk on social media and after reading other people testimonials about him I decided to try. It felt better since my first session. After 12 I felt I was improving a lot but still had room to get better so we decided trying 12 more. After 36 sessions I felt I was back to normal. I could get back to surf, jiu jitsu and work after 6 months away. Doctor helped me through the whole process, leaving me free to decide the next step and being honest about expectations. I totally recommend for all my friends that suffer from sciatica pain. It’s worth 100%.”

— Yuri Fresia

For Yuri, getting better meant getting back to surfing, jiu jitsu and work after being away from those activities for six months.

That matters more than simply saying the back feels “a little better.”

Should You Keep Exercising If the Pain Goes Down Your Leg?

This is something Dr. Boelk would pay attention to.

If an exercise repeatedly causes symptoms to travel farther down the leg, produces increasing numbness or causes electric-type nerve pain, that's not something he would want a patient mindlessly pushing through.

The same goes for what happens later.

If every workout leaves you substantially worse for the next day or two, that's information.

On the other hand, having a herniated disc doesn't mean you need to spend the next several months lying around waiting for it to heal.

There's a lot of room between doing nothing and ignoring everything your body is telling you.

Does a Herniated Disc Mean Surgery?

Not necessarily.

Many patients with lumbar disc herniations are initially managed conservatively depending on their symptoms and neurological findings.

But Dr. Boelk is also careful about neurological changes.

Pain is one thing.

Progressive weakness is another.

If you're having increasing trouble lifting your foot, your leg is clearly becoming weaker or you're noticing other progressive neurological changes, that deserves appropriate evaluation.

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

Those aren't symptoms to wait on while trying another conservative treatment.

What If You've Already Tried Other Treatments?

That's common.

Patients come to Dr. Boelk after physical therapy, chiropractic care, medications, injections and sometimes several different approaches.

Tell him what happened.

Maybe physical therapy helped your back but every time you tried progressing the exercises the leg pain returned.

Maybe an epidural helped for several months.

Maybe you've tried almost everything and nothing has changed.

That's all useful information.

Who May Be a Candidate?

Dr. Boelk commonly evaluates patients with:

• Lumbar disc herniations.

• Disc protrusions.

• Selected disc extrusions.

• L4-L5 disc injuries.

• L5-S1 disc injuries.

• Disc-related sciatica.

• Degenerative disc disease.

• Foraminal narrowing.

• Certain cases of spinal stenosis.

The diagnosis isn't enough by itself.

Previous surgery, spinal hardware, stability, bone health and neurological findings can all affect whether decompression is appropriate.

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★ Sometimes Dr. Boelk Won't Treat the Patient

This is worth knowing before you schedule.

A consultation doesn't automatically turn into a treatment plan.

“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 came to Dr. Boelk after a significant neck injury.

Dr. Boelk reviewed his MRI but would not treat him because the fracture hadn't healed. He also recommended getting another neurosurgical opinion.

That's a good example of why the evaluation comes first.

22+ Years Focused on Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression 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 suffered an L5 compression fracture at age 16 and later dealt with disc injuries and sciatica himself. Staying active with surfing, hockey and exercise has remained important to him.

Trying to Stay Active With a Herniated Disc?

Don't let the MRI scare you into stopping everything.

But don't ignore a problem that's clearly getting worse either.

Bring your MRI in and let Dr. Boelk look at it.

Tell him what you want to get back to doing. Tell him what happens when you try. Tell him where the symptoms go and what you've already tried.

Then find out whether he believes Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression makes sense.

No-Charge Consultation With Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC

Bring your MRI if you have one.

Dr. Boelk will personally review the case, compare the imaging with your symptoms and tell you whether he believes you're a candidate.

No charge. No obligation. And not everyone is accepted for treatment.

Because Dr. Boelk performs these consultations himself while continuing to treat his existing patients, only a limited number can be accommodated each week.

Call 619-298-0800 and ask about the next available No-Charge Consultation.

Live 24/7 Answering Service • Hablamos Español

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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