Spinal Decompression Program for Coral Springs, FL

Coral Springs disc patients are often younger than the program's average: the forty-five-year-old who lifted a kayak wrong at a tournament, the Sawgrass commuter whose desk-and-drive posture finally produced a bulge, and the parent rear-ended on University Drive with sciatica that will not settle. They have an MRI, they have tried physical therapy and medication, and they have been offered an injection or a surgical consult.

The Spinal Decompression Program on the Antalgic-Trac system is the option in between, twenty minutes east down Sample Road. Coral Springs patients come for the equipment on site, for a doctor who reads the MRI herself, and for the number of sessions and the cost in writing before starting. Sessions are grouped at the start or end of the day to fit around work and the school run. How decompression works, who is not a candidate, and how it compares to injections, below.

The Antalgic-Trac is not a traction table. Basic traction pulls in a straight line and the muscles fight it. The Antalgic-Trac is a multi-positional, computer-controlled system: the angle of pull is set to target the specific disc level, tension is precise and reproducible, and it cycles between distraction and relaxation so the paraspinal muscles do not guard against it. The photograph on the program page is the actual unit in this office.

Candidacy is decided by the exam and the imaging. Lumbar and cervical disc herniations and bulges, degenerative disc disease, sciatica from disc compression, foraminal stenosis and many post-surgical backs respond well. Fracture, severe osteoporosis, spinal instability, tumors, pregnancy and cauda equina symptoms are contraindications and are screened out. If you already have an MRI, bring it; it is the single most useful thing you can hand Dr. McNamara.

Habits that aggravate a disc, and what replaces them. Bending forward to lift, prolonged sitting, slumped driving posture and sleeping on the stomach all load the disc; so does a soft, deep couch. Patients leave with the swaps: hip-hinge lifting, standing breaks every 30 to 45 minutes, a lumbar roll in the car, side or back sleeping with the knees supported. For an L4-L5 or L5-S1 bulge these are not optional; they are what keeps the decompression result from unwinding on the drive home.

Twenty minutes, and the route could not be simpler: Sample Road east, through Coconut Creek and Pompano Beach, all the way to Federal Highway (US-1). Turn south; the office is a few blocks down, 3320 N. Federal Highway in Lighthouse Point, between Copans Road and Sample Road. The Sawgrass Expressway to I-95 south, then the Sample Road exit east, is the alternative when Sample is slow.

Does spinal decompression really work for a herniated disc?

For the right disc, yes. Herniations and bulges with leg or arm symptoms, degenerative disc disease and foraminal stenosis respond with less pain and better function over the program, because the disc is unloaded and the nerve root is relieved. Outcomes are best when the disc still has height and the patient is not a surgical emergency. The evaluation tells you which you are.

Can spinal decompression make a herniated disc worse?

When properly screened and dosed, it is a gentle, low-risk therapy. Soreness for a day after early sessions is common; worsening is rare and is why contraindications like instability and severe osteoporosis are screened out first. Dr. McNamara adjusts the tension and angle at each session based on how you respond.

Does spinal decompression hurt?

No. You lie on the table, are fitted with a harness, and the system applies gentle, cycling distraction for a set period. Most patients find it relaxing and some fall asleep. Mild soreness after the first sessions is normal and passes.

Is an L4-L5 disc bulge reversible?

Symptoms usually are, and the bulge itself often reduces. Decompression creates negative pressure inside the disc that draws protruded material back toward the center, and the body resorbs herniated material over months. The disc does not become new again, but a painful L4-L5 or L5-S1 bulge returning to a pain-free, fully functional back is the expected course for most patients.

How many times a week should you do spinal decompression?

Two or three sessions a week during the early phase, then tapered as the disc and the nerve settle. The total is set at the evaluation from your MRI and exam and adjusted to how you respond. Sessions are scheduled in blocks for patients driving in, and the count and cost are given in writing before you begin.

How do I get to the office from Coral Springs?

Sample Road east, one road with no turns, until you reach Federal Highway; then a few blocks south. About twenty minutes from University Drive. Parking is free in front of the building.