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BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
Published in: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 1/2010

Open Access 01-12-2010 | Research article

Restoration of disk height through non-surgical spinal decompression is associated with decreased discogenic low back pain: a retrospective cohort study

Authors: Christian C Apfel, Ozlem S Cakmakkaya, William Martin, Charlotte Richmond, Alex Macario, Elizabeth George, Maximilian Schaefer, Joseph V Pergolizzi

Published in: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders | Issue 1/2010

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Abstract

Background

Because previous studies have suggested that motorized non-surgical spinal decompression can reduce chronic low back pain (LBP) due to disc degeneration (discogenic low back pain) and disc herniation, it has accordingly been hypothesized that the reduction of pressure on affected discs will facilitate their regeneration. The goal of this study was to determine if changes in LBP, as measured on a verbal rating scale, before and after a 6-week treatment period with non-surgical spinal decompression, correlate with changes in lumbar disc height, as measured on computed tomography (CT) scans.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study of adults with chronic LBP attributed to disc herniation and/or discogenic LBP who underwent a 6-week treatment protocol of motorized non-surgical spinal decompression via the DRX9000 with CT scans before and after treatment. The main outcomes were changes in pain as measured on a verbal rating scale from 0 to 10 during a flexion-extension range of motion evaluation and changes in disc height as measured on CT scans. Paired t-test or linear regression was used as appropriate with p < 0.05 considered to be statistically significant.

Results

We identified 30 patients with lumbar disc herniation with an average age of 65 years, body mass index of 29 kg/m2, 21 females and 9 males, and an average duration of LBP of 12.5 weeks. During treatment, low back pain decreased from 6.2 (SD 2.2) to 1.6 (2.3, p < 0.001) and disc height increased from 7.5 (1.7) mm to 8.8 (1.7) mm (p < 0.001). Increase in disc height and reduction in pain were significantly correlated (r = 0.36, p = 0.044).

Conclusions

Non-surgical spinal decompression was associated with a reduction in pain and an increase in disc height. The correlation of these variables suggests that pain reduction may be mediated, at least in part, through a restoration of disc height. A randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm these promising results.

Clinical trial registration number

NCT00828880
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Restoration of disk height through non-surgical spinal decompression is associated with decreased discogenic low back pain: a retrospective cohort study
Authors
Christian C Apfel
Ozlem S Cakmakkaya
William Martin
Charlotte Richmond
Alex Macario
Elizabeth George
Maximilian Schaefer
Joseph V Pergolizzi
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders / Issue 1/2010
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2474
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-11-155

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