"Beyond Decompression Therapy" Comes To Narberth

Once again, technology advances, making a brand new course of action -- Beyond Decompression Therapy (BDT) available. Narberth Chiropractic Center now offers a true, non-invasive, tractionbased procedure that can be directed to a patient’s precise condition. The new procedure uses a special, gentle form of traction that provides a wider range of treatment and can be used to target:

• • Acute inflammation (sudden, severe pain)*
• • Chronic (ongoing) mild to moderate pain*
• • Chronic moderate to severe pain that may radiate down the arms or legs*
• • Multi-level herniations
• • Arthritic pain, stenosis, degenerative disc disease, pain that begins upon waking but                             lessens during the day*
•                          • Carpal tunnel syndrome * Condition can be disc-related

In addition, this new technology can help people who experience pain with movement. It can result in movement with less pain – and in some cases, movement without pain for years.

The procedure includes traction with follow-up exercises that a patient will practice in the office and continue to do at home. By strengthening and stabilizing the problem area in a short and time, it is possible to completely correct it. Dr. W. is able to make the treatment completely comfortable by addressing a patient’s specific problem and adjusting his or her position on the table accordingly. Some patients have even fallen asleep.

Bob M., an early patient on the new machine, described his experience with the device: “I travel a lot for my job, and that means lugging bags and equipment. For over a month, I had this continuing pain that stayed in one spot in my back, about the size of a quarter. My regular doctor sent me away for xrays and they found nothing. I asked for a referral to Dr. W., and this just happened to coincide with the delivery of the decompression machine.”

“At first,” he remembered, “it made me nervous to be pulled in two directions by a machine, but soon I got used to it. Eventually, I came to like the sensation of stretching. It was like when I was a kid and hung from a tree branch. Dr. W. combined this decompression ‘rack’ with some kind of electrical stimulation patch. I don’t understand it. But after a dozen or so treatments, that constant pain was gone, and it hasn’t returned.”

Dr. W. explained that BDT aims to relieve compression on spinal discs. “Compression increases pressure

between disks, which leads to back problems and pain. Since the disc has a low blood supply, it doesn’t receive fresh blood and oxygen with every beat of the heart. It requires motion to restore nutrients and enhance healing. A temporary reduction in pressure between discs can have a profound effect on the healing process,” Dr. W. said.

BDT was originally developed by a cardiologist in Canada; its effectiveness has been studied by two Texas neurosurgeons, Dr. Gustavos Ramos and Dr. William Martin. Dr. W. first learned of the therapy at a Chiropractic conference.

““Loss of local muscle control, abnormal postures, and alterations in spinal curves are the probable underlying source of most spinal problems,” Dr. W. said. “BDT is a form of gentle traction. The machine can be hooked up for the neck, lower back, or carpals, according to the problem, and a gentle pull is applied by a computerized machine.”


BDT is a non-invasive procedure that is applied to a fully-clothed patient. The therapy begins with a series of sessions (usually 12-20), typically 3 times per week and is approximately 15 minutes.

Following the session, electrical muscle stimulation and ultrasound is applied to help relax muscles and ligaments; then the patient is placed on a water massage table, where warm jets of water are propelled against the patient’s back from inside a waterproof mattress. This final part of the treatment – hydro-massage – is a special feature that is included as part of the therapy at the Narberth Chiropractic Center.

By relieving pressure on spinal discs and facet joints, BDT effectively enhances the healing process and, in an impressive number of people, renders quick, amazing pain relief,” Dr. W. said.

Dr. W. gives the patient a set of exercises designed to help the patient gain control of and strengthen certain muscles that are responsible for stabilization. “The therapy only works if the patient is willing to adhere to keeping regular appointments – so the treatments can be evenly spaced – and then does the exercises faithfully. But if a person is willing to do his or her part, he or she can usually expect to achieve a stable healing. This therapy enables most patients to return to a more active lifestyle.”

Meanwhile, Bob M. is back on the Amtrak lugging his suitcases and equipment after his time on “the rack.”