Spinal Decompression Information
Orange County, CA
How to Choose a Spinal Decompression Center in Orange County, CA
Spinal Decompression using the DRX9000 is responsible for getting thousands of Orange County back pain and sciatica sufferers out of pain and back to their active lifestyles, quickly, safely and without acupuncture, chiropractic, drugs, shots, or surgery.
There is no shortage of spinal decompression facilities in Orange County, CA these days. The problem many back pain and sciatica sufferers face is which office to choose. Who will honestly evaluate me and tell me whether or not this will work for me? Who has the most experience? How much does it cost? Does insurance cover my treatment? Lastly, who can I trust?
First, who is a good candidate for spinal decompression?
Let’s face it, spinal decompression may be very successful, but it isn’t for everyone. So, right up front you need to know if you are a good prospect for this new procedure.
The only way to know is for you to be carefully evaluated by a doctor who specializes in spinal decompression therapy. If your doctor doesn’t specialize in this area, then they have no idea. And a good specialist worth his or her salt can’t honestly tell you unless he or she has actually examined you. So a specialized exam and a review of your x-rays and MRI films are crucial.
What kind of experience should a decompression doctor have?
Next, before you put your painful back into the hands of a doctor, you need to be certain he or she has the experience and training necessary to help you. They should be able to cite some form of certification or training that qualifies them to treat you. They must be well trained, but also have a lot of procedures under their belt. What’s more, they must have a lot of “successful” procedures under their belt.
But how would you know that? Can’t a doctor just make up statistics? Yes, they could. So you need to look at other sources of validation such as testimonials. Does the doctor have numerous testimonials specifically from successful spinal decompression cases? Another form of validation would be to look for books, articles, seminars, etc produced by the “expert.” Face it, on the internet there is a lot of hype–marketing. Look for someone who has posted lots of actual educational materials. It’s likely this person knows his or her stuff.
How much does it cost?
In today’s current economic climate, cost is a big factor. But is it the only factor? The most expensive programs are around $7,000. Are these programs better? Not necessarily. In fact the more expensive programs are being pushed by heavy marketing by persons with less training, less experience and less sophisticated equipment. These higher priced programs often include ancillary services that do not necessarily add more real life benefits, but do add cost to the program.
And what about the really cheap programs? These are oftentimes offices using very low tech methods and equipment and re-branding it as “spinal decompression.” Or they are offices that are using spinal decompression as a passing fancy to make a quick buck and are not wholly committed to providing this service. They may be around today, but what about tomorrow?
The bottom line on cost is, it should be a reasonable fee and it should be freely given to you on paper listing all the services and the cost of each service for you to review.
Does insurance cover my treatment?
This is intimately related to cost. Most decompression offices in Orange County, CA will tell you insurance does not cover at all or claim that it is covered very well even by Medicare. These are statements that clearly shade the truth.
Here’s the truth. A spinal decompression program includes the decompression itself, which is generally not covered by insurance since there really is no accurate insurance code for it yet. There are other services such as physical therapy modalities such as heat, ice, EMS, exercises, office visits, etc. that are included as part of a program that are a necessary and beneficial part of spinal decompression. These are typical services that ARE covered by most PPO insurance policies to varying degrees.
The amount your insurance will cover is all up to your individual insurance policy. If it has many limitations on physical medicine there is little an office can do to change that. For example, if you have an HMO (or a PPO that has very restrictive coverage for chiropractic; in essence the chiro coverage is HMO coverage, even though your medical is PPO) then you will have very little to no coverage unless your provider is an HMO provider. Good luck finding and HMO provider offering the latest medical technology like spinal decompression. That just doesn’t fit in with the cost cutting philosophy of managed care plans.
An important note about Medicare: 99% of decompression programs are delivered by DC’s (Chiropractors). Under Federal Medicare rules DC’s are only reimbursed for spinal manipulation (adjustments) and only at about $30 each. They will not pay for exams, x-rays, or therapy of any kind. So if an office says “Yes, Medicare covers our program…” run. It is quite likely they are engaging in monkey business to get paid.
Lastly, who can I trust?
You need to know who to trust. That’s a question for your gut to answer. Yep, the good ol’ gut check is probably your best tool to know who to use for this important medical procedure. Your gut tells you when something seems right. It will also tell you when something is wrong.
As with any complex medical procedure, you should check out the office, doctor and staff prior to engaging their services. You should feel comfortable there. After all, the average spinal decompression program is between 20-24 sessions. Since you will be spending so much time there you must feel comfortable.
Orange County, CA spinal decompression facilities are on the rise. The question is, which one to choose? For more information and more detailed answers to the questions raised in this post, go to How to Choose a Spinal Decompression Office in Orange County, CA
Posted by Dr Barry L. Marks, DC 
Posted by Dr Barry L. Marks, DC 
Posted by Dr Barry L. Marks, DC 
For many severe low back pain sufferers, DRX9000 Spinal Decompression Therapy is a Godsend. Without the risks of shots or surgery, and with results proven out over several years with thousands of satisfied patients, back pain sufferers who’s past treatments have failed have New Hope.
Orange County Chiropractor, Author and Back Pain Expert, Dr Barry Marks, DC invites you to attend his upcoming Free teleseminar, 
Back Extension:
It’s an excellent question really and one that often stumps doctors. The answer lies in the anatomy of the spine and disc in particular. Up until about 20 years ago doctors thought the discs and supporting ligaments of the spine had no nerve supply. We now know however that the outer layers of the disc called the annulus and the broad ligament that runs up and down the back of each spinal bone (posterior longitudinal ligament) are both supplied by the sinuvertebral nerve. This nerve carries pain impulses from these structures.
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