Vertebral Axial Decompression

[flerc]

http://www.spinemedical.com/vax-dtreatment.htm

[titaniumed]

I did a few sessions on this machine back in 2007 before my surgeries. My sciatica had kicked in one more time, and I figured I would try it. I have to say that it did work, but it sure was painful. Its computerized traction.
Ed

[flerc]

This seems to be different http://www.axiomworldwide.com/drx9000c.asp .. or not?

[rohrer01]

Are you suggesting these as conservative treatments for scoliosis?

[flerc]

Depending what we thinks that it means. If we think that it means a solution for every case, it seems that such kind of solution not exists, conservative or of other kind. Specially I f we define the problem as ‘having an abnormal spine’ instead of ‘having a curve spine’.
If we believe that a treatment is not only some kind of solution, but a combination trying to reduce the abnormality of the spine, yes I may say it could be seen as a part of one conservative method.

[titaniumed]

Both are traction machines.....and we all know that traction is not a new therapy.

They told me that it wasn’t recommended for scolis and it was not covered by insurance.

It was a series of 50# pulls and releases for approx 25 minutes laying down on a table. I had better luck with a vertical traction machine walking on a treadmill. Again, this for a short period of time.....(30 minutes) along with Chiro.

It would be interesting to do the vertical traction walking device for a much longer period of time.... Maybe 8 hours per day.

Pull apart and exercise at the same time....

Ed

[titaniumed]

If we had some sort of flexible brace that extended the spine, that would be an interesting concept. Push up under the armpits and also down on the pelvis while allowing the patient to move freely.

This would be the cats meow.

Ed

[rohrer01]

Both are traction machines.....and we all know that traction is not a new therapy.

They told me that it wasn’t recommended for scolis and it was not covered by insurance.

Ed

That's funny, because they had me in cervical traction 2X daily for a couple of years, then as "needed" after that. This was prescribed specifically by the spine orthos at Phoenix Children Hospital. I think they were grasping at straws trying to figure out how to reach that high and tight curve. In conclusion, it had no effect, not even on neck pain. It was quite the contraption, though! I got to take mine home and keep it. Unfortunately I don't have it any more or else maybe I could sell it on e-bay or something as a medical relic. LOL

[flerc]

I don't know so much about Cyriax, but is used in some non surgical clinics. Which is the difference of his axial vertebral traccion and 'common' traccion, I don't know but it seems that DRX9000 (I confused it with Vadx) follw that principles. They says that is impossible to do the same manually and I know that 2 patients that proved before qualified manual methods says that nothing achive such level of traccion and pain reduction.
Of course, traccion is not new, external forces (as braces) are not new, exercices are not new.. non surgical treatments are not new.. and also surgical treatments are not new. We should to analyze not only general concepts, but also the way they are used.

[titaniumed]

There is a big difference in cost between a cervical device that they give to you, and a machine that costs 150K. These machines have to get paid for quickly and so charge that much more for the investment. Imagine the cost of laying in a 5 million dollar MRI machine, it’s a hefty fee. Can the insurance company justify payment for something that essentially could be done with a rope, pulley and weight?

Yes Flerc, VAX-D has or claims that they have a “non-linear” pull and release cycle that is of great benefit. I wonder how they come up with this theory? Hmmm.....

Since I had 4 herniated lumbar discs years ago, and had them for about 6 years, my choices were actually quite limited being in maximum pain. I knew I needed surgery bad, but these attempts were the last ditch efforts I made in pain control. When you have tried just about everything and quality of life is in the gutter, the scales tip pretty quickly and surgery truly is needed. The machine pulled my spine apart just enough so the disc material could retract to let the nerves calm down for awhile. When sciatica starts cycling back and forth, on and off, for a few years, with large scoli curves, it becomes fruitless, its a losing battle.

Please remember that my example is for the 48 year old with 4 lumbar herniations in a 70 degree lumbar curve. I have no idea how these machines would work on someone younger with smaller curves. If anyone has had an insurance company pay for services using one of these machines, that would be of some interest.

I have always liked traction because it seems to make sense and have had positive “pain reducing” results from different traction devices.
Ed

[flerc]

Yes, Ed I also believe that traction must to be something good, at least when is used in a right way, althouht it could be insufficient in much cases. One of the women using the machine has scoliosis (I don’t know how many degrees) and hernia discs and seems to be enough free of pain.. of course in other cases may not be enough, even some methods in some cases may be better. I knew a man that although not having scoliosis, had as he said me a big pain because an hernia disc until he began to do some kind of abdominal exercises.. it seems to be all a mystery.. at least for me.

[loves to skate]

I wasted $5000.00 for this treatment and only got minimal pain reduction for maybe three months time doing many stretching, strengthing exercises after the treatments. It might help more for people with a herniated disc or two, but not for someone with DDD.
Sally

[jrnyc]

Ed, that tx you went thru sounds like...well, "ouch" comes to mind...

i think i am now approaching somewhere close to your curve degrees...
possibly approaching your degree of pain prior to surgery....i don't know.....
sounds like you suffered an awful lot before you had surgery....
pain is such an....individual thing..
but i do know mine is becoming harder and harder to alleviate at all....

i don't know about traction...but if someone lifts me up under my arms, and holds me
like that for a minute, my pain reduces a bit...
somehow, i don't think that is a permanent solution...
might make for an amusing sight, tho

jess