More Information on DTS

DTS Decompression Traction Therapy is the Alternative to Surgery

This gentle, non-surgical state-of-the-art therapy can provide low back pain relief, neck pain relief and relief from the arm or leg pain that normally accompanies disc problems. DTS also can give relief from sciatica pain, degenerative disc pain, facet pain, stenosis, and many other back problems.

You owe it to yourself to learn more about DTS Decompression Traction System therapy, so please Contact Us today toll free at 1-800 GOChiro or 1-800 462-4476 to request Dr. Millar's FREE report on "What You need to know about DTS Decompression Traction System" OR set up a FREE consultation appointment so that Dr. Millar or the Doctors at Millar Chiropractic Clinic will determine if DTS Decompression Traction Therapy is right for you. The Call is Free, the report is Free, and the Consultation is Free. All you have to lose is your pain. 

What is DTS Decompression Traction Therapy?

DTS Spinal Decompression Therapy is a leading non-surgical alternative for disc related syndromes of the lumbar and cervical spine in the United States. DTS Therapy uses simple, yet sophisticated equipment manufactured by the leading rehabilitation equipment manufacturer in the US, The Chattanooga Group. Chattanooga’s Titron ® DTS Decompressive Traction System is the most popular decompression system with over 1,200 installations worldwide. With literally over 100,000 patients treated and over 1,000,000 traction treatments in the USA, DTS Therapy is the proven Gold Standard in spinal decompression.  

If you have lower back pain, a pinched nerve, sciatica, neck pain, or a variety of symptoms related to damaged or degenerative discs, this gentle, non-surgical therapy can provide lower back pain relief, sciatica pain relief, and is a state-of-the-art therapy for neck pain relief, bulging or degenerative disc disease, and lumbar pain.

The Doctors at Millar Chiropractic Clinic were among the first in Alabama to have Decompression Traction. Fourteen years ago we started with Vax-D equipment. Today we use DTS Decompression Traction System in all our clinics. Dr Millar is fond of saying "any doctor can go and purchase a table, BUT do they have the "know-how" that comes with years of using decompression traction on thousands of patients".  At Millar Chiropractic Clinic we have done Decompression Traction Therapy on over +3500 of your friends and neighbors with over 50,000 traction treatments to date. That's "know-how". That's knowing "how much to pull" and "what level to pull" to get you the most benefit for your condition. Clinical advances in traction therapy have given new hope to millions suffering from the debilitating pain of damaged or degenerative discs and pinched nerves. Just Maybe DTS Decompression Traction Therapy can be your solution too.

Your Comfort is One of Our Top Priorities

A patient’s comfort is one of our top priorities, and we want their visits to be enjoyable and successful. Treatments are short in duration, most completed in under an hour, and administered while you’re fully clothed.  Most patients undergoing this treatment report improvements and a reduction in their pain after only a few sessions. DTS Therapy gently stretches the spine, relieving pressure from the discs, joints and muscular tissues, while enhancing the body’s natural healing process.

The gentle distraction forces of the DTS Decompression Therapy creates decompression, the unloading due to distraction and proper positioning, to improve blood flow and important nutrient exchange to the injured area. This helps provide lower back pain relief, sciatica pain relief, neck pain relief, and can aid in alleviating the pain of a pinched nerve.

Your comfort and safety are of primary importance during DTS Spinal Decompression Therapy. Therefore, unlike any other decompression device, you have several positioning options. With our equipment, many conditions can be treated face up (supine) or face down (prone).  Only if you’re 100% comfortable will you be able to achieve the ultimate objective of complete rehabilitation of your discs and spine. During DTS Therapy, you’ll experience several cycles of stretch and relaxation, which gently graduates to a peak over a period of several minutes.

Therapy Session

Therapy sessions typically last less than 20 minutes and most patients feel pain relief with as few as 10-12 treatments however some take as many as 25 treatments. It is important to remember however, that pain subsiding does not infer that your discs and spine are healed, so it’s critical that patients stick with and complete the treatment protocol prescribed by their Millar Chiropractor in order to achieve the full value of DTS Decompression Therapy.

DTS Spinal Decompression Therapy is a pain-free alternative that has shown a very high rate of success* at reducing or even eliminating back and neck pain. If you suffer from chronic, debilitating, low back or neck pain, you owe it to yourself to call our office today to make an appointment to see if you’re a candidate for DTS Spinal Decompression Therapy.

Our office is dedicated to offering the latest, state-of-the-art therapies for lower back pain, sciatica pain relief, pinched nerve, neck pain relief, and bulging or degenerative disc diseases. We believe DTS Spinal Decompression Therapy to be the most advanced, non-surgical and pain-free alternative.

* Our experience after +5000 Decompression Traction patients, places the the success rate of DTS Decompression Traction in the 75% range. From our experience, we have a little better success with the lumbar spine and a little less success with the cervical spine. Others out there in their marketing materials are claiming greater success percentages. We at Millar Chiropractic Clinic have just never found that to be true. So what does the actual research say.  Are there medical studies that document the effectiveness of Spinal Decompression-Traction Therapy?
Yes, many studies.  In one study (documented by MRI) done by EL. EYERMAN, MD documented in the Journal of Neuroimaging, June 1998, found up to 90% reduction of disc herniations in 10 of 14 cases and other studies reported that the majority of ruptured disc patients achieved "good" to "excellent" results after spinal decompression-traction therapy. So indeed Spinal Decompression has success rates comparable to surgery without the surgery.

Phases of DTS Decompression Traction Therapy

DTS Therapy is your answer for non-surgical relief of lower back pain, sciatica pain relief, pinched nerve, lower back pain relief, neck pain relief, and more. Please Contact Us to learn all that DTS Therapy can offer you.

• Phase I: Treatment
• Phase II: Stabilization of Structure
• Phase III: Support of Muscular System

PHASE I: The Treatment Begins

DTS Decompression Therapy is performed on a specially designed table in either a face up or face down position. Clinical consideration and your comfort are used in deciding which position will be best for you. We may begin in one position but in later sessions it may be necessary to change positions. You will remain fully dressed during the treatment though we recommend wearing loose fitting clothes, and removal of you belt and objects from your pockets.

You will be comfortably positioned on the table and fitted with a wrap-around harness. This restrain is what allows the unloading of the spine and discs by the traction motor. Your position on the table, the harness, and angle of the gentle distraction allows for accurate and focused treatment to the affected disc. Once comfortable on the DTS, the computer controlled traction device is programmed to deliver a gentle stretching force to the spinal vertebra. This force is delivered directly to the harness system. The DTS system applies the gentle force then releases it approximately every minute throughout the session. The total treatment time is usually less than 18 minutes and often just 10 minutes initially. Most patients report simply feeling a subtle and gentle stretching at their lower back or around their hips. Since DTS Therapy is a comfort-based procedure, patients usually report a sense of relief and relaxation during the session. Many patients even fall to sleep.

Imbibing the Discs

The gentle stretching and relaxing of the spine fosters a phenomenon called “imbibition”. In the simplest of terms, this is the way a normal disc gets nutrition. This pumping action promotes nutrition intake into the discs, something often lost in damaged and degenerative disc conditions. In health discs, imbibition occurs naturally with daily motions and body positions and accounts for the increase of disc thickness in the morning and decrease at night. A disc with poor imbibtion, fewer nutrients and hydration, is more likely to become injured and painful. Stretching or tractioning the spine in a controlled, comfortable manner can help re-establish a more normal imbibition. This can re-supply the disc with nutrients and blood contact that help the disc heal from the inside out. Also the dramatic decrease of pressure n the disc (decompression) can foster the drawing in of a bulge and help take pressure off a “pinched” spinal nerve.

Re-establish Structural Support

Although most patients report dramatic reduction of their pain within as few as five treatments, an injured spinal disc needs time to heal. This is why we urge you to be regular with your prescribed treatments and office visits. Research shows to completely heal some discs a regular program of home exercises, prescribed by your doctor will need to be followed. Spinal disc structures can take months to heal. Even though your pain may be gone, you must stay on the treatment plan in order to keep your spine healthy.

As you become more mobile and more able to return to your normal lifestyle, your increased activity is what your spine needs most. Now you will be imbibing the discs naturally, like people their healthy discs. Movement is life, and your spine depends on the muscle activity to support your spine, and create fluid movement to and from the discs.

PHASE II: Stabilization of Structure

Pain Is Under Control: Rehabilitate the Structures Supporting the Disc.Most patients feel significant pain reduction in as few as five DTS Therapy treatments. That however does not mean the healing process is complete, or that your pain won’t return.

During Phase II of your DTS Therapy treatments, our office will prescribe a series of rehabilitative measures in order to more fully heal your discs, and keep the pain from returning. Most low back pain suffers have two compounding problems that have contributed to their disc injury and limited their natural healing abilities.

A program of focused rehabilitative exercise, with Biofeedback, may begin during or after your DTS Therapy course of treatment. Our rehabilitation program involves several clinically effective yet simple, pain-free activities including Biofeedback. Biofeedback allows you to monitor and control spinal motion and re-claim proper spinal movement patterns.

Strengthening the muscles that support the spine and regaining endurance in them, is also vital for spinal health.

All the body systems must work in concert for optimum health so nutritional and lifestyle advice may be given as well as an at-home exercise program. We can’t over emphasize the importance of the at-home exercises. What you do at home is integral to the overall success we have. Studies show consistent stabilization and endurance exercises control back pain and reduce injury. At what point you start the exercise program is a function of your pain and overall progress based on our findings.

PHASE III: Support of Muscular System

During Phase III, we’ll structure an in-office and home-based exercise program that will help to bring your spine back to full health. This exercise program may include in-office resistance training, at home Stabilizer exerciser and resistance training and other “core” exercises.

Regular and consistent home based exercise is one of the keys to long-term relief. We have found through experience the simple home-based exercises we prescribe are most effective. Introduction to the low tech movement exercises you can do to speed the healing process are one of the most important parts of the DTS Therapy System.

Frequently Asked Questions of DTS Spinal Decompression Therapy

Q. Will DTS Therapy treatments hurt? Is it safe?

A. DTS Therapy treatments are one of the most gentle and comfortable therapies available. The treatments utilize equipment with proven safety and efficacy. Most patients report a mild sense of stretch on their back or hips, and often fall asleep during treatment sessions. The DTS System is produced by the world’s largest manufacturer of hospital based rehabilitation equipment, with over 58 years of experience.

Q. Is DTS Therapy new?

A. Although traction therapy has been around for thousands of years, Decompressive Traction is relatively new. Advances in equipment and procedures have dramatically improved effectiveness. DTS Therapy is the most comprehensive program available, allowing the safe delivery of this previously hospital based therapy in our office. Continual improvements in the delivery system and regular updates in protocol keep the DTS in the forefront of non-invasive disc therapy. Each year over 50,000 patients are treated with DTS Therapy and that number is growing.

Q. Why is DTS Therapy more successful than other treatment options?

A. DTS Therapy is a comprehensive program of the newest traction techniques and targeted “core” stabilization exercises with Biofeedback. In addition, we use other adjunctive treatments that have proven effectiveness in back care. It is this multi-faceted approach that makes the overall treatment so effective. Additionally, discs have been shown to be a predominate site of pain, so treating it as directly as possible makes sense. The blending of focused traction to the site, rehabilitation to the supporting structures, and overall strengthening of global musculature makes the treatment unique. DTS Therapy affects the disc as directly as possible without surgery.

Q. Why the need for exercises and other therapies?

A. Along with the damage in the disc we also need to treat the supporting spinal muscles. A complete program targeting the function of the stabilization muscles is a vital part of DTS Therapy. Heat, muscle stimulation, Ultrasound, Diathermy, and cold laser therapy can offer an additional benefit for inflammation and spasm reduction. Our hope is not only to help heal the disc but enhance muscle control and support of the low back. A gradual breakdown of the foundational support of your back is what puts undue stresses on the discs and leads to pain and loss of function. Exercise and adjunctive therapies will assist in rehabilitating these structures.

Q. Are there conditions where Spinal Decompression Therapy is not indicated?

A.  Spinal decompression-traction therapy is not recommended for pregnant women, patients who have severe osteoporosis, severe obesity or severe nerve damage.

Spinal surgery with instrumentation (screws, metal plates or “cages”) is also contraindicated.  Spinal decompression-traction therapy can be performed after bone fusion or non-fusion surgery. If you have these condition talk to Dr Millar about Disc Pump procedures which are save over most of these prior surgeries.

Q. Will my pain go away for good?

A. Although it is difficult to predict the future, our experience is that most patients do find long-term relief or effective management of their pain when they complete the entire program of treatments. Regular home exercise and periodic visits to our clinic will help in maintaining your spinal health and reduce the probability of re-occurrence. As with any comprehensive rehabilitation program your continued home care exercises and discretion in some daily activities is key to long-term relief.

Q. How much will it cost?

A. Our office visits vary as to the extent of care needed, (DTS Therapy, adjustments, cold laser therapy, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, massage, diathermy, etc.). However, we promise to only do those procedures necessary for your fullest recovery. You always have the choice as to the extent of care. Before we start, our staff will review all costs, payment options and insurance coverage up front. We want to help, and believe finances shouldn’t stand in the way of you and good health.

Q. Can DTS Therapy help my pain?

A. Though each patient is different and no doctor can guarantee success, the clinical results of this type of therapy have been effective in about 75% of patients treated. Common problems too many back conditions are damaged discs and poor spinal muscle control. Our treatment program addresses both of these core problems. The DTS System creates a controlled unloading of the vertebra to decrease disc pressure thus increasing blood and nutrient exchange. This exchange of fluids is something the damaged disc desperately needs to help it heal from the inside out. Muscle strength, control and endurance can all be improved with other facets of DTS Therapy that include specific controlled exercises.

Q. How long will my treatment program be?

A. It depends on the complexity and extent of the rehabilitation needed; however, we typically treat 3 times a week for 6 weeks, transitioning from passive to active treatments as you respond. The treatment is administered over a reasonable time frame and your response is continually evaluated. Further treatments may be necessary or a reduced frequency may be recommended at that time. The rehabilitative phase may include additional DTS Therapy treatments, with spinal adjustments to enhance the results. Most patients are release from treatments after 9 weeks.