Clinical Study:

Patient:  48 year-old male.

History:  Patient came in with complaints of severe low back pain shooting down the back of the left leg and foot.  He appeared very distraught and in severe pain as he was unable to sit, walked with crutches with a bent left knee, and had intermittent bouts of nausea. He rated his pain at 10/10VAS.

Orthopedic:  Severe restriction of lumbar and left lower extremity range of motion.  Orthopedic tests indicative an L5-S1 disc lesion on left.

Neurological:  Initial neurological examination revealed numbness/tingling with decreased sensation to light touch in the left L5 and S1 dermatomal distribution.  Patient had weakness in lifting his left foot up.

Radiology: (MRI Lumbar Spine)

L5-S1:  There was disc degeneration and a 12mm herniated disc on the left, compressing the left S1 nerve root.

Treatment:  Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression protocol (few weeks) which included:  spinal decompression, cryotherapy, rehabilitation, nutritional supplementation, and a pneumatic lumbo-sacral stabilization brace.  Treatments were provided 4 times per week.

Results:  At discharge, muscle strength was graded 5/5 bilaterally in the lower extremities. Full ROM was restored in the lumbar spine and lower extremities. The patient’s pain level was reduced to 0.  Patient returned to work full time and resumed all daily activates without pain.