Question
I was in an accident a few months ago (January 09)a side swipe accident and after a few days I started feeling excruciating pain in my lower back, I was diagnosed with bulging discs, Can this condition be as a result of this accident? Or is it possible that I had the condition before with no symptoms? Also can Spinal Decompression be the right aid for my bulging disc problem?

Answer
Dear Stacy,

Both situations are possible here...the disc bulges could have been there before the crash and made worse (symptomatic), or they could have been caused by the crash.  There is really no way to opine on this without a previous imaging study without disc bulges.

However, on a brighter note, being in a sideswipe type of crash is actually preferred to a frontal, rear, or direct side impact crash due to the fact that there is less energy transfer into the vehicle, and this means less energy transfer into your body = less injury.

Now, if you did have a direct side impact, then throw that out the window.  Side impacts are responsible for higher amounts of low back injuries than front or rear impacts.

Irregardless, decompression is a good therapy to explore.  I really like the technology, but I do not like some of the slick marketing campaigns and high costs.  So make sure that you seek out the care of a professional who know how to utilize the machines well, and is not charging you $5,000-$6,000 dollars for just a decompression program.  If that includes physical rehabilitation as well and all diagnostic care, exams, etc... then okay, but if you are just getting straight decompression you should not pay more than $3,000.  If you can find a clinic who has been trained through the Kennedy Decompression technique, this would be the best.  

Check them out at www.KennedyTechnique.com
Hope this helps Stacy...Good Luck.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net