Compare Treatments

Effective | Non-Surgical | Narcotic Free

You Have Options

At Olympic Spine & Sports Therapy, we give our patients options. There are several avenues of treatment that can be explored, and we will be here every step of the way to ensure you find the relief you’ve been searching for. Read about each treatment below to learn about their pros and cons.
Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression
Pros

  • Very High Success Rate
  • Painless—many patients fall asleep during treatment
  • Drug free
  • Very Safe: Virtually impossible to end up worse than where you started
  • 1/10th the cost of most surgeries
  • Can help with many conditions that other treatments, such as surgery, chiropractic and physical rehabilitation, can’t help with

Cons

  • A very small percentage of patients see no difference after treatment, but they don’t end up any worse off
Surgery
Pros

  • Some patients experience permanent pain relief

Cons

  • Risky: Surgery is truly a last resort as there is a chance you could end up worse off afterwards
  • Low Success Rate: Many procedures have less than a 50% success rate
  • Painful and Long recovery time
  • Very Expensive
Pain Pills
Pros

  • Immediate pain relief

Cons

  • Not a Lasting Solution: It is similar to taking a pain killer to deal with a tooth ache caused by a cavity, no amount of pills will fix the cause of your pain (the injured or degenerated disc)
  • Without the pain, you are more likely to re-injure yourself
  • According to WebMD, 16,500 people die and 103,000 people are hospitalized each year because of NSAID-related problems
Nerve Blocks
Pros

  • Immediate pain relief

Cons

  • Gives only temporary relief
  • Not a Lasting Solution: It is similar to taking a pain killer to deal with a tooth ache caused by a cavity, no amount of pills will fix the cause of your pain (the injured or degenerated disc)
  • Without the pain, you are more likely to re-injure yourself
  • Very expensive
Physical Rehabilitation
Pros

  • Can sometimes provide permanent pain relief
  • Low Risk

Cons

  • Low success rate with chronic and lingering conditions
  • Treatment can take months, if not years
Traction
Pros

  • Some patients experience relief

Cons

  • Rarely Effective: The body naturally resists having the spine pulled on by tensing up. The act of tensing up the muscles typically keeps the disc from being stretched which is what is truly needed for the disc to heal
  • In some cases the battle between the body and the traction pull can make conditions worse
Bed Rest
Pros

  • Sometimes works

Cons

  • Puts your life on hold for months at a time
  • Can make your condition worse due to muscles becoming weaker due to lack of use. Weak back muscles make it more likely for you to re-injure yourself
Do Nothing or Wait it Out
Pros

  • Sometimes works

Cons

  • Puts your life on hold for months at a time
  • Can make your condition worse due to muscles becoming weaker due to lack of use. Weak back muscles make it more likely for you to re-injure yourself

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression

Pros

  • Very High Success Rate
  • Painless—many patients fall asleep during treatment
  • Narcotic free
  • Very Safe: Virtually impossible to end up worse than where you started
  • 1/10th the cost of most surgeries
  • Can help with many conditions that other treatments, such as surgery, chiropractic and physical rehabilitation, can’t help with

Cons

  • A very small percentage of patients see no difference after treatment, but they don’t end up any worse off

Surgery

Pros

  • Some patients experience permanent pain relief

Cons

  • Risky: Surgery is truly a last resort as there is a chance you could end up worse off afterwards
  • Low Success Rate: Many procedures have less than a 50% success rate
  • Painful and Long recovery time
  • Very Expensive

Pain Pills: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

These drugs include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen (e.g., Advil and Aleve)

Pros

  • Immediate pain relief
Cons

  • Not a Lasting Solution: It is similar to taking a pain killer to deal with a tooth ache caused by a cavity, no amount of pills will fix the cause of your pain (the injured or degenerated disc)
  • Without the pain, you are more likely to re-injure yourself
  • According to WebMD, 16,500 people die and 103,000 people are hospitalized each year because of NSAID-related problems

Nerve Blocks/Spinal Injection

Pros

  • Immediate pain relief
Cons

  • Gives only temporary relief
  • Not a Lasting Solution: It is similar to taking a pain killer to deal with a tooth ache caused by a cavity, no amount of pills will fix the cause of your pain (the injured or degenerated disc)
  • Without the pain, you are more likely to re-injure yourself
  • Very expensive

Physical Rehabilitation

Pros

  • Can sometimes provide permanent pain relief
  • Low Risk
Cons

  • Low success rate with chronic and lingering conditions
  • Treatment can take months, if not years

Traction

Pros

  • Some patients experience relief
Cons

  • Rarely Effective: The body naturally resists having the spine pulled on by tensing up. The act of tensing up the muscles typically keeps the disc from being stretched which is what is truly needed for the disc to heal
  • In some cases the battle between the body and the traction pull can make conditions worse

Bed Rest

Pros

  • Sometimes works
Cons

  • Puts your life on hold for months at a time
  • Can make your condition worse due to muscles becoming weaker due to lack of use. Weak back muscles make it more likely for you to re-injure yourself

Doing Nothing or Waiting it Out

Pros

  • Sometimes works
Cons

  • Puts your life on hold for months at a time
  • Can make your condition worse due to muscles becoming weaker due to lack of use. Weak back muscles make it more likely for you to re-injure yourself

*Please note that any medical information on this website should not be substituted for professional medical advice. Please consult with a health care professional.