Rehab: Wobble Chair for Low Back Pain and Disc Bulge in Zionsville

What is a Wobble Chair and why might it be incorporated into your care plan in Zionsville?

Many people live with lower back pain on a daily basis. So what are chiropractors in Zionsville doing to help?

When we take a look at some back pain statistics it's evident that lower back pain plagues our society today. About 80% of people will experience low back pain and discomfort at some point in their lives. Back pain is one of the worlds leading conditions that causes disability, inability to work, and affects our activities of daily living.

How can a condition that is so common continue to affect so many people?

Some of the main contributors to lower back discomfort and back pain, in general, include poor posture, not enough movement, gravity at work compressing the intervertebral disc while sitting, and poor lifting technique. For most people, Chiropractic adjustments and specific stretching can help alleviate the tightness, stiffness, and restricted mobility that usually accompanies lower back discomfort. When adjustments and stretching are not enough we add a therapy called the wobble chair.

Wobble Chair therapy is a commonly used treatment method to help address lower back pain, pinched nerves, disc problems (bulges and herniations), and tight muscles. The mechanism is very simple and works by gently stretching the vertebrae and muscles to relieve pressure in the low back and spine, as well as pump the intervertebral discs. With gentle stretching, we are able to help the muscles relax and open up more space for the nerves of the low back.

How Disc Injuries Happen

Disc injuries are common contributors to lower back pain. Over time if we do not have proper movement in the lower back our intervertebral discs will dehydrate due to gravity squeezing down on them. Discs do not have a blood supply and they rely on movement in order to rehydrate.

As an example, think of a sponge that is filled with water. If you press down on the sponge - water will leak out. If you take your hand off of the sponge, it is able to soak back up all the water that was released and return to its original form. The same concept applies to our intervertebral discs - when we are sitting all day and not moving our bodies, gravity is slowly compressing the discs of our low back and squeezing out some of that hydration. In order to help rehydrate the disc and keep it healthy, we need movement which helps pump water back into the disc and in turn, gives more space for the nerves that come out between the vertebrae.

The Wobble Chair

The wobble chair helps us accomplish two main goals - keeping our discs healthy and remolding our natural lumbar (lower back) curve. For more information about the lower back curve check out our blog Why Curves Matter.

Let's briefly take a look at some of the other benefits of using a wobble chair described by The Pettibon System, the inventor of this therapy.

• Warms up the spinal discs for spinal molding to reshape the spine more easily.
• Reduces stress in the low back & aids in the prevention & recuperation of injuries.
• Hydrates & re-inflates the lumbar discs & keeps them young, strong, & flexible
• Assists in the healing of disc bulges and tears
• Enhances oxygenation of blood & stimulates metabolism, which is necessary for the prevention of disease
• Helps circulate CSF (the fluid that nourishes the brain & spinal cord)
• Stretches Tight, Sore Muscles
• Warms up the spine for physical activities and after sitting for prolonged periods of time

One of the main aspects of care that we focus on in our office is spinal curve correction. By having proper alignment to our spinal curves, we often see an increase in spinal function and improvements in pain and dysfunction. The wobble chair is not for everyone and a proper exam is needed in order to determine if you are a good candidate for this therapy and what benefits we would expect to see with incorporating this modality into a care plan.

Tools for Care

There are many things to consider if you or a loved one has lower back discomfort or a disc herniation. Foundations Chiropractic proudly has these tools in the clinic for our patients to use and if doing this at home is something that interests you we can help you pick out the best device to help you attain your health goals.