[elroy1414]

#32532

What do you know about and what is your opinion on y-strap technique for the treatment of pain caused by foraminal stenosis (herniated disc and spurring)? See Youtube clip if necessary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm4-lbz0JVo

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#32534

The “Y strap” method looks to be a pulsed and heavy traction move to the cervical spine, distracting the head with a quick and ballistic traction pull by the practitioner through a harness attached to the head of the patient. I would not recommend this move as it could theoretically distract too far and cause injury such as a nerve or cord stretch or even a vascular injury. There are manual chiropractic moves performed by the hands only that can gently produce similar actions with much less force.

Dr. Corenman

[elroy1414]

#32535

Are any of those manual chiropractic moves you mention worth exploring for foraminal stenosis with spurring and a history of a herniated disc? If so, which ones?

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#32536

Gentile traction can be helpful for reducing the pressure on the nerve root temporarily but the effects are lost when the patient becomes upright again. Nonetheless, if you can get the root to “calm down”, the symptoms will improve. Remember that bone spurs don’t “go away” so these “Y strap” maneuvers will not change the course of the root compression. They are also dangerous to some individuals.

Dr. Corenman

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