Decompression therapy is a type of spinal traction therapy that can help relieve pain in the back, neck, legs, and arms. It works by stretching the spine and manipulating its position in order to take pressure off nerves and spinal discs. It is designed to provide static, intermittent, and cycling distraction forces to relieve pressures on structures that may cause pain.
During treatment a harness is placed around the hips and is attached to the lower table near the feet, and the lower part of the table, to which the patient is harnessed, slides back and forth to provide the traction and relaxation.