Chiropractic interns at the Whole Health Center in Lombard now have a new tool to help patients suffering from back and neck pain in place of opioids or surgery.

The state-of-the-art decompression table (pictured right), currently on loan from HillDT Solutions, uses load sensor technology that measures and monitors treatment force and patient resistance. These measurements allow for more consistent results and can help patients respond better to chiropractic treatment. In addition to back and neck pain, the table can treat sciatica, pain in the legs caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, and neuropathy, pain in the hands or feet caused by nerve damage.

“During the opioid epidemic, more patients are searching for alternative treatments like chiropractic medicine as a first-line of care for their pain symptoms,” said Theodore Johnson, Jr., DC, DABCI, NUHS dean of clinics. “With the technology of the decompression table, interns are able to treat more patients in a non-invasive, cost-effective way.”

Last month, Jeff VanderWal, HillDT Solutions president, and Tim Burkhart, DC, BCIM, Hill DT Solutions medical director, provided training sessions allowing interns to eventually receive certification in spinal decompression after passing an exam. Meanwhile, interns at NUHS Whole Health Center in Florida have been using the decompression table to treat patients since 2016.

“After the popularity and success of the decompression table in Florida, we were pleased to bring this technology and advanced training to interns in Illinois so their patients can experience the same positive results,” VanderWal said.

HillDT Solutions plans to hold additional training sessions for students in the coming trimesters. National University’s Postgraduate Department also provides chiropractic continuing education (CE) credits for license renewal for HillDT courses. To see if an upcoming class is licensed for CE in your state, contact Candi Vanderwal, HillDT global marketing and events coordinator, at [email protected].