Chiropractic care is a holistic exercise — what that means is that your chiropractor will take the unique factors of your condition into account, and generate a treatment plan based on your specific needs. As new technology and innovations are discovered chiropractors are able to provide improvements to existing techniques. This is particularly true when it comes to techniques like spinal adjustment and decompression.

One such piece of technology is called the Y-Strap, which is used in total spinal decompression. The Y-Strap especially focuses on decompression of the cervical spine vertebrae. Similar traction and decompression techniques have been available for quite some time, but as a product, the Y-Strap is somewhat unique. Here, we’ll discuss what the Y-Strap is and explain how traction & decompression products have the potential to help increase the standard of care for patients suffering from a variety of different conditions.

What Is the Y-Strap?

The Y-Strap gets its name both from its appearance and its function. Its appearance is obvious as the device looks like a Y. It’s function as a decompression tools works on the body’s “y-axis”. If you’ve received chiropractic care before chances are you’ve heard chiropractors talk about the “x-axis” and the “y-axis” of the body. These refer to directional pressure areas, and the “y-axis” specifically relates to the fact the gravity puts vertical stress on the length of your spine. Because the aim of the Y-Strap is to elongate the spine and decompress those vertical points, the name is appropriate.

How Does the Y-Strap Work?

When you enter your chiropractor’s office, you may notice that several of the instruments you see — or have used in your treatment — look very complex. Some chiropractors use mechanized instruments in certain parts of your treatment — others tend to use more manual devices. The Y-Strap is a tool for manual spinal decompression, and it really doesn’t look intimidating at all.

• The Y-Strap spinal decompression tool looks like a loop with a handle and another, detachable strap. The patient lays flat on their back and the practitioner puts the loop under their head at the occipital bone (the bony area at the back of your skull). The detachable strip is used when patients don’t have a pronounced occipital bone — as the loop may slip, so the chin strap may have to be used to secure the tool in a way that provides the best outcomes for the patient. This piece may also be used to make treatment more comfortable if patients have issues with temporomandibular jaw dysfunction (TMJ).
• Once the loop is slid under the patient’s head, the Y-Strap is tightened to the forehead. Your chiropractor will pull the handle gently with both hands, gradually increasing the force used to allow your spine to naturally decompress. The maximum pressure used will be about 30-40 lbs and the back of the strap is padded, so most patients find treatment with the Y-Strap to be very comfortable.
• By applying gradual force and taking physical and verbal feedback from the patient into account, we can use the Y-Strap to effectively stretch the spine, increase the gaps between vertebrae and reduce pressure on the spinal nerves. These changes can have a variety of benefits for people seeking relief from a number of different chronic and acute conditions. Like many chiropractic devices, even though the Y-Strap appears to be user-friendly to operate, it should only be used in treatment by a trained professional.

Similar Tools to the Y-Strap

Manual spinal decompression can be done in a variety of different ways, using true manual methods, which involve handwork done by a chiropractor, through the use of manual tools, like the Y-Strap and similar products, or by way of a variety of mechanized traction devices. The Y-Strap is not the only Y-Axis decompression tool of its kind, but most Y-Axis/Y-Strap type products are essentially the same. One of the benefits to this type of product is that they’re very small and versatile, and they can be paired with other treatments that accompany decompression without having to set up any additional equipment in the treatment area.

About Spinal Decompression

As mentioned, spinal decompression has a broad set of applications in the treatment space, for a few reasons. Primarily, the spine is one of the central parts of the human nervous system. The bones of the spinal cord, the muscles that operate around it, and the nerves within the structure are complex, meaning that dysfunction of the spine can have far-reaching effects on the overall physical condition of a patient.

Spinal issues vary widely and may involve the x-axis, the y-axis, or the z-axis, but based on the way gravity puts weight in a downward direction on the spine, the y-axis tends to be at a higher risk of complications.

Spinal decompression therapy is also called non-surgical decompression therapy because it’s a non-invasive alternative to surgical methods like laminectomy and microdiscectomy. In these surgeries, parts of the spine causing compressed nerves are removed, which leads to relief from chronic pain in some patients. The downsides are invasive surgery has the potential for complications, a long process of recovery, and the lack of instant relief.

How Does Spinal Decompression Therapy Work?

In spinal decompression, your chiropractor will gradually stretch out the spine, relieving any compressed nerves or bulging discs and opening up the nutrient channels that flow through the spine.

Different practitioners have different methods of carrying out spinal decompression for patients. Some prefer to use a basic manual method, wherein the chiropractor uses their hands to do the adjustment. This method can come with some limitations. Manual methods can also involve the use of axis-based tools like the Y-Strap to get added leverage and the optimal angle to effectively stretch the vertebrae and eliminate the tight spots that cause dysfunction of the spine.

Other treatment options include a variety of traction tables, inversion setups, and wearable traction devices that focus electromagnetic pulses on a specific region of the spine.

As a result, patients often experience a reduction in their pain levels, an increased range of motion, and the fact that spinal decompression is relatively risk-free means that it’s a great option to try with patients experiencing chronic issues, especially when they haven’t felt any change from “conventional medicine” treatments tried in the past. Patients often report renewed mobility following decompression therapy.

How Do Chiropractors Use Tools Like the Y-Strap to Get Positive Outcomes for Their Patients?

Understanding why chiropractors put so much emphasis on spinal decompression takes an introductory understanding of the spine itself. Humans have four spinal regions: the cervical spine, which runs through the neck to the skull, the thoracic spine through the larger area of the upper back, the lumbar that runs through the lower part of the back, and the sacral spine, covering the area ending at the tailbone, or coccyx.

Each of these regions involves a number of vertebrae, the sections of bone in the spine, and each of the vertebrae are separated from each other by discs, which are smaller sections of soft tissue that allow the spine to have flexibility.

Dysfunction comes from a number of different sources. Desk jobs force people to sit in unnatural positions for long hours nearly every day, which can easily lead to poor posture, putting pressure on the spine. The spinal cord is built to stand up to some level of pressure, but over time, gravity can cause issues with compression. Lifting heavy objects and hard labor can also cause misalignment and compressed, bulging, or herniated discs.

Conditions that result from high spinal pressure are referred to with terms including “bulging” disc — when a disc is pushed out of place by the vertebrae above and below. Sometimes, the disc gets punctured by this pressure, called a “herniated” or “slipped” disc. You’ll likely hear these words used interchangeably, referring to any neck or back pain caused by spinal cord dysfunction.

Spinal decompression therapy is most often used to treat pain in the back and neck. Often, pinched nerves in and around the spine are due to discs being squeezed, and stretching the spine out can fix these issues. Sometimes, nerve damage in the spine causes pain in other parts of the body, like the arms and legs. Spinal decompressions are also done as a preventative treatment, keeping the spine in a healthy condition to prevent chronic back and neck pain from having the chance to onset.

Your chiropractor may use the Y-Strap when your spinal issues involve the cervical spine specifically, but it can be an effective tool in providing decompression for other regions of the spine. The Y-Strap may be used with other adjustment tools and methods. For example, traction tables are often best for lumbar and thoracic spinal issues. Talk to your chiropractor about whether or not spinal decompression using the Y-Strap is right for you.