If a disc is pressing on a nerve, you feel it in your back and down your leg, and it does not just sort itself out. Spinal decompression gently takes the pressure off so the disc has room to draw back in. For the right case, it is the most powerful tool I have outside the adjustment, no surgery and no pills. One unhurried visit tells you whether it fits your case.
37 years in practice, over 10,000 patients. Thursday is afternoons only, 3:00 to 6:00 pm.
Non-surgical spinal decompression on the AccuSpina table in Mission Viejo.
The first visit
What is included in my consultation?
The first visit is the full show-and-tell, $90, all in one appointment. By the end of it I can show you on your own scan and your own films whether decompression is the right tool for you, or whether something else is.
✓A back-pain exam with me, Dr. Foudy, not an associate
✓The surface EMG, a muscle and nerve check that works like an EKG for your nervous system
✓Digital X-rays to find the issue, taken in-house the same visit
✓A Report of Findings where I show you what is going on and whether decompression can help
Why decompression instead of medication, injections, or surgery?
Medication and injections have their place. They can quiet a flare-up and get you through a rough week, and sometimes that is exactly what a patient needs. What they do not do is change the disc and nerve pressure that is causing the trouble in the first place. Decompression takes the other route: ease the pressure off the disc, give it room, and let the structure settle. When the cause changes, the symptom tends to follow.
Surgery is sometimes the right call, and I will say so plainly when it is. But for most disc patients it is the thing you turn to after non-surgical care, not before. Decompression is built to be one of the things you try first. The AccuSpina is an FDA-cleared Class II device with a patented oscillation, and laboratory and imaging studies suggest that gently separating the bones lowers the pressure inside the disc so it can draw in fluid and nutrients. That is how it is designed to work; whether it fits your case is what the first visit tells us.
“It is a measured plan, not a magic machine. The right candidate, an honest exam, and the work that holds it.”Dr. Michael Foudy, D.C.
A patient set up for a decompression cycle on the AccuSpina table.
Who this helps most
Conditions decompression helps
The patients I help most with this table are disc cases. If your story is on this list, it is worth coming in to find out whether decompression fits, because the only honest way to know is the exam.
Herniated, bulging, or prolapsed discs
Sciatica, the pain that shoots down into the buttock and leg
Degenerative disc disease and decreased disc space
37 years in practice, over 10,000 patients, and the chiropractor for the U.S. Women's Olympic and World Cup Soccer teams from 1996 to 2004. He runs every decompression case personally, from the exam to the Report of Findings.
Melanie L. Foudy, M.S., IMS, CES, PES
Integrative Corrective Exercise Specialist. On the back half of the decompression program she goes over your stretches, posture, and movement habits so the correction holds after the table work is done.
Where we are
On Marguerite Parkway, just off the 5.
Foudy Chiropractic, 28892 Marguerite Pkwy #150, Mission Viejo, CA 92692. We serve Lake Forest, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, and Ladera Ranch. Call Call (949) 365-0403 and Carmen will get you on the schedule.
Good questions, asked often
Questions patients ask about spinal decompression
Yes. Foudy Chiropractic at 28892 Marguerite Pkwy #150 in Mission Viejo runs the AccuSpina spinal decompression program. Dr. Michael Foudy, D.C. has been in practice 37 years and has treated over 10,000 patients. Call (949) 365-0403.
A computer-controlled table applies a precise traction force that gently separates two specific vertebrae just enough to take pressure off the disc and the nerve. The AccuSpina adds a patented oscillation, like a gentle pump, at maximum load. Laboratory and imaging studies suggest that gently separating the bones lowers the pressure inside the disc so it can draw in fluid and nutrients. That is how the table is designed to work, not a promise of any one result.
They do different jobs. Medication and injections have a place, and they can quiet the symptom for a while. Decompression works on the disc and nerve pressure itself, which is the cause. Dr. Foudy will tell you honestly whether your case is one where working on the cause makes sense.
Often, yes. Surgery is sometimes the right call (progressive weakness, cauda equina, failed conservative care), but for most disc patients it is the option you turn to after non-surgical care, not before. Decompression is purpose-built to try first.
The show-and-tell consultation is $90 and includes the exam with Dr. Foudy, the postural exam, the surface EMG muscle and nerve check, and digital X-rays, all in one visit. You leave knowing whether decompression can help your case.
We are transparent about it upfront. A single AccuSpina decompression session is about $160, and the standard program is $3,000 for 20 visits. That is the standard; your exact plan is set after your exam, built from your own X-rays and reviewed with you at the Report of Findings. The chiropractic adjustment is $90 with every modality included. Most insurance does not cover non-surgical decompression, so most patients pay cash, and Carmen can verify your coverage when you call.
No. The pull is gradual and computer-controlled, and the session is painless. Most patients find it relaxing, and some fall asleep on the table.
Yes. Patients come from Lake Forest, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, and Ladera Ranch. The office is on Marguerite Parkway, just off the 5.
One visit. You will know if decompression can help you.
The show-and-tell consultation is $90 and includes the exam, the surface EMG, and the X-rays. You will see your own scan and your own films, and you will leave with a straight answer about whether decompression is the right tool for you.
