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Frequently Asked Questions

What conditions does chiropractic care help?

Here are some of the most common conditions that chiropractic care can help.

  • Back Pain and Leg Pain
  • Neck Pain and Arm Pain
  • Headaches
  • Shoulder Pain
  • Work-Related Injuries
  • Personal Injuries
  • Automobile Accidents/Whiplash
  • Non-Surgical Disc Treatment
  • Sports-Related Injuries


We treat all of these conditions at Maine Chiropractic Health Clinic. Our sister company, Advanced Spine Care, treats the following conditions with non-surgical IDD Therapy.

  • Acute or chronic back pain
  • Bulging or Herniated discs
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Low back pain
  • Neck pain
  • Posterior facet syndrome
  • Sciatica

What is chiropractic care?

The main therapeutic procedure, among others performed by D.C.s is known as spinal manipulation, also called chiropractic adjustment.

The purpose of spinal manipulation is to restore joint mobility by manually applying a controlled force into joints that have become hypomobile due to tissue injury. Tissue injury can be caused by a single traumatic event, such as improperly lifting a heavy object, or through repetitive stresses, such as sitting in an awkward position with poor spinal posture for an extended period of time.

Although other practitioners may also administer minipulation, D.C.s are the most common providers of the treatment, delivering approximately 94 percent of spinal manipulations. This extensive experience, combined with the patient-centered focus of D.Cs, makes them the providers of choice for spinal manipulation.

Is chiropractic covered by health insurance?

Maine Chiropractic Health Clinic is a preferred health care provider with the following insurance companies.

  • Aetna US Healthcare
  • Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Maine
  • Cigna of Maine
  • HMO Maine
  • Harvard Pilgrim
  • Medicaid
  • Medicare
  • MedNet
  • One Health Plan
  • Triad Healthcare
  • Workers' Compensation
  • And Many Others

We honor most insurance plans and we also accept assignment for your claims.

What is IDD Therapy?

IDD Therapy - Intervertebral Differential Dynamics Therapy is a proven treatment for the relief of lower back pain. With an up to 86% success rate, thousands of patients have experienced dramatic pain relief and healing.

IDD Therapy is non-surgical, non-invasive, and typically does not involve pain medications. The treatment is not only safe and painless, but also comfortable and relaxing. The course of therapy includes approximately 20 treatment sessions and is completed in about 35 days. Each procedure is performed with a unique, patent pending physio-therapeutic device and is performed by a certified clinician, specializing in back pain care. The treatment sessions are brief, lasting approximately 30 minutes.

How does IDD Therapy work?

IDD Therapy can isolate each lumbar vertebrae (L1, L2, L3, L4 or L5) and distract the vertebrae surrounding an injured disc 5 to 7 millimeters. The 25 to 30 minute treatment provides static, intermittent, and cycling forces on structures that may be causing low back pain.

During treatment, intradiscal pressure is dropped from a positive 25 millimeters mercury to a negative 150 millimeters mercury. This negative pressure promotes the diffusion of water, oxygen, and nutrients into the vertebral disc area, thereby re-hydrating the degenerated disc. Repeated pressure differential promotes retraction of a herniated nucleus pulposus (the elastic core of the intervertebral disc).

The IDD Therapy treatment can reduce pressure on the vertebral joints, promote retraction of herniated discs, promote self healing and rehabilitation of damaged discs, thereby relieving low back pain.

Several sessions are required to achieve optimal results.

Who can benefit from IDD Therapy?

The following would be inclusion criteria for IDD Therapy: (1) Pain due to herniated and bulging lumbar discs that is more than four weeks old; (2) Recurrent pain from a failed back surgery that is more than six months old; (3) Persistent pain from degenerated discs not responding to four weeks of therapy; (4) Patients available for four weeks of treatment protocol; and (5) Patient at least 18 years of age.

These indications are ideal candidates for enrollment into the IDD Therapy program and have the potential of achieving quality outcomes in the treatment of their back pain: (1) Nerve Compression; (2) Lumbar Disorders; (3) Lumbar Strains; (4) Sciatic Neuralgia; (5) Herniated Discs; (6) Injury of the Lumbar Nerve Root; (7) Degenerative Discs; (8) Spinal Arthritis; (9) Low Back Pain w/ or w/o Sciatica; (10) Degenerative Joint Disease; (11) Myofascial Pain Syndrome; (12) Disuse Atrophy; (13) Lumbar Instability; (14) Acute Low Back Pain; and (15) Post-Surgical Low Back Pain.

Lastly, the SPINA System should be utilized with patients with low back pain, with or without radiculopathy who have failed conventional therapy (physiotherapy and chiropractic) and who are considering surgery. Surgery should only be considered following a reasonable trial of the Spina System IDD Therapy protocols.

Why should you consider IDD Therapy?

IDD Therapy is credible. It is the only treatment that was developed by a team of back specialists including neurosurgeons, orthopedists, physiatrists, osteopaths, chiropractors, neurologists, and physical therapists.

IDD Therapy is proven and effective. The procedure has been studied extensively over the past six years and has been clinically validated. Thousands of patients have been successfully treated with IDD Therapy.

IDD Therapy is non-surgical and non-invasive. The complications from surgery can be severe and may result in debilitating conditions. IDD Therapy is painless and involves no recovery time.

IDD Therapy is convenient. Treatment sessions last only 25 to 30 minutes. And because the procedure is non-invasive, most IDD Therapy patients can carry-on with normal daily activities. Additionally, patients can expect only minimal absence from work.

IDD Therapy is cost-effective. The cost of treatment is minimal compared to the cost of surgery. And, in most cases, financing is available for those without insurance or with less than comprehensive insurance. Several payment options are available and a monthly payment plan can be a much better financial decision than a 10% or 20% insurance co-payment on back surgery.

Is IDD Therapy treatment used after spinal surgery or contra-indicated?

IDD Therapy at some point following spinal surgery is NOT CONTRA-INDICATED. It has been used as a follow-up therapy for patients that continue to complain of post-surgical back pain. This "dual approach" seems to offer an advantage especially in those patients that have more than one level of herniation in which only the major segment was excised.

What conditions are contra-indicated for IDD Therapy?

Although IDD Therapy on The Accu-SPINA System is an inherently safe procedure that can be used, without complications, for a wide variety of anatomically dysfunctions of the lumbar spine, which are commonly associated with back pain, patients with the following conditions should not be treated with decompression therapy:

  • Severe Osteoporosis
  • Vertebral Fractures
  • Spondylolisthesis (Grade 2 or higher)
  • Spondylolysis
  • Unstable Post Surgical Conditions
  • Any kind of surgical hardware

What is the difference between The Accu-SPINA System and traction?

Traction disperses the energy of weights between the majority of spinal segments thus reducing the actual amount of pull necessary to create negative pressure. Following IDD Therapy protocol, the Accu-SPINA System isolates the specific problem disc by its unique air bladder system and angle of pull. Traction does not create high negative intradiscal pressure like the Accu-SPINA System. Distraction is done on a logarithmic rate eliminating a proprioceptor response commonly found in traction. The Accu-SPINA System also focuses on overcoming intrinsic muscle responses of the spine by relaxing the patient.

What medical practitioners apply this treatment?

Neurologists, neurosurgeons, orthopedists, orthopedic surgeons, rhuematologists, internists, family practitioners, chiropractors, and multidisciplinary practices all use our treatment. Hundreds of doctors throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, and South America are relieving back pain utilizing the Accu-SPINA System.

Is the Accu-SPINA System Cleared By The FDA?

Yes. The Accu-SPINA System is not only cleared to provide treatment for relief from pain and disability for those patients suffering with low back pain, but it is also cleared to provide treatment for relief from neck pain associated with herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and posterior facet syndrome. The Accu-SPINA System has received two FDA clearances as a Class II Medical Device: One is for providing decompression to the lower lumbar portion of the back and the other is for providing decompression to the cervical portion of the back.

The information contained here is not intended as a substitute for professional medical evaluation and management. It should be used only as a starting point for further research. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem.