Spinal decompression vs traction and inversion tables
Short answer: they are cousins, not twins. Traction, inversion tables, and non-surgical spinal decompression all pull on the spine — but decompression on the DRX9000 does it in a targeted, computer-controlled way that older traction and a hang-upside-down table cannot. If you have ever thought “isn’t this just a $200 inversion table with a bigger price tag,” this page is the honest answer.
They all pull. That’s where the similarity ends.
Pulling the spine apart to take pressure off a disc is an old, sound idea. The problem with the old tools is not the idea — it’s the control. A basic traction machine applies a steady, generic pull. An inversion table uses your own body weight when you flip upside down. Neither one can aim, and neither can respond to your body while it works.
What the DRX9000 does that they can’t
- It targets a specific disc. The force curve is set to the level being treated, so the pull concentrates where your problem actually is.
- It’s computer-controlled and responsive. The table ramps the pull up and eases it off along a programmed curve, cycle after cycle.
- It gets past the guarding reflex. Pull on a spine too fast and the muscles clench to protect it — the exact reflex that limits an old traction table and an inversion table. The DRX9000 ramps past it so the distraction reaches the disc.
The “$200 inversion table” objection
It is a fair question. An inversion table can feel good and may give some people temporary relief, and if that is all you need, buy one. What it cannot do is aim the pull at the disc that is actually hurting, control the force so your muscles do not fight it, or do any of it under a clinician who has read your films and knows whether your spine should be pulled at all. You are not paying for a stronger stretch — you are paying for a targeted, supervised one, and for the screen that tells you whether stretching your spine is safe in the first place.
What our own data shows
Across 1,377 of our own patient charts (2005-2026), among patients who completed a full 12-to-24-session course on the DRX9000 and started with meaningful pain, 62% had a clinically meaningful reduction in pain at their final visit (95% CI 58-67%, n=426). Counting every patient who ever started a course as a failure, the worst-case floor is 34% (n=975). Those are outcomes from targeted, supervised decompression, not from a table you hang off of at home.
We won’t take your case unless we’re confident decompression can help you. Dr. Frye reads your films herself — an MRI is not required.
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Frequently asked questions
Is spinal decompression just traction? No — it’s the targeted, computer-controlled version of the same principle. Old traction applies a generic, steady pull; the DRX9000 aims the force at a specific disc and ramps it along a programmed curve.
Is spinal decompression better than an inversion table? For a specific disc problem, it does things an inversion table can’t: aim the pull, control the force so your muscles don’t fight it, and do it under a clinician who has screened your spine.
Is the DRX9000 FDA approved? No device in this category is “FDA approved.” The DRX9000 is FDA 510(k) cleared.
Related: The DRX9000 · Does spinal decompression work? · Results and methods · Home