Herniated Disc Treatment in Mission Viejo, CA — Non-Surgical
A gentler alternative to medication or surgery — decompression with oscillation at maximum load.
Herniated and bulging discs are treated non-surgically at Foudy Chiropractic in Mission Viejo using AccuSpina spinal decompression, which applies controlled negative pressure to the disc with oscillation at maximum load — so the disc is worked while it is decompressed. Dr. Foudy compared the two leading decompression tables in person before choosing the AccuSpina for the research behind it and that patented oscillation. Courses typically run six to eight weeks, followed by a progress exam and a maintenance schedule.
What it feels like
If several of these sound like you, they are worth measuring rather than guessing at.
- Deep, localized back pain that radiates into a limb
- Numbness, tingling, or burning along a specific path
- Weakness in a leg, foot, arm, or grip
- Pain that spikes with coughing, sneezing, or straining
- An MRI or X-ray that already named a herniation, bulge, or degeneration
- A surgical recommendation you would rather avoid
| Relief | Correction | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Quiet the symptom | Address the cause |
| Typical length | A few visits | A course of care, then maintenance |
| What is included | Adjustment and modalities | Adjustment, modalities, and corrective exercise |
| Re-testing | Not usually | Progress exam against your own baseline |
| Likelihood it returns | Higher | Lower, if the exercise work is done |
What this means for you: both are legitimate choices, and Dr. Foudy will not push you toward the longer one. You just make the choice knowing which one you picked, and what it does and does not buy you.
Why this table
Dr. Foudy flew to Florida, put the two top decompression tables side by side, and chose the AccuSpina. Two reasons: the published research behind it, and one patented detail — oscillation at maximum load. Most tables simply pull. This one pulls and moves, so the disc is actively worked at the point of greatest decompression.
His old budget table earned a nickname he still uses: the pickup truck Toyota. He does not buy pickup trucks anymore. In his words: “We bought the most expensive machine because it gets the best results.”
Who it is for
The usual candidates: disc herniations, disc bulges, sciatica, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and chronic low back pain with degeneration. It is also effective for the numbness and tingling that come with nerve compression.
Whether you are a candidate is determined by the exam and imaging, not by a phone call. If decompression is not the right tool for your case, you will be told that.
What the course looks like
A structured course of prepaid visits over six to eight weeks, with your adjustment bundled at a reduced rate for the duration. At the end, a progress exam — real re-testing, not a conversation — and then a maintenance schedule, the way braces hand off to a retainer.
Around the two-thirds mark, Melanie's corrective exercise work begins, so the correction has something holding it in place when the course ends.
In summary: herniated & bulging discs at Foudy Chiropractic
- What it is. A gentler alternative to medication or surgery — decompression with oscillation at maximum load.
- How it is found. Surface EMG reads nerve-root function level by level, digital X-rays show the structure, and palpation validates both — so the cause is measured rather than guessed at.
- How it is treated. Chiropractic adjustment, the open-floor modalities, and where discs are involved, AccuSpina spinal decompression. Corrective exercise follows so the correction holds.
- What it costs. An adjustment visit is $90 with every modality included. Decompression plans are quoted in person after your exam.
- Where. Foudy Chiropractic, 28892 Marguerite Pkwy #150, Mission Viejo, CA 92692 — (949) 365-0403.
Herniated & Bulging Discs — questions people ask
Is spinal decompression a substitute for surgery?
It is a non-surgical option that many patients try first. Whether it is appropriate for your case depends on your imaging and your exam. Dr. Foudy will refer you to a surgeon if that is genuinely where you belong.
Does it hurt?
No. Most patients describe it as a slow, comfortable stretch. Some fall asleep on the table.
How much does a decompression plan cost?
Decompression plans are personal, so they are discussed in person after your exam rather than quoted from a website. Your adjustment is bundled at a reduced rate for the duration of the plan. Call (949) 365-0403 and Carmen can walk you through it.
What happens after the course ends?
A progress exam re-measures what changed, and then you move to a maintenance schedule. Corrective exercise with Melanie starts before the course finishes so there is no gap.
Can decompression help spinal stenosis?
It is one of the conditions the AccuSpina protocol is used for, along with degenerative disc disease, bulging discs, herniated discs, and sciatica.
Other things this office sees every week
Sciatica
Pain running from the low back into the buttock and down the leg. Dr. Foudy hears this almost every day — and can almost always help.
Read more →Lower Back Pain
The most common reason people walk through this door — and the one Dr. Foudy says he can almost always help.
Read more →Neck Pain
“Every time I turn my neck a certain way, I get this shooting pain into my shoulder blades.” He hears it constantly.
Read more →Headaches & Migraines
“I'm getting these headaches that are kind of all over my head.” Many of them start at the top of the neck.
Read more →Numbness & Tingling
Where you feel it is rarely where it starts. The scan finds where it starts.
Read more →Forward Head Posture
The posture your desk gave you — measurable, and correctable.
Read more →Sports Injuries & Performance
The chiropractor behind a gold medal team. What the athletes got is what you get.
Read more →Whiplash & Auto Injury
Symptoms often arrive days after the collision. The exam finds what the adrenaline hid.
Read more →Scoliosis
A curve that is measured, tracked, and worked on — not just watched.
Read more →Shoulder & Hip Pain
Almost every joint in the body can be adjusted — not just the spine.
Read more →Pregnancy & Prenatal Care
Gentle care for the back and pelvic pain that pregnancy brings with it.
Read more →Get an answer, not a guess.
One visit tells you whether herniated & bulging discs is something this office can help with. You will see your own scan and your own X-rays before any plan is proposed.