Back and neck care
Spinal decompression therapy in Scarborough
Reviewed by Maryam Ahankoob, Registered Physiotherapist and clinic lead. Updated October 2026.
Physio Cottage offers non-surgical spinal decompression for back and neck pain linked to disc problems. Gentle motorized traction slowly stretches the spine to take pressure off the discs and nearby nerves, as part of a physiotherapy plan built around your assessment. Direct insurance billing is available where your plan allows. We are at Victoria Park and Ellesmere in Scarborough.
Fees and pricing
Spinal decompression and traction prices in Scarborough
Spinal decompression and traction are part of physiotherapy care at Physio Cottage and are billed as physiotherapy visits: $115 for the initial assessment and $105 for each follow-up. Your physiotherapist assesses your back or neck first to decide whether traction suits your condition, and it is usually combined with exercise and hands-on treatment. Because it is billed as physiotherapy, it normally falls under the physiotherapy coverage in your extended health plan.
Initial physiotherapy assessment
$115
First visit: assessment and treatment plan
- Full history and movement assessment
- The problem explained in plain language
- Treatment plan agreed together
- Home exercise program
Physiotherapy follow-up visit
$105
Per treatment session
- Hands-on treatment
- Exercise progression
- Progress re-checked each visit
- Receipt for your insurer
All prices in Canadian dollars. Your fee is confirmed when you book.
The treatment
What non-surgical spinal decompression is
Non-surgical spinal decompression is a form of motorized traction used for back and neck pain. You lie on a treatment table while the unit gently stretches the spine in slow cycles. The stretch changes the force and position of the vertebrae and takes pressure off the spinal discs, the gel-like cushions between the bones of your spine.
Stretching the spine this way lowers the pressure inside the disc. With lower pressure, a bulging or herniated disc may draw back from the nerves it presses on, and water, oxygen and nutrient-rich fluid can move back into the disc tissue. For many people this means less pain and easier movement while the disc settles.
At Physio Cottage, decompression is never the whole plan. Your physiotherapist assesses you first, decides whether traction is suitable and combines it with hands-on treatment, exercise and advice on sitting, lifting and sleeping so the gains last.
Decompression is used as part of care for
- Back or neck pain with or without sciatica, the pain, weakness or tingling that runs down the leg
- Bulging or herniated discs
- Degenerative disc disease
- Worn spinal joints, known as posterior facet syndrome
- Irritated spinal nerve roots
Your physiotherapist confirms at the assessment whether decompression is suitable for you. Some conditions rule it out; see the candidate section further down the page.
Why patients choose us
Spinal decompression at Physio Cottage
Assessment first
No one goes on the table without an assessment. We review your history, your imaging if you have it and how you move before recommending traction.
Registered physiotherapists
Treatment is provided under the lead of Maryam Ahankoob, registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario.
A complete back pain plan
Decompression sits alongside manual therapy, exercise and posture advice so that you are not relying on the table alone.
Several services under one roof
Physiotherapy, chiropractic care, massage therapy and acupuncture are available at the same clinic when your plan calls for them.
Direct billing
We bill most extended health plans directly where the plan allows and give you receipts for the rest.
Easy to reach in Scarborough
The clinic is at Victoria Park and Ellesmere with easy parking, open Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm.
Who it helps
Who is a good candidate for spinal decompression, and who is not
Spinal decompression is a useful tool for a specific group of back and neck problems. It is not a treatment for all back pain, and we will not recommend it if your assessment points elsewhere. Candidates are chosen after a physiotherapy or chiropractic examination, not from a menu.
Decompression may help if you have
- A disc bulge or herniation confirmed by imaging or strongly suggested by your examination.
- Sciatica: pain, tingling or numbness travelling from the low back into the buttock and leg.
- Nerve pain into the arm from the neck, with or without a diagnosed cervical disc problem.
- Degenerative disc disease with pain that is worse with sitting, bending or loading.
- Facet joint irritation or spinal stenosis symptoms that ease when the spine is unloaded.
- Back or neck pain that has not responded to exercise and manual therapy alone.
Decompression is not used when you have
- A spinal fracture, a tumour or an infection in the spine.
- Severe osteoporosis.
- Spinal surgery with hardware such as rods, screws or a fusion at the level to be treated.
- Pregnancy.
- Rapidly worsening weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control or numbness in the groin: these need emergency medical care, not traction.
- Certain vascular conditions or an abdominal aneurysm; we screen for these at the first visit.
Your session
What a spinal decompression session is like
1. Assessment first
A full examination of your spine, nerves and movement, review of any imaging you have, and screening for the conditions listed above. If decompression is appropriate we set the treatment parameters for your spine and your symptoms.
2. Positioning
You lie on the traction table, fully clothed, on your back or front depending on the condition. A harness is fitted around the pelvis for the low back, or a cervical device for the neck, so the pull is applied exactly where it is needed.
3. The decompression cycle
The table applies a gentle, computer controlled pull and release in cycles, slowly stretching the spine and then easing off. Most patients describe it as a comfortable stretch, and some fall asleep. A session lasts about 15 to 25 minutes.
4. Treatment around the table
Decompression rarely works alone. The same visit usually includes manual therapy, electrotherapy or acupuncture for pain, and a short exercise program for the muscles that protect the spine.
5. The course
A typical course is two to three sessions a week for several weeks, then reassessment. Many patients notice change within the first few sessions; we review honestly at the two week mark and adjust or stop if it is not helping.
6. Keeping the gain
Core and hip strength, posture and lifting habits, and a sensible walking program are what keep a disc problem settled after the course ends. These are built into your plan from the first week.
How it fits
Decompression as part of a complete back pain plan
Patients in Scarborough often arrive asking for decompression because a friend found it helpful or because they are trying to avoid surgery. We understand that, and we are candid: decompression works best as one part of a plan built by a physiotherapist or chiropractor who has examined you. At Physio Cottage that plan can include manual therapy, spinal decompression, acupuncture, registered massage therapy and chiropractic adjustment, all in one clinic, coordinated on one chart. The goal is not just less pain on the table; it is being able to sit through a work day, lift your children and walk without leg symptoms.
If your back pain is caused by muscle strain, joint stiffness or deconditioning rather than a disc or nerve problem, decompression is unlikely to add much, and we will say so and treat the actual cause. If your symptoms suggest something that needs imaging or a surgical opinion, we will write to your doctor and explain why.
Decompression compared with other options
- Manual traction: similar principle, applied by hand for shorter periods. Useful for the neck and for testing whether traction eases your symptoms before committing to a course.
- Inversion tables at home: apply a crude, uncontrolled pull and are unsafe for some conditions. Not a substitute for assessed treatment.
- Epidural injections: a medical option for nerve pain, arranged through your doctor. Decompression and exercise can be used alongside or afterwards.
- Surgery: appropriate for a minority of disc problems with significant or progressive nerve involvement. Most disc related pain settles with conservative care, which is what we provide.
Conditions
Back and neck conditions treated with decompression at our clinic
Lumbar disc herniation and sciatica
The most common reason patients book decompression. Leg pain and tingling that eases as the disc is unloaded, combined with nerve gliding and core exercise.
Cervical disc problems and arm pain
Neck pain with pain, tingling or weakness into the shoulder, arm or hand. Gentle cervical traction with postural and strength work.
Degenerative disc disease
Chronic low back pain that is worse with sitting and loading. Decompression for relief, exercise for long term management.
Spinal stenosis
Leg pain and heaviness with walking that eases when you sit or lean forward. Traction and flexion based exercise can increase walking tolerance in suitable patients.
Facet joint syndrome
Back pain that is worse with arching and twisting. Decompression unloads the joints while mobilization and exercise restore movement.
Posterior disc bulges with posture related pain
Desk based patients with back pain and early nerve symptoms, where unloading plus workstation changes often resolves the problem before it progresses.
How spinal decompression works
During decompression you lie on a motorized table with a harness at the hips or neck. The table applies a slow, controlled pull, then eases off, in repeating cycles. The aim is to gently separate the vertebrae, which is thought to lower pressure inside the disc, sometimes described as creating negative pressure, reduce load on irritated nerves and give the area room to settle. It is not the same as an inversion table or a quick chiropractic adjustment.
Decompression is used for herniated and bulging discs, sciatica and arm pain from an irritated nerve root, degenerative disc changes and some cases of spinal stenosis. It is most useful as part of a plan with exercise and posture work, and every patient is assessed first.
Practical questions
Questions about spinal decompression in Scarborough
Does spinal decompression hurt?
It should not. The pull is gradual and controlled, and most patients find it relieving. If you feel pain during a session the therapist adjusts the force immediately; you also hold a safety switch that stops the table at any time.
How many sessions will I need?
Courses commonly run two to three times a week for four to six weeks, but your plan is set after assessment and reviewed every two weeks. If you are not improving, we change course rather than continue.
Is spinal decompression covered by insurance?
It is provided within a physiotherapy or chiropractic treatment, so it is billed under that benefit of your extended health plan, and we direct bill. It is also included in approved WSIB and motor vehicle accident treatment plans where appropriate.
Do I need an MRI before starting?
Not always. A thorough examination can identify disc and nerve involvement. If your findings suggest imaging is needed, or you already have an MRI or x-ray report, we review it and adjust the plan.
Can I return to work or exercise after a session?
Most patients return to normal activities the same day. We suggest avoiding heavy lifting and prolonged sitting immediately after a session, and a short walk is encouraged.
Is it the same as chiropractic adjustment?
No. Adjustment is a quick movement to restore joint motion; decompression is slow, sustained traction to unload discs and nerves. Our chiropractor and physiotherapists use each where it fits, sometimes in the same plan. Chiropractic care.
Book an assessment
Find out whether decompression is right for your back or neck.
Start with a physiotherapy or chiropractic assessment at Victoria Park and Ellesmere. If decompression fits, we begin the same week.
- Assessment first, decompression only when it fits
- Direct billing to most extended health plans, WSIB and auto insurers
- 2231 Victoria Park Ave, Unit #5, Scarborough, ON M1R 1V8
- Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm
- On-site parking, minutes from the 401 and DVP
Your imaging report
Understanding the words on your MRI or x-ray report
Many patients arrive with a report full of alarming language and no explanation. The terms below come up constantly in our Scarborough clinic, and most of them are far less frightening than they sound. Imaging findings are common in people with no pain at all, so what matters is whether a finding matches your symptoms and your examination.
Disc bulge
The disc has spread slightly beyond its normal edge, usually across a broad area. Very common with age and often painless. Treated with exercise and, where symptoms match, decompression.
Disc herniation or protrusion
The inner material of the disc pushes through the outer wall, which can press on a nerve and cause leg or arm pain. Most herniations shrink over months, and decompression plus exercise can help symptoms in the meantime.
Degenerative disc disease
Not a disease. It describes normal age related changes: discs lose height and water. Nearly everyone over forty has some. It can contribute to pain but is rarely the whole story.
Spinal stenosis
Narrowing of the canal the spinal cord or nerves pass through, from disc, bone or ligament changes. Symptoms are typically leg pain with walking that eases when sitting. Flexion based exercise and unloading often increase walking tolerance.
Nerve root impingement
Pressure on a nerve where it leaves the spine, which produces pain, tingling or weakness in a specific pattern down the limb. This is the finding decompression is most directly aimed at.
Facet arthropathy
Arthritis in the small joints at the back of the spine. Pain with arching and twisting, stiffness in the morning. Mobilization, decompression and strength work all have a role.
Bring your report and we will go through it with you line by line. What we treat is you, not the picture; a plan is built on your examination, your symptoms and your goals, with the imaging as one input.
Daily life
Living with a disc problem while it settles: sitting, sleeping and lifting
- Sitting: discs are loaded most when you sit slumped. Use a chair with lumbar support or a small rolled towel, keep hips slightly above knees, and stand or walk for a minute every 30 minutes. In the car, adjust the seat so you are not reaching for the wheel.
- Sleeping: on your back with a pillow under the knees, or on your side with a pillow between them. A mattress that is too soft lets the spine sag. Getting out of bed by rolling to the side and pushing up with the arms avoids the painful sit up.
- Lifting: keep the load close, bend at the hips and knees, avoid twisting while loaded, and split heavy loads. If something must be lifted and you are in a flare, ask for help; one bad lift can set recovery back weeks.
- Walking: the best medicine for most disc problems. Short, frequent walks that stay below your symptom threshold, built up gradually.
- Flare ups: they happen during recovery. Reduce load for a day or two, keep moving gently, use the positions that ease symptoms and return to your program as the flare settles. Call us if a flare brings new leg weakness or numbness.
Exercise after decompression
Decompression unloads the disc; exercise is what keeps it unloaded. Your program typically starts with gentle movements that ease your symptoms, often extension for a posterior disc problem or flexion for stenosis, then progresses to deep core activation, hip strength and controlled lifting patterns. Within a few weeks most patients are walking daily and doing a ten minute routine at home. By the end of the course the goal is a back that tolerates sitting, lifting and the activities you want to return to, with a short maintenance routine you can keep for life.
Our physiotherapists and chiropractor coordinate this program alongside the decompression sessions so nothing is left to chance.
Why Physio Cottage
Spinal decompression in Scarborough at Victoria Park and Ellesmere
Physio Cottage has offered non surgical spinal decompression as part of physiotherapy and chiropractic care since 2017, serving patients from across Scarborough, North York, East York and Markham. The clinic is deliberately conservative about who is treated: decompression is prescribed after an examination, with clear criteria and a review point, never sold as a package. Because physiotherapy, chiropractic care, registered massage therapy and acupuncture are provided under one roof and one chart, decompression is always surrounded by the manual therapy, exercise and education that make its effect last. Direct billing to most extended health plans, WSIB and auto insurers, evening and Saturday hours, on-site parking and easy access from Highway 401 and the Don Valley Parkway make it practical to complete a course. Patients tell us the two things they valued most were a clear explanation of what was actually wrong, and a plan that gave them a way to manage it themselves afterwards.
More answers
Further questions about spinal decompression therapy
How is decompression different from an inversion table?
Decompression tables apply a measured, cycled pull to a specific spinal level with the muscles relaxed; inversion applies an uncontrolled pull through the whole spine and is unsafe for people with high blood pressure, glaucoma and some heart conditions. They are not equivalent.
Can decompression make a disc herniation worse?
When patients are screened properly and the force is set appropriately, it is well tolerated. We start conservatively and progress based on your response. If symptoms worsen, treatment stops and the plan is reassessed.
Will I feel results after one session?
Some patients do, particularly with leg or arm symptoms. For most, improvement builds over the first several sessions. We review at two weeks and are honest if the response is poor.
How long does a course take in total?
Typically four to six weeks at two or three sessions per week, followed by a home program. Some patients benefit from occasional sessions during flares afterwards.
Can I have decompression if I have had back surgery?
It depends on the surgery. Discectomy without fusion is often fine after healing; fusion or hardware at the treatment level usually rules it out. Bring your surgical report.
Is cervical decompression safe for the neck?
Yes, when screened and set up correctly. The forces used for the neck are much lower than for the low back, and the position is adjusted for comfort. We screen for vascular and ligament concerns first.
What should I wear?
Comfortable clothing without a thick belt or buckle. You stay dressed for the session.
Can I drive myself home?
Yes. Most patients feel looser and more comfortable afterwards. We suggest a short walk and avoiding heavy lifting for the rest of the day.
Related reading: What causes lower back pain physiotherapy treats · Physiotherapy for sciatica · Chiropractic care.
Glossary
Spine terms explained in plain language
Intervertebral disc
The cushion between each pair of spinal bones, with a tough outer ring and a soft inner core. It absorbs load and allows movement.
Nerve root
The nerve as it leaves the spine between two vertebrae. Pressure here causes pain, tingling or weakness along the nerve’s path into the arm or leg.
Sciatica
Pain travelling from the low back down the leg along the sciatic nerve, most often from a disc problem or stenosis. A description of symptoms, not a diagnosis in itself.
Radiculopathy
The medical term for nerve root irritation producing pain, altered sensation or weakness in the limb.
Traction
A pulling force applied along the spine to separate the vertebrae slightly and unload discs and nerves. Decompression is a controlled, cycled form of traction.
Negative intradiscal pressure
The reduction in pressure inside the disc during decompression, thought to help draw bulging material inward and improve fluid exchange.
Centralization
When leg or arm symptoms move back toward the spine during treatment or exercise. A good sign that the approach is working.
Red flags
Symptoms that need urgent medical assessment: loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin, progressive weakness, fever or unexplained weight loss with back pain.
Conservative care
Non surgical treatment: physiotherapy, chiropractic care, decompression, exercise and education. The first line for most disc problems.
Serving back and neck pain patients across Scarborough and east Toronto
Physio Cottage is at Victoria Park and Ellesmere, with on-site parking at the door for patients who find walking from a lot painful, and bus stops on Victoria Park and Lawrence Ave E. We see patients with disc and nerve problems from Wexford, Agincourt, Parkwoods, Don Mills, East York, North York, Markham and Pickering, many of them referred by friends or family who were treated here. Evening and Saturday hours allow a two or three times a week course without missing work. Bring your imaging reports, a list of medications and a note of what makes your symptoms better or worse, and we build the plan from there.
A typical course
What a decompression course looks like in practice
Here is a typical example of the kind of case we treat every week, with details changed. A man in his fifties who drives for a living develops low back pain that, over several weeks, starts travelling down his right leg to the calf, with tingling in the foot. Sitting makes it worse; walking helps for a while. His doctor orders an MRI that shows a disc herniation at the lowest lumbar level pressing on a nerve root, and suggests conservative treatment before considering an injection or a surgical opinion. He books an assessment with us. The examination confirms that the leg symptoms match the imaging, there are no red flags, and his symptoms ease when the spine is unloaded, which makes him a reasonable candidate. We explain the plan, the review point and the home program, and begin that week.
For the first three weeks he attends three times a week: a decompression session of about twenty minutes, followed by manual therapy, electrotherapy for pain and a few gentle extension and nerve gliding exercises. By the end of week two the tingling in the foot has gone and the leg pain has moved up toward the buttock, a sign we look for. Weeks three to six reduce to twice weekly, with the exercise program growing to include deep core activation, hip strengthening and practice of the lifting and sitting habits his job demands. He adjusts his seat, takes a short walk at every stop and uses a lumbar roll. At the six week review his leg pain is gone, his back pain is occasional and manageable, and he is sleeping through the night. He is discharged with a ten minute daily routine and returns twice over the following year for short courses during flares. Not every disc responds this way, and we tell patients at the two week mark if the response is poor; but this is the typical shape of a successful course.
Before you book, have these ready
- Your MRI, CT or x-ray reports if you have them, and any specialist letters.
- A description of where the pain travels and what makes it better or worse.
- Your medication list and any conditions such as osteoporosis or previous spinal surgery.
- Your extended health card, or your WSIB or auto insurance claim number if the injury relates to a claim.
From the blog
Guides about spinal decompression and traction from Physio Cottage
- How Can Physiotherapy Help a Herniated Disc?
- How Can Physiotherapy Help a Slipped Disc?
- What Causes Sciatica and How Physio Can Help
- What Causes Lower Back Pain and How Physiotherapy Treats It
Related services at the clinic: physiotherapy, chiropractic care and chronic pain.
Your wellness matters to us
Book a spinal decompression assessment online or call the clinic. We are at 2231 Victoria Park Ave, Unit #5, Scarborough, ON M1R 1V8, open Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm.
- Assessment before any traction
- Registered physiotherapist led care
- Direct billing where your plan allows
- Easy parking at Victoria Park and Ellesmere