Back Trac and Shaper Rolls in Kennewick: What Segmental Decompression Does to Discs
The Spinal Fitness book by Eileen Durfee states that “after early adulthood, discs rely heavily on mechanical motion to circulate nutrients inward and remove metabolic waste outward,” and that “compression squeezes fluid out of the disc. Decompression draws fresh fluid back in.” The Back Trac roller and the Neck and Back Shaper rolls used in Spinal Fitness training at Spinal Fitness Health and Wellness Center in Kennewick, WA are the decompression tools of that system. With the pump working, the book states, “The disc stays hydrated. Nutrients reach the inner cells of the nucleus pulposus. Waste products are cleared.” Under sustained pressure, the book describes the opposite: the disc “sits under sustained pressure without the periodic relief that drives fluid exchange,” and over time loses hydration and height, and it states that “sitting reduces normal movement-based disc hydration and creates stiffness cycles.” Members hold 24/7 access through a door code once training is complete, and every Thursday from 2 to 6 PM the center is open to new visitors for a free session of its other services; evaluations and training are always booked.
How a curved fulcrum decompresses the segments
The book describes this work as segmental decompression and states that “spinal segments decompress and float as the roller contacts the lateral muscles, not the spinous processes.” Its course material states that body weight on a curved fulcrum creates segmental extension forces at each spinal level, and that a flat foam roller contacts the spinous processes and cannot produce segmental extension.
What the Back Trac does to each segment
The Back Trac has a full-length groove and 2 lobes. In the book’s words, “each lobe contacts the paravertebral musculature, allowing the spinous processes to float between them.” The spinous processes are the bony points down the middle of the back; the lobes press on the muscles beside them instead. The book’s stated result: the arrangement “changes pressure distribution, reduces protective tone, and helps the discs and joints experience more favorable fluid and motion dynamics.”
The book names 3 aims for Back Trac rolling: restore segmental motion, which it calls joint “give”; reduce protective muscle tone; and prepare the spine for curvature work. Its explanation for the tone: “When motion is missing, the body substitutes tension.” Eileen states that the Back Trac hydrates the spinal discs, opens the nerve canals, stretches fascia and helps hydrate the fascial slings, and that every spinal joint has 16 different possible articulations.
The Back Trac density and direction
The roller comes in densities from soft blue through medium orange to firm red or maroon, and the book’s rule is to “start with the medium-density roller and progress to hard density only after comfort and control improve.” The legs control the speed of each pass, and the roll runs from the low back up toward the shoulder blades, never aggressively into the neck.
What the Shaper rolls do during supported rest
The Neck Shaper is 7 inches long and the Back Shaper 12 inches, in diameters of 2.75, 3.0, 3.25, 3.5 and 3.75 inches. Each roll has a center groove “so the spinous processes can ‘float’ rather than being pressed into the support.” Lying over them is Step 5 of the book’s 5 steps, the supported rest, which “gives the joints, discs, fascia, and nervous system a chance to settle into a more favorable shape while gravity is partially taken off the system.”
The supported rest comes after 25 reps of the Spinal Twist, which the book says “helps the center of the disc behave more fluidly for a short window.” The rest itself is capped: “Cap the supported rest phase at 18-20 minutes. Longer sessions can cause the nervous system to lose tension in ways that may increase instability.” For choosing a roll, the book states that a flatter or stiffer spine starts with a smaller diameter and softer density, and progresses by “time tolerance first, then diameter, then density.”
Decompression prepares; resistance builds
The book separates the 2 kinds of work. Passive fulcrum work on the spine “is a preparation, not an adaptation stimulus. Adaptation requires active function against the appropriate resistance.” The curve is built by the book’s anterior-resistance exercises, and the book states that all 5 steps of the system work from the anterior direction.
Stop signs
Pain, numbness, tingling and dizziness are the book’s stop signs for every exercise. Any one of them means stop, get evaluated, and then proceed with a therapeutic exercise program designed by a Spinal Fitness expert. The book’s rule for every exercise is that muscular strain is acceptable and pain is not.
Evaluation and training in Kennewick
The Spinal Fitness evaluation is 60 minutes at $150: 20 minutes lying over the rolls, a review of back-pain history, a Posture Screen software report printed for you, and your first therapeutic exercises. The initial training session is 30 minutes and follow-up training sessions are 20 minutes. The free Thursday session rotates among the BioCharger NG, the 7 Wave light panel, Brown’s Gas, PEMF and the hot exercise room. Spinal Fitness Health and Wellness Center is at 214 E. Albany Ave, Building E101, Kennewick, WA 99336, serving Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Benton City and Walla Walla. Call or text 509-670-9713. Eileen Durfee is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and the inventor of Spinal Fitness, built on the teaching of Dr. John S. Scherger, D.C. (1950-2016).
This article is for educational purposes only. Spinal Fitness training is offered as an exercise service for general well-being.
