Key Takeaways
- While Medicare doesn’t usually cover nonsurgical spinal decompression due to a lack of sufficient evidence, it may cover a specific surgical procedure called percutaneous image-guided lumbar decompression (PILD) for lumbar spinal stenosis, but only within the context of a clinical trial.
- Medicare covers various back pain treatments, including:
- acupuncture for chronic low back pain
- manual spinal manipulation by a chiropractor for vertebral subluxation
- drug therapy through Part B or Part D prescription drug plans, depending on the drug
- Other back pain treatments that Medicare may cover, include nerve stimulation, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and nonsurgical nerve blocks.
Spinal decompression is a therapy that aims to relieve back pain and discomfort by reducing pressure along your spine. Healthcare professionals may use decompression therapy to address the following:
- disk issues
- pinched nerves
- sciatica
- spinal stenosis
There are nonsurgical and surgical forms of spinal decompression. Nonsurgical spinal decompression involves having you lie on a specialized table while a healthcare professional applies traction to your pelvis and cervical spine.
According to Medicare, there’s “insufficient evidence” of the effectiveness of vertebral axial decompression, so Medicare doesn’t cover it. Medicare doesn’t typically cover procedures that it considers experimental.
Medicare may cover a specific surgical form of spinal decompression called percutaneous image-guided lumbar decompression (PILD) to treat lumbar spinal stenosis. This condition causes the spinal canal in your lower back to narrow.
With PILD, healthcare professionals use small instruments to remove thickened ligament sections within your spinal canal. This treatment aims to create more space in your spinal canal, relieving pressure and reducing pain and discomfort.
But Medicare only covers this treatment when doctors perform it as part of a clinical trial. This is called Coverage with Evidence Development (CED).
Medicare covers many treatments for back pain.
Medicare can cover acupuncture to treat chronic low back pain if you meet certain criteria and use a Medicare-approved healthcare professional.
The only chiropractic service that Medicare covers is manual spinal manipulation to treat vertebral subluxation. Part B may cover this.
If you have a Part D prescription drug plan, you may receive coverage for drug therapy. Part B can cover outpatient drug treatments, such as steroid injections.
Other treatments that may receive coverage include nerve stimulation, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and nonsurgical nerve blocks.
Learn more about Medicare’s coverage of pain management.