NormaTec Pulse Decompression in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

NormaTec Pulse Decompression is a limb compression system. Sleeves fit over your legs, or over an arm, and inflate in a timed pattern to assist circulation and help move fluid out of a swollen limb. Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas offers it for circulation, swelling, swelling after surgery, injury rehabilitation, and recovery after training or hard physical work.

One thing needs clearing up before anything else, because the name causes the confusion on its own: this is not spinal decompression. It works on arms and legs. It does not treat discs, nerves or your back.

This is limb compression, not spinal decompression

The word decompression in the name throws people off. NormaTec Pulse Decompression is limb compression: inflatable sleeves go over your legs or an arm, and what it acts on is circulation and fluid in that limb. It is not traction for the spine, and it does not take pressure off a disc or a nerve root.

If you came here about a herniated disc, sciatica, or nerve pain running down a leg, NormaTec is not the treatment for that. Start with herniated disc or sciatica instead. NormaTec sleeves are not a treatment for a disc or a nerve root problem, and nothing here should be read as saying otherwise.

 

What a session involves

It is passive and non-invasive. You stay clothed, you sit or lie still, and the sleeves do the work. They inflate in segments in a timed pattern, starting at the far end of the limb and working toward the body, then release before the next cycle starts. Nothing is injected and no force goes through your spine or joints.

How long a session runs, and how often it is worth doing, depends on why you are having it. Those answers come out of your exam, not off a web page. Call (340) 690-4994 and ask.

What it is used for

  • Circulation

  • Swelling in a leg or an arm

  • Swelling after an operation

  • Injury rehabilitation

  • Recovery after training or after hard physical work

That is the list, and it is stated narrowly on purpose. Compression assists circulation and the movement of fluid in the limb it is applied to. It is not a treatment for any circulatory disease, and it is not a substitute for medical care for a limb that is swelling for a reason nobody has worked out yet.

 

Before any compression: rule out a blood clot

This is the most important part of this page. Do not put a compression sleeve on a leg that is newly swollen, hot, red or painful. That combination can be a sign of a deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot in a deep vein, and compressing a limb that has a clot in it is dangerous. A leg like that needs medical assessment first. Compression comes after someone has ruled a clot out, not before.

If a swollen or painful leg comes with chest pain or shortness of breath, that is not a clinic appointment. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room now.

 

When compression is not the right choice

Say so before your first visit if any of these apply to you:

  • A known or suspected blood clot, including a past deep vein thrombosis or any leg that has not been checked since it started swelling

  • Active infection, an open wound, a rash or broken skin anywhere on the limb

  • Significant heart failure, or any condition where a doctor has told you to be careful about fluid shifting around your body

  • Numbness or reduced sensation in the limb, because compression relies on your being able to feel discomfort and say something

Dr. Keys examines you first and will tell you plainly if compression is not the right tool for your case, or if what your leg is doing needs a medical workup rather than a sleeve. He refers out when the exam calls for it.

Where this fits at Tradewinds

NormaTec Pulse Decompression is a recovery and circulation tool, not a spine treatment, so it sits alongside the rest of a visit rather than replacing any of it. Patients using it are often also doing spinal rehabilitation or working through an injury with adjustment and soft tissue work, all listed on our services page. Dr. Keys is the Chair of the Virgin Islands Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a member of the Virgin Islands Chiropractic Society, and the International Chiropractors Association representative for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Visitors, crew and cruise passengers

Charter crew who spend a season on their feet, athletes training through the heat here, and visitors whose legs have taken more walking and standing in a week than in a month at home are the people who usually ask about this. If you are only on island a short time, say so at booking so we can be realistic about what is worth starting here.

Getting seen

Call (340) 690-4994 to book. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments. We are at the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, just east of Charlotte Amalie and a short drive from the Havensight cruise port and Yacht Haven Grande. Hours are Mon, Wed, Thu: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Tue, Fri: 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Closed Sat and Sun. New patient forms are at forms. Tradewinds Chiropractic has more than 180 five-star Google reviews.

Questions patients ask

Is NormaTec compression therapy available in St. Thomas?

Yes. Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas offers NormaTec Pulse Decompression, a sequential limb compression system used for circulation, swelling, swelling after surgery, injury rehabilitation and recovery after training. Call (340) 690-4994 to ask whether it fits your case.

Is NormaTec Pulse Decompression the same as spinal decompression?

No. They share a word and nothing else. NormaTec is a compression sleeve that goes over your legs or an arm and works on circulation and swelling in that limb. Spinal decompression is traction for the spine, aimed at discs and nerve roots. If your problem is a disc or a nerve, NormaTec is not the answer; call (340) 690-4994 and Dr. Keys will tell you what fits.

Can I use recovery boots if my leg is already swollen?

Not until someone has looked at it. A leg that is newly swollen, hot, red or painful needs a medical assessment first, because those can be signs of a blood clot, and compressing a limb with a clot in it is dangerous. Get it checked, then ask about compression.

What does a NormaTec session feel like?

You stay clothed and sit or lie still while the sleeves inflate and release in cycles, starting at the foot or hand and moving up the limb. It is a firm squeeze that comes and goes. Nothing is injected and nothing is done to your spine.

Does it help with swelling after surgery?

Swelling after an operation is one of the uses it is offered for, but only once your surgeon is happy for compression to be used on that limb and a clot has been ruled out. Bring your post-operative instructions with you and call (340) 690-4994 before booking.

 

Pricing

Amateur $20 for 15 minutes Pro $35 for 30 minutes

Research validating NormaTec Decompression: Click here