Common questions we hear from
Murfreesboro back pain sufferers at Most Chiropractic Clinic sound
something like this: “What is Murfreesboro degenerative disease?”
(Most Chiropractic Clinic can describe degenerative disc disease at the drop of a hat!)
and “Can nutrition help?” (“Yes!”)
WHAT IS DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE?
Degenerative disc disease results many
times from normal, age-related changes that take
place in the discs of the spine that trigger pain. The spinal
discs act like shock absorbers between the vertebral bones of
your spine. As discs degenerate, they don’t do their job very
well. A discs’ health stems from the health of surrounding
structures as much as its own health. The cartilage endplates play a huge
role in the health of the disc. Unhealthy endplates
do, too, as they may contribute to degenerative
disc disease.
HOW CHIROPRACTIC CARE AND NUTRITION HELP DEGENERATIVE DISC
DISEASE
Chiropractic care at Most Chiropractic Clinic approaches
disc health from both the inside and outside. The disc requires
some special nutritional elements to maintain its health and strength, ready to preserve the mobility
of the spine. It requires glucose, glycosaminoglycan,
calcium, magnesium, chondroitin sulfate, and more. It obtains
these nutrients via the cartilaginous endplates that surround
it on top and bottom (70%) and from the sides of the disc
(30%). The cartilage endplates of the disc that abut the
vertebral bodies of the spine feed nutrients to the disc. Permeability of the cartilage endplate
rises as it ages and degenerates. Degeneration of the cartilage
endplate is linked to the beginning of cell starvation
and death of the disc due to poor nutrition. Degeneration of the cartilage
endplate may well be to blame for mechanical load-induced
dehydration of the disc’s nucleus pulposus and reduced levels
of glucose in the nucleus pulposus (inner gel of the disc)-annulus fibrosus
(outer bands of the disc) connection area. (Read more about disc nutrition with
glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate.) (1) The endplates are key
to the disc’s health. When the endplates are harmed by
degenerative changes, they can’t perform their job of
transporting nutrients into the disc. One study stresses this
issue by explaining that severe inhibition in the endplate
nutritional pathways likely leads to intervertebral disc disruption. (2) Further,
a good night’s rest may be good for more than beauty! Lying
down even for a short time permits an
increase in the cervical spine and thoracic intervertebral discs’ hydration volume.
(3) Most Chiropractic Clinic treats the disc from the inside with
nutrition and the outside with sleep recommendations as well as spinal manipulation.
Murfreesboro CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT HELPS DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE
While lying down unloads the spine,
dynamic loading of the spine is beneficial, too. How? It comes
back to those cartilage endplates once again. The ability of the cartilage endplates The
more porous and healthy the endplates are, the more flow of nutrients is permitted. The less
porous, less hydrated, more degenerated the endplates are, the less flow of
nutrients is allowed. Recent research today presents the
benefits of dynamic loading (as opposed to static loading) on nutrient
transport into the disc via cartilage endplates. (4) Chiropractic spinal
manipulation is dynamic treatment of the spine. The protocols of Cox® Technic concentrate
on individual segments of the spine to increase motion where disc
degeneration may be present. It’s gentle, relieving
care delivered daily at Most Chiropractic Clinic!
CONTACT Most Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Sylvia Hrefna from Iceland on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr.
Michael Johnson as she discusses her relieving care with Cox®
Technic of a patient with disc degeneration in her cervical spine, the second
of two cases in this podcast.