Inflammation. Disc Degeneration. There is a relationship.
Inflammation is the body’s response to harmful
stimuli (injury, pathogens, metabolic stress – a disc herniation pushing
on a nerve!) as it attempts to restore itself to normal
before the harm was achieved. Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation is always amazed at how the body takes care of itself!
Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation sees its Tonawanda chiropractic care as a partner of
the body’s system in healing particularly
when there is spine pain. Chiropractic care utilizes
many tools like spinal manipulation, exercise, and nutrition to take care of
the body. Melatonin is one nutritional tool that is showing value
in its ability to interrupt the inflammatory process
related disc herniation that results
in back pain, neck pain and other spine related pain.
DISC DEGENERATION AND INFLAMMATION AND 'AUTOPHAGY'
Inflammatory markers interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6
(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) are linked to intervertebral disc degeneration. (1) IL-1 β actually promotes
itself, its own expression, by upregulating NLRP3 inflammasome activation. (2)
The body controls itself down to the cellular level
via autophagy, the natural process via which the body’s
cells clean out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In
a recent study, melatonin enhanced autophagy
and decreased the degradation of the disc’s
extracellular matrix (technically marked by a decline
in marker LC3B, autophagasomes and autolysosomes and inhibition of the NF-kB
signaling pathway). The final conclusion was that melatonin prevents
intervertebral disc degeneration by stimulating autophagy. (3)
Wow. Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation is inspired by this research to see just
how well melatonin can perform for Tonawanda back pain related
to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is such a common malady
seen at Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation that positive news of
melatonin’s benefits are quite rousing. A new
study described that melatonin could modify
the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process initiated
by IL-1 β. Additionally, melatonin reduced the
inflammatory cell collection and reduced the release of associated
inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new finding
that melatonin disrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers
proposed that melatonin may support
the restoration process of intervertebral discs after damage was
already present. (1) Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation will keep
following the new research on the role inflammation plays
in Tonawanda disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in reducing
it.
INFLAMMATION AND MELATONIN
The significance of melatonin in assisting
to slow or stop painful conditions due to inflammation is growing.
The description of melatonin as a multitasking molecule influencing
mood, immunity, and energy among other mechanisms is quite apropos.
It is also anti-oxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory, specifically
by hindering the activation of inflammasomes (4) Melatonin’s
formal chemical name is as about as long as its list of tasks: N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine.
The pineal gland secretes melatonin naturally. Melatonin impacts
the body’s aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis (cell death), and autophagy
(cell-cleanout) activities. (1) Melatonin’s specific effect on
inflammation and disc degeneration is most attention-getting
to Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation and our Tonawanda back pain patients.
CONTACT Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Hrefna Sylvia based in Iceland where back pain isn’t much different
from any other country on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr.
Michael Johnson as she illustrates how The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management addresses disc
degeneration for relief of chronic low back pain in her patient.
Schedule your Tonawanda chiropractic appointment with
Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation now. We can talk about how inflammation affects your
back pain and how melatonin may address the related disc
degeneration.