A Healthy Tonawanda Spinal Disc
A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation knows a lot about the spinal intervertebral disc! Tonawanda chiropractic back pain and neck pain patients appreciate that knowledge! The intervertebral disc in the human spine performs as a separator to hold the spinal bones apart, the vertebrae, apart and permits motion of the spine. The disc also maintains a large opening for the nerves leaving the spine through which to pass. If this opening is reduced, which happens when discs degenerate and lose height, the nerves passing through are compressed. This compression slows circulation to the nerve and inflammation of the nerve begins. The shrinking of the nerve opening is termed Tonawanda spinal stenosis. Shown here is a schematic and MRI poster of normal and stenotic nerve openings.
A SPRING
The intervertebral disc works like a spring to hold the vertebra apart. The normal disc therefore performs to prevent nerve compression and to permit spinal motion. When the disc degenerates, or thins, it allows the adjacent vertebra to come closer to one another, causing in motion loss, nerve compression, and back pain or arm or leg pain. What maintains the intervertebral disc height? Normal discs have a content of a chemical called glycosaminoglycan (GAG) which allows the disc to absorb water from the fluid entering the disc. Actually, the inside of a healthy disc is 80% water. The GAG content of the disc’s interior reduces significantly with degeneration, thus dropping the water content of the disc. The loss of water in the disc due to GAG loss is called degeneration. Disc degeneration reduces the ability of the disc to resist motion by over 65%. The incapacity to control motion of the vertebrae is termed instability. (1)
BENEFICIAL TREATMENT: COX® TECHNIC
Let us consider two benefits for the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is delivered.
First, Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation offers a specialized form of Tonawanda spinal manipulation which enlarges the disc space height, boosts the nerve opening size, drops pressure inside the disc to assist in circulation, restores lost range of motion to the spine and establishes nerve conduction to the brain for pain relief. (4) This latter benefit is termed afferentation. The manipulation undoes the effects of gravitational and work effort changes in the spine that result in spinal stenosis and loss of motion. Researchers showed that spinal mobilization with leg movement in patients with lower extremity sciatica pain reduced low back and leg pain intensity, disability, pain; increased range of motion of spine; and satisfied patients in the short and long term. (2) Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation benefits Tonawanda back pain sufferers’ discs!
Second, Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation may suggest nutritional delivery of glycosaminoglycan by capsule which is improved when combined with Cox® Technic. Combining these two allows increased levels in the disc. The glycosaminoglycan absorbs water to nine times its own volume, producing greater fluid content in the disc to improve both nerve opening size and assist prevention of disc degeneration and inflammation. Folic acid (Vitamin B9) contributes to peripheral nerve injury repair by helping Schwann cell proliferation, migration, and secretion of nerve growth factor. (3)
CONTACT Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation
Listen to this PODCAST by Dr. Jonathan Cerrutti as he discusses his chiropractic care of a painful, stenotic disc and spinal canal due to disc herniation on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson.
Schedule your Tonawanda chiropractic appointment today. Your Tonawanda spine will appreciate the attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!
