A Healthy Carrolltown Spinal Disc
A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation understands well the spinal intervertebral disc! Carrolltown chiropractic back pain and neck pain patients value that knowledge! The intervertebral disc in the human spine performs as a separator holding the spinal bone apart, the vertebrae, apart and allows motion of the spine. The disc also provides a large opening for the nerves exiting the spine through which to pass. If this opening is narrowed, 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 starts. The shrinking of the nerve opening is termed Carrolltown spinal stenosis. See this schematic and MRI poster of normal and stenotic nerve openings.
A SPRING
The intervertebral disc functions like a spring to hold the vertebra apart. The normal disc therefore works to preclude nerve compression and to allow spinal motion. When the disc degenerates, or thins, it allows the adjacent vertebra to move nearer one another, resulting in loss of motion, compressed nerve, and pain in the back or down the arms or legs. What keeps the intervertebral disc height? Normal discs have a content of a chemical termed glycosaminoglycan (GAG) which permits the disc to absorb water from the fluid moving into the disc. Actually, the inside of a healthy disc is 80% water. The GAG content of the disc’s interior decreases significantly with degeneration, thus lowering the water content of the disc. Disc water loss due to GAG loss is called degeneration. Disc degeneration decreases 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’s look at two benefits for the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is done.
First, Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation uses a specialized form of Carrolltown spinal manipulation which increases the disc space height, boosts the nerve opening size, reduces pressure inside the disc to help in circulation, returns lost range of motion to the spine and establishes nerve conduction to the brain for pain relief. (4) This latter benefit is called afferentation. The manipulation reverses the effects of gravitational and work effort changes in the spine that cause spinal stenosis and loss of motion. Researchers revealed that spinal mobilization with leg movement in patients with lower extremity sciatica pain reduced low back and leg pain intensity, disability, pain; improved range of motion of spine; and gratified patients in the short and long term. (2) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation benefits Carrolltown back pain sufferers’ discs!
Second, Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation may suggest nutritional delivery of glycosaminoglycan by capsule which is enhanced when combined with Cox® Technic. Combining these two allows higher levels in the disc. It is this glycosaminoglycan that absorbs water to nine times its own volume, creating greater fluid content in the disc to improve both nerve opening size and assist prevention of disc degeneration and inflammation. Folic acid (Vitamin B9) plays a part in peripheral nerve injury repair by helping Schwann cell proliferation, migration, and secretion of nerve growth factor. (3)
CONTACT Gormish Chiropractic & 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 Carrolltown chiropractic appointment today. Your Carrolltown spine will be grateful for the attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!
