A Healthy St Peters Spinal Disc
A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. Old Mill Chiropractic understands well the spinal intervertebral disc! St Peters chiropractic back pain and neck pain patients appreciate that knowledge! The intervertebral disc in the human spine plays a role as a separator holding the spinal bone apart, the vertebrae, apart and permits motion of the spine. The disc also provides a large opening for the nerves leaving the spine through which to pass. If this opening is reduced, which occurs when discs degenerate and lose height, the nerves passing through are compressed. This compression slows circulation to the nerve and inflammation of the nerve sets in. The shrinking of the nerve opening is termed St Peters spinal stenosis. See this schematic and MRI poster of normal and stenotic nerve openings.
A SPRING
The intervertebral disc performs like a spring to keep the vertebra apart. The normal disc therefore works to avoid nerve compression and to permit spinal motion. When the disc degenerates, or thins, it allows the adjacent vertebra to approximate one another, causing in loss of motion, 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 permits the disc to take in water from the fluid moving into the disc. Actually, the interior of a healthy disc is 80% water. The GAG content in the inner disc decreases significantly with degeneration, thus dropping the water content of the disc. The loss of water in the disc because of 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 called instability. (1)
BENEFICIAL TREATMENT: COX® TECHNIC
Let’s consider two benefits for the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is done.
First, Old Mill Chiropractic uses a specialized form of St Peters spinal manipulation which increases the disc space height, enlarges the nerve opening size, reduces pressure inside the disc to help in circulation, returns lost range of motion to the spine and creates nerve conduction to the brain for pain relief. (4) This latter benefit is termed afferentation. The manipulation reverses the effects of gravitational and work effort changes in the spine that cause 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; improved range of motion of spine; and gratified patients in the short and long term. (2) Old Mill Chiropractic benefits St Peters back pain sufferers’ discs!
Second, Old Mill Chiropractic may recommend nutritional delivery of glycosaminoglycan by capsule which is improved when combined with Cox® Technic. This combination allows increased levels in the disc. It is this glycosaminoglycan that absorbs water to nine times its own volume, creating higher 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 healing by promoting Schwann cell proliferation, migration, and secretion of nerve growth factor. (3)
CONTACT Old Mill Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST by Dr. Jonathan Cerrutti as he shares 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 St Peters chiropractic appointment today. Your St Peters spine will appreciate the attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!
