A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. Back And Neck Care Center
understands well the spinal intervertebral disc!
Severna Park chiropractic back pain and neck pain patients appreciate
that knowledge! The intervertebral disc in the human spine acts as a separator holding the spinal
bone apart, the vertebrae, apart and allows 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
thinned, which occurs when discs degenerate
and lose height, the nerves passing through are compressed. This compression impedes
circulation to the nerve and inflammation of the nerve sets in.
The narrowing of the nerve opening is termed Severna Park
spinal stenosis. See this schematic and MRI depiction
of normal and stenotic nerve openings.
A SPRING
The intervertebral disc performs
like a spring to keep the vertebra apart. The normal disc
therefore functions to preclude
nerve compression and to allow spinal motion. When the disc
degenerates, or thins, it permits the adjacent vertebra to move nearer one another, causing in motion
loss, nerve compression, and back
pain or arm or leg pain. What keeps 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 coming into the disc. In fact, the interior
of a healthy disc is 80% water. The GAG content of the disc’s interior reduces significantly with degeneration, thus lowering
the water content of the disc. The loss of water in the disc
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 called instability. (1)
BENEFICIAL TREATMENT: COX® TECHNIC
Let’s look at two benefits for
the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is delivered.
First, Back And Neck Care Center offers a specialized form
of Severna Park spinal manipulation which enlarges the
disc space height, boosts the nerve opening size, drops
pressure within the disc to assist 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 called
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 gratified patients in the short
and long term. (2) Back And Neck Care Center
benefits Severna Park back pain sufferers’ discs!
Second, Back And Neck Care Center may recommend 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, producing
greater fluid content in the disc to improve both nerve opening
size and aid 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 Back And Neck Care Center
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 Severna Park chiropractic appointment
today. Your Severna Park spine will be grateful for the
attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!