A Healthy Groton Spinal Disc
A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office understands well the spinal intervertebral disc! Groton chiropractic back pain and neck pain patients value 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 supports 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 sets in. The shrinking of the nerve opening is called Groton 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 avoid nerve compression and to allow spinal motion. When the disc degenerates, or thins, it allows the adjacent vertebra to approximate one another, causing in loss of motion, compressed nerve, 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 allows the disc to take up water from the fluid moving into the disc. In fact, the interior of a healthy disc is 80% water. The GAG content in the inner disc decreases significantly with degeneration, thus reducing the water content of the disc. The loss of water in the disc because of 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 called instability. (1)
BENEFICIAL TREATMENT: COX® TECHNIC
Let’s consider two benefits for the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is done.
First, Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office uses a specialized type of Groton spinal manipulation which enlarges the disc space height, enlarges the nerve opening size, drops pressure within 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 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 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 satisfied patients in the short and long term. (2) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office benefits Groton back pain sufferers’ discs!
Second, Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office may suggest nutritional delivery of glycosaminoglycan by capsule which is enhanced when combined with Cox® Technic. This combination 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 aid prevention of disc degeneration and inflammation. Folic acid (Vitamin B9) contributes to peripheral nerve injury repair by promoting Schwann cell proliferation, migration, and secretion of nerve growth factor. (3)
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
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 Groton chiropractic appointment today. Your Groton spine will appreciate the attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!
