A Healthy Baton Rouge Spinal Disc

A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. Spine & Sports Rehab Center knows a lot about the spinal intervertebral disc! Baton Rouge 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 allows 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 thinned, which happens 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 Baton Rouge spinal stenosis. Shown here is a schematic and MRI poster of normal and stenotic nerve openings.

Baton Rouge  stenotic and normal spinal discs

A SPRING

The intervertebral disc performs 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, resulting in loss of motion, nerve compression, and back pain or arm or leg pain. What keeps the intervertebral disc height? Normal discs contain a chemical called glycosaminoglycan (GAG) which permits the disc to take up water from the fluid entering the disc. Actually, the inside of a healthy disc is 80% water. The GAG content in the inner disc reduces significantly with degeneration, thus dropping 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 called instability. (1)

BENEFICIAL TREATMENT: COX® TECHNIC

Let’s consider two benefits for the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is delivered.

First, Spine & Sports Rehab Center offers a specialized form of Baton Rouge 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 called afferentation. The manipulation reverses the effects of gravitational and work effort changes in the spine that result in spinal stenosis and loss of motion. A study revealed 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) Spine & Sports Rehab Center benefits Baton Rouge back pain sufferers’ discs!

Second, Spine & Sports Rehab Center may recommend nutritional delivery of glycosaminoglycan by capsule which is boosted 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, generating higher 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 healing by encouraging Schwann cell proliferation, migration, and secretion of nerve growth factor. (3)

CONTACT Spine & Sports Rehab Center

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 Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment today. Your Baton Rouge spine will be grateful for the attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!

 
Your Baton Rouge  chiropractor loves seeing a healthy intervertebral disc and helps the not so healthy one recover. 
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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."