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.
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!