A Healthy Baton Rouge Spinal Disc
A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers 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 acts as a separator to hold the spinal bones apart, the vertebrae, apart and allows motion of the spine. The disc also maintains a large opening for the nerves exiting 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 slows circulation to the nerve and inflammation of the nerve starts. The narrowing of the nerve opening is called Baton Rouge spinal stenosis. Shown here is a schematic and MRI depiction of normal and stenotic nerve openings.
A SPRING
The intervertebral disc functions like a spring to hold the vertebra apart. The normal disc therefore functions to stop nerve compression and to permit spinal motion. When the disc degenerates, or thins, it permits the adjacent vertebra to approximate one another, resulting in loss of motion, compressed nerve, 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 absorb water from the fluid moving into the disc. In fact, the inside 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 reduces the ability of the disc to resist motion by over 65%. The incapacity to control motion of the vertebrae is termed instability. (1)
BENEFICIAL TREATMENT: COX® TECHNIC
Let’s consider two benefits for the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is done.
First, Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers uses a specialized type of Baton Rouge spinal manipulation which enlarges the disc space height, increases the nerve opening size, decreases pressure inside the disc to aid 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 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; improved range of motion of spine; and satisfied patients in the short and long term. (2) Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers benefits Baton Rouge back pain sufferers’ discs!
Second, Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers may suggest nutritional delivery of glycosaminoglycan by capsule which is enhanced 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 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 encouraging Schwann cell proliferation, migration, and secretion of nerve growth factor. (3)
CONTACT Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers
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 appreciate the attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!
