Several
people have been asking me about disc problems lately and it seems that more
people than ever are developing this spinal problem. The intervertebral discs are cartilage shock
absorbers that are found between nearly every bone of the spine. They function to allow the spine to move and
also to create space between the vertebrae allowing room for the nerves to exit
the spinal cord and communicate with the body.
The discs were built to last – they are inherently one of the toughest
structures in the body. So why are disc
problems so common?
The discs are thought to be like a jelly donut with a tough outer ring surrounding a gel portion on the inside called the nucleus. This nucleus is what can bulge out placing pressure on the delicate nerves. The problem with the discs is that at around 18 years of age, the outer ring hardens preventing blood flow from getting into the discs. This is what makes disc damage so difficult and why they don’t heal very well. The only definitive way to know if you have a disc problem is through imaging such as an MRI. However, disc problems are accompanied by numerous symptoms including spinal pain, radiating pain or numbness into the arms/legs, increased pain when coughing, sneezing, or “bearing down” to lift something or even when having a bowel movement, and muscle weakness. It’s important to realize that every one of these symptoms can occur without disc damage from misalignment of the spine or also from pressure on the nerves from different muscle imbalances or even arthritic pressure (stenosis). That’s why an MRI is the best source of determining what’s going on. It’s also important to know that discs can heal! The problem is that because of the limited blood flow, healing can take 6-12 months. The most common methods of treatment for disc damage include traction, anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, and generally surgery as a last resort. In any form, the treatment of these injuries is no fun. That’s why, like everything else, prevention is the key!
Like any form of degeneration in the body, disc damage is related to inflammation and excessive wear-and-tear. When looking at prevention, you need to consider all components – the physical, chemical, and emotional. Emotional stress increases inflammation and impacts our inflammatory hormones. It also increases our sensitivity to pain. Exercise, yoga, meditation, and prayer are all proven forms of stress reduction. Our internal chemistry is a key to healthy discs so we must watch what we put into our bodies. Smoking is known to be one of the very worst factors for discs because it pulls minerals out of the cartilage making them inherently weak and brittle. Likewise, an inflammatory diet consisting of sugars, processed carbs, and trans-fats is a recipe for any degenerative process such as disc damage. Your steroid hormones help reduce inflammation, but to produce these chemicals, you require omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin C. This is why proper supplementation including fish oil and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is key. Finally, the physical: from everything I’ve studied, excessive weight, lack of exercise, poor posture, and prolonged sitting is torture for the intervertebral disc. This is also the cause for spinal subluxation (misalignment) which is proven to place imbalanced pressure on discs. Maintaining proper spinal alignment through posture, regular chiropractic adjustments, and physical exercise is yet another way to protect these delicate tissues and prevent damage over time.
The discs are thought to be like a jelly donut with a tough outer ring surrounding a gel portion on the inside called the nucleus. This nucleus is what can bulge out placing pressure on the delicate nerves. The problem with the discs is that at around 18 years of age, the outer ring hardens preventing blood flow from getting into the discs. This is what makes disc damage so difficult and why they don’t heal very well. The only definitive way to know if you have a disc problem is through imaging such as an MRI. However, disc problems are accompanied by numerous symptoms including spinal pain, radiating pain or numbness into the arms/legs, increased pain when coughing, sneezing, or “bearing down” to lift something or even when having a bowel movement, and muscle weakness. It’s important to realize that every one of these symptoms can occur without disc damage from misalignment of the spine or also from pressure on the nerves from different muscle imbalances or even arthritic pressure (stenosis). That’s why an MRI is the best source of determining what’s going on. It’s also important to know that discs can heal! The problem is that because of the limited blood flow, healing can take 6-12 months. The most common methods of treatment for disc damage include traction, anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, and generally surgery as a last resort. In any form, the treatment of these injuries is no fun. That’s why, like everything else, prevention is the key!
Like any form of degeneration in the body, disc damage is related to inflammation and excessive wear-and-tear. When looking at prevention, you need to consider all components – the physical, chemical, and emotional. Emotional stress increases inflammation and impacts our inflammatory hormones. It also increases our sensitivity to pain. Exercise, yoga, meditation, and prayer are all proven forms of stress reduction. Our internal chemistry is a key to healthy discs so we must watch what we put into our bodies. Smoking is known to be one of the very worst factors for discs because it pulls minerals out of the cartilage making them inherently weak and brittle. Likewise, an inflammatory diet consisting of sugars, processed carbs, and trans-fats is a recipe for any degenerative process such as disc damage. Your steroid hormones help reduce inflammation, but to produce these chemicals, you require omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin C. This is why proper supplementation including fish oil and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is key. Finally, the physical: from everything I’ve studied, excessive weight, lack of exercise, poor posture, and prolonged sitting is torture for the intervertebral disc. This is also the cause for spinal subluxation (misalignment) which is proven to place imbalanced pressure on discs. Maintaining proper spinal alignment through posture, regular chiropractic adjustments, and physical exercise is yet another way to protect these delicate tissues and prevent damage over time.
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