A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. New Roads Chiropractic Center
knows a lot about the spinal intervertebral disc!
New Roads chiropractic back pain and neck pain patients appreciate
that knowledge! The intervertebral disc in the human spine performs as a separator holding the spinal
bone 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
reduced, 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 begins.
The narrowing of the nerve opening is termed New Roads
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 performs to prevent
nerve compression and to permit spinal motion. When the disc
degenerates, or thins, it allows the adjacent vertebra to move nearer one another, resulting in motion
loss, nerve compression, and pain in the back or down the arms or legs. 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 coming into the disc. Actually, the interior
of a healthy disc is 80% water. The GAG content of the disc’s interior reduces significantly with degeneration, thus dropping
the water content of the disc. Disc water loss
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 called instability. (1)
BENEFICIAL TREATMENT: COX® TECHNIC
Let us look at two benefits for
the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is delivered.
First, New Roads Chiropractic Center offers a specialized type
of New Roads spinal manipulation which enlarges the
disc space height, boosts the nerve opening size, drops
pressure inside the disc to assist in circulation, returns
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 cause
spinal stenosis and loss of motion. Researchers showed
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) New Roads Chiropractic Center
benefits New Roads back pain sufferers’ discs!
Second, New Roads Chiropractic Center may recommend 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, producing
greater 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 repair
by encouraging Schwann cell proliferation, migration,
and secretion of nerve growth factor. (3)
CONTACT New Roads Chiropractic Center
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 New Roads chiropractic appointment
today. Your New Roads spine will appreciate the
attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!