A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. New Hampshire Spine and Sport understands well the spinal intervertebral disc! Southern New Hampshire 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 narrowed, 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 sets in. The shrinking of the nerve opening is called Southern New Hampshire spinal stenosis. See this schematic and MRI depiction of normal and stenotic nerve openings.
A SPRING
The intervertebral disc functions like a spring to keep the vertebra apart. The normal disc therefore performs to preclude nerve compression and to allow spinal motion. When the disc degenerates, or thins, it allows the adjacent vertebra to approximate one another, causing in motion loss, nerve compression, and pain in the back or down the arms or legs. What maintains the intervertebral disc height? Normal discs contain a chemical termed glycosaminoglycan (GAG) which allows the disc to take in water from the fluid coming into the disc. In fact, the inside of a healthy disc is 80% water. The GAG content of the disc’s interior decreases significantly with degeneration, thus lowering the water content of the disc. The loss of water in the disc because of GAG loss is called degeneration. Disc degeneration decreases the ability of the disc to resist motion by over 65%. The inability to control motion of the vertebrae is called instability. (1)
BENEFICIAL TREATMENT: COX® TECHNIC
Let’s look at two benefits for the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is done.
First, New Hampshire Spine and Sport uses a specialized type of Southern New Hampshire spinal manipulation which increases the disc space height, boosts the nerve opening size, decreases pressure within 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 termed afferentation. The manipulation undoes the effects of gravitational and work effort changes in the spine that result in spinal stenosis and loss of motion. A study 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 gratified patients in the short and long term. (2) New Hampshire Spine and Sport benefits Southern New Hampshire back pain sufferers’ discs!
Second, New Hampshire Spine and Sport 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, creating greater fluid content in the disc to improve both nerve opening size and assist 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 New Hampshire Spine and Sport
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 Southern New Hampshire chiropractic appointment today. Your Southern New Hampshire spine will be grateful for the attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!