A Healthy Plainville Spinal Disc

A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. Layden Chiropractic understands well the spinal intervertebral disc! Plainville 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 permits motion of the spine. The disc also supports a large opening for the nerves exiting the spine through which to pass. If this opening is reduced, which occurs when discs degenerate and lose height, the nerves passing through are compressed. This compression impedes circulation to the nerve and inflammation of the nerve starts. The narrowing of the nerve opening is called Plainville spinal stenosis. See this schematic and MRI depiction of normal and stenotic nerve openings.

A SPRING

The intervertebral disc acts like a spring to hold the vertebra apart. The normal disc therefore works to prevent nerve compression and to permit 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 pain in the back or down the arms or legs. What keeps the intervertebral disc height? Normal discs have a content of a chemical called glycosaminoglycan (GAG) which allows the disc to absorb water from the fluid entering the disc. In fact, the interior of a healthy disc is 80% water. The GAG content of the disc’s interior decreases 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 inability to control motion of the vertebrae is termed instability. (1)

BENEFICIAL TREATMENT: COX® TECHNIC

Let us look at two benefits for the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is done.

First, Layden Chiropractic uses a specialized type of Plainville spinal manipulation which increases the disc space height, boosts the nerve opening size, drops pressure inside the disc to help 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 undoes the effects of gravitational and work effort changes in the spine that cause spinal stenosis and loss of motion. Researchers 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 gratified patients in the short and long term. (2) Layden Chiropractic benefits Plainville back pain sufferers’ discs!

Second, Layden Chiropractic may recommend nutritional delivery of glycosaminoglycan by capsule which is boosted when combined with Cox® Technic. This combination allows higher levels in the disc. The glycosaminoglycan 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 promoting Schwann cell proliferation, migration, and secretion of nerve growth factor. (3)

CONTACT Layden Chiropractic

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 Plainville chiropractic appointment today. Your Plainville spine will appreciate the attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!