How to Keep Your Spinal Discs Healthy

Spinal discs are the shock absorbers between the bones, or vertebrae, of your spine. The discs have a tough outer ring and a jelly-like center. Their job is to help us move, bend, and twist while absorbing the weight of gravity. But, over time, our spinal discs can become degenerative. Injuries, aging, and the effects of gravity all contribute to disc degeneration. The good news is that degenerative discs rarely cause pain unless they bulge or herniate, placing pressure on the spinal nerves. So how you can slow down the degenerative process and keep your discs healthy?

Top research journals have recently discovered that movement and hydration are two important factors to keep your discs healthy. A well-hydrated disc can more easily adapt to movement and is less prone to injury. Many chiropractic techniques are designed to “pump” your spinal discs. This motion helps bring nutrients into the disc and pushes out inflammation and waste. That is a fancy way to say that chiropractic care can help keep your spinal discs healthy!

Here are the key takeaways:

-Your spinal discs act as small shock absorbers between the bones of your spine

-Movement helps bring nutrients into the disc and pushes out waste and inflammation; helping them stay healthy

-Torn, herniated, or bulged discs can cause pain by irritating the nearby nerves. Researchers have found chiropractic care to be one of the best ways to heal and feel better!

A combination of chiropractic care and staying well-hydrated are two ways to keep your spinal discs healthy and pain-free. But, don’t forget to stay active between your adjustments. And here is one more tip to slow down Father Time-daily exercise and stretching. Exercise and stretching will not only keep you fit and trim but can also potentially slow down the degenerative changes of your spine keeping you healthy and active for many years to come!

Can Pain Be a Good Thing?

Pain is your body's way of signaling to you that something needs your attention. In other words, when a problem occurs in your body due to ergonomic stress, restricted spinal motion, or degenerative changes, it uses pain to get you to take action and correct the problem. Think of PAIN as your body saying: “Pay Attention Inside Now!”

Believe it or not, pain is usually the last thing to show up and the first thing to leave after an injury. Just because your pain goes away, doesn’t mean the root cause that lead to that pain has been corrected. Many pain relief methods simply mask symptoms. Chiropractic adjustments, along with specific stretches and exercises, work to provide pain relief while also correcting the underlying problem.

You may know someone who has visited a medical doctor in the past with neck or back pain. Perhaps, an injection was given. Perhaps, as is often the case, their pain returned in a matter of days or weeks. Why? Because the medication had worn off and ultimately the real cause of the pain was not corrected. Often times pain has a mechanical cause, that chemicals only mask. The best approach for a mechanical problem is a mechanical solution!

Research has proven that Chiropractic care effectively treats the underlying mechanical and neural causes of neck and back pain. In fact, studies have shown that people seeking relief from their neck and back pain who received Chiropractic care often reported a 60% decrease in pain, which was nearly 10% MORE relief than those patients who opted for an injection instead.

▪ Pain is your body’s signal that something is wrong, especially when it comes to neck or back pain.

▪ Injections and medications often provide short-term relief from neck or back pain without correcting the cause.

▪ Adjustments have been shown to successfully treat the root mechanical & neural causes of neck or back pain.

If someone you know has or is considering receiving an epidural injection to treat their neck or back pain, share this research with them. Let them know that integrating ongoing Chiropractic adjustments into their care plan will result in a more significant outcome than that injection alone. If that someone is you, you’re in the right place! Give us a call or stop in and see us so we can get you on the path to relief from pain today!