A Healthy Fort Wayne Spinal Disc
A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc understands well the spinal intervertebral disc! Fort Wayne chiropractic back pain and neck pain patients appreciate that knowledge! The intervertebral disc in the human spine plays a role 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 leaving the spine through which to pass. If this opening is thinned, 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 sets in. The narrowing of the nerve opening is termed Fort Wayne 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 stop nerve compression and to permit spinal motion. When the disc degenerates, or thins, it permits the adjacent vertebra to come closer to 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 contain a chemical called glycosaminoglycan (GAG) which allows the disc to take up water from the fluid moving into the disc. In fact, the interior of a healthy disc is 80% water. The GAG content in the inner disc reduces significantly with degeneration, thus dropping the water content of the disc. Disc water loss because of 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 termed instability. (1)
BENEFICIAL TREATMENT: COX® TECHNIC
Let us consider two benefits for the spine when Cox® distraction manipulation is delivered.
First, Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc offers a specialized form of Fort Wayne spinal manipulation which enlarges the disc space height, increases the nerve opening size, decreases pressure within the disc to aid 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 reverses the effects of gravitational and work effort changes in the spine that cause spinal stenosis and loss of motion. A report 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) Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc benefits Fort Wayne back pain sufferers’ discs!
Second, Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc may recommend nutritional delivery of glycosaminoglycan by capsule which is enhanced when combined with Cox® Technic. Combining these two allows higher levels in the disc. The glycosaminoglycan 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 Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc
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 Fort Wayne chiropractic appointment today. Your Fort Wayne spine will appreciate the attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!
