A Healthy Nashua Spinal Disc

A cushion. A spacer. A spring. A spinal disc. Moriarty Chiropractic understands well the spinal intervertebral disc! Nashua chiropractic back pain and neck pain patients value that knowledge! The intervertebral disc in the human spine acts 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 shrinking of the nerve opening is called Nashua spinal stenosis. See this schematic and MRI picture of normal and stenotic nerve openings.

A SPRING

The intervertebral disc acts like a spring to hold the vertebra apart. The normal disc therefore performs to avoid nerve compression and to allow spinal motion. When the disc degenerates, or thins, it allows the adjacent vertebra to come closer to one another, causing in loss of motion, compressed nerve, and pain in the back or down the arms or legs. What maintains the intervertebral disc height? Normal discs have a content of a chemical called glycosaminoglycan (GAG) which allows the disc to take in water from the fluid coming into the disc. Actually, 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. Disc water loss because of GAG loss is called degeneration. Disc degeneration decreases 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 done.

First, Moriarty Chiropractic uses a specialized form of Nashua spinal manipulation which increases the disc space height, increases the nerve opening size, drops pressure inside the disc to assist in circulation, restores 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 result in 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 satisfied patients in the short and long term. (2) Moriarty Chiropractic benefits Nashua back pain sufferers’ discs!

Second, Moriarty Chiropractic may suggest 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, generating greater fluid content in the disc to improve both nerve opening size and aid prevention of disc degeneration and inflammation. Folic acid (Vitamin B9) plays a part in peripheral nerve injury repair by helping Schwann cell proliferation, migration, and secretion of nerve growth factor. (3)

CONTACT Moriarty 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 Nashua chiropractic appointment today. Your Nashua spine will be grateful for the attention you give its cushy, separating, springy spinal disc!