There are three major causes of disc-related back pain. Which one do you suffer from? It is important to know and to understand what they are and how to treat them.
A incident such as a car accident or a sports injury can cause damage to your disc. Discs can also weaken as they get older.
Either way, the result is most likely severe pain. This is because discs are in such close proximity to a slew of delicate nerves. One slip, bulge, break or squeeze from the adjacent disc and you can experience pain that will stop you in your tracks, most likely in the form of sciatica pain (the nerve that goes through your buttocks and down your legs).
Here's a summary of everything you ever needed to know about your discs but never knew you needed to ask:
1. A healthy disc has a fibrous outer shell with a jelly-like, squishy substance in the middle called the nucleus. A disc gets its shock absorbing traits and keeps the vertebrae from rubbing against each other due to that center substance.
2. A bulging disc is when, most likely through an injury, the disc is over compacted (squished) between the two vertebrae it protects, forcing the nucleus to push against the fibrous shell with such force that it actually bulges the wall of the shell.
3. A herniated disc is when the nucleus actually penetrates the fibrous wall spilling out into the inter-vertebra cavity. This is also called a ruptured disc.
4. An earlier injury may be the partial cause of disc degeneration, but not necessarily. Degeneration is a much slower onset and is due to age, poor health and poor posture. All these combined gradually wear the disc down. The disc loses its height and elasticity. As it loses height it begins to allow the vertebra to touch and rub. This in itself can be painful and will likely result in osteophyte formations (bone spurs on the outer rim of the vertebrae). Signs of early disc degeneration are referred to as disc thinning.
No matter your disc ailment, believe it or not there is something you can do. Discs can heal if given the opportunity. That opportunity is in the form of added space. All of the above ailments are caused by either a onetime violent squeeze on the disc or a life time of squeezing from gravitational effects. Either way the disc's natural residing area was compromised forcing it to flatten. With no room to spare in the inter-vertebral disc space, the disc, or parts of it, is forced out. Or in the case of degeneration, cell by cell, over time the disc dissipates.
Give the disc back its original space and the disc will reassume its original shape...and heal! Well, most likely. Extremity of the injury or the advancement of the degeneration may be deterring factors...as will age and patient's overall health.
How do you give a disc more space? Depends on who you ask. A surgical procedure is likely to be suggested by a surgeon should you ask one. In surgery the surgeon would either cut off the herniation or carve into the vertebra to create more room. Or even more extreme, he may recommend a spinal fusion of the two vertebrae in question thus totally eliminating the need for the disc altogether.
A chiropractor will tell you otherwise--particularly a chiro who specializes in decompression therapy. Modern decompression therapy involves computer guided micro adjustments that can target the specific disc in question. The adjustments expand or stretch the two vertebrae thus creating more inter-vertebral disc space. The result is the disc distracts back into its place and begins the healing process. Full distraction is accomplished over the course of 15 to 30 sessions. These sessions may be augmented with a decompression brace.
Exercise and good health are very important and will make a huge difference in not only helping your body heal its disc problems, but with preventing injury or degeneration in the first place. This is especially true with degenerative disc disease. Natural weight-bearing forces can be kept off your discs if you keep your core muscles, (the ones responsible for lower spine support). It is these weight-bearing forces that, over time, wreak havoc on your discs and promote degeneration.
Copyright (c) 2010 Michael W Harris
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