Chiropractic Helps With Back Disc Injuries
Disc injuries are one of the most common reasons for symptoms of back pain. In the United States, the direct annual medical expenditure on lower back pain exceeds $30 billion, which is in excess of the costs of coronary artery disease and the total costs of stroke, respiratory infection, rheumatoid disease and diabetes combined. Phew! That's a lot of back pain. If you don't want to spend your life savings dealing with spinal disc problems, learn how to take care of them now.
Let's look at the anatomy of the spinal disc and learn ways to protect all 23 of them!
The disc has 2 main parts; a gooey inside, and a tough fibrous outside. The jelly-like center aids in dispersing the force put into the spine. The fibrous circular outer layers seal in that gelatinous center, while also acting as an anchor to the spinal bones above and below it. The coupling of these structures together give the spine it's mobility and strength. The jelly center has a high-water content, approximately 70-90% of it is water. This can vary depending on activity, hydration levels, and age. Naturally as we age, this becomes drier and harder, making the spine stiff and rigid. However, this does not have to be the case with everyone!
The outer fibers are very tough, but over time can lose their structural integrity and fray. This weakens the tight seal on the bone and also allows that jelly center to ooze towards the weakened area of the outer disc. This is the most common cause of disc bulging or herniating! Once those outer fibers start to weaken, you are a ticking time bomb to bulge or herniate that disc. Lifting something that may have been easy before, is now a major hazard to the area. This is why most people who injure a disc, do it during the most simple of activities.
What can we all do to preserve the health of our discs?
- POSTURE! Training proper posture is strongly recommended. The spine is designed to be perfectly weight bearing it all directions. However in todays society, we are seeing a huge increase in posture related injuries and chronic pain with the new use of technology. This puts pressure on the discs in an uneven way, leading to early degeneration.
- Make your office/desk ergonomically correct
- Move daily!
- Hold your phone up high, don't look down at it
- Get professional assessment and correctional adjustments and exercises
- Strengthen back muscles
- GET ADJUSTED!
- Correct spinal misalignments that are putting pressure on the discs
- Correct postural distortions
- Decompress the disc spaces
- Increase fluid into the discs
- Balance spinal muscles
- DRINK MORE WATER! The discs are mainly made of water, hydrate appropriately.
Check out this video demonstrating the best way to exercise your spinal discs safely.
Come see a back disc specialist at Thrive Family Chiropractic today to ensure your spinal health! Call us today! 562-386-1415!

