The intervertebral disc is a cartilage pad that is situated between spinal bones. The soft jelly-like center is contained by layers of fibrous tissues. Each disc serves as a connector, spacer and shock absorber for the spine. When healthy, discs allow normal turning and bending. Discs can become injured suddenly with an acute injury or slowly over time from repetitive abnormal movements or from poor posture.
There are five types of disc injury:
-Bulging Disc: The soft jelly-like material in the middle of the disc is pushed to one side, forward or backward, and swelling occurs. The nucleus is still contained within the tough outer fibers of the disc, but still can cause pressure and painful symptoms. This tilts the vertebra straining or spraining the vertebral joints.
-Herniated Disc: Soft jelly-like material form the nucleus in the middle of the disc ruptures through the tough, outer fibers and extends to the outer edge or beyond the normal limits of the disc. Like a bubble on a bicycle tube. Can compress nerve tissue causing numbness, tingling and/or muscle weakness.
-Disc Tear: The most common disc injury is a small crack or microtear in the tough, outer cartilage material of the disc called annular fibers. This allows the fluid to start leaking out, and the disc begins to wear thin. Over time, spinal joints spread resulting in chronic pain and muscle spasm.
-Prolapsed Disc: A piece of disc material separates away and becomes a fragment or a free-floating piece. This is generally a surgical problem necessitating the removal of the fragment which usually compresses the nerve root that can permanently damage the spinal nerve.
-Dessicated Disc: The disc loses its fluid content and degenerates down to a rough, worn-down or worn-out appearance. This occurs as the bones begin to fuse to each other. Nerve roots become compressed resulting in on-going referred pain, muscle weakness and organic disease.
Spinal discs have an indirect blood supply. They depend on the normal spinal joint movement to pump blood into the disc, (osmosis). This process delivers nutrients and expels waste material. If the spinal joint loses motion, the pumping action is impaired resulting in disc degeneration. Like a wet sponge, a healthy disc is flexible. A dry sponge is hard, stiff and can crack easily. This is how many disc problems begin.
A disc doesn’t “slip”. Because of the way each disc is attached to the vertebra above and below it, a disc cannot “slip” as commonly thought. However, trauma or injury to the spine can cause discs to bulge, herniated. Or worse, rupture.
An MRI is the best approach in determining a disc injury. Your chiropractor can refer you to an imaging center and is trained in evaluating the findings of the diagnostic image.
The chiropractic approach to disc problems is to help restore better motion and position to the spinal joints. This is accomplished by specifically re-aligning the vertebrae. This allows the nucleus (jelly-like material) to align and center itself. Besides reducing disc bulging, better spinal function helps decrease inflammation so the slow process of healing the surrounding soft tissues can begin. Many patients have avoided needless surgery or a dependency on pain pills by choosing conservative chiropractic care.
Don’t fall into the misconception that loss of disc height is a normal process of aging. If this were true we would see all discs degenerating at the same pace. If we observe the surrounding discs we find that they are of normal height. Degeneration is a process of abnormal function resulting from injury or altered weight-bearing.
Choose chiropractic care as your first step in spinal complaints. Many select medications that cover up the symptoms as your condition slowly gets worse. Unfortunately many patients come to chiropractors as a last resort after months or years of unsuccessful treatment. Don’t think of the worse-case scenario first.
Should you or your family have any questions regarding spinal care don’t hesitate to call us at (541)330-5737.
Yours in Health,
Glenn J. Asti, D.C.