There have been MANY medical and surgical advances in the last decade, but there still hasn’t been a successful Full Spinal Transplant Surgery, which means you still only get One Spine! So it’s time to Take Care Of It, Nurture It, Heal It and be Grateful For It!
I see it all the time. A new patient or returning client comes in and says, the pain came back, the headaches are keeping them up at night, their bowels won’t move, their anxiety is taking over their lives. They want to start Yoga, Biking, Running, Weight lifting, but they can’t work out for more than 5 minutes without their spine and body starting to hurt.
Unfortunately, this is common. Human beings aren’t the best at motivating towards change without some pain. Which means that often times, the issues that are preventing them from doing what they want are things that probably could have been avoided or mitigated with some Preventative Care.
Chiropractic Care can be miraculous, and I’ve seen those miracles adjustments in my office, but I always say, it’s way easier to prevent a fire than it is to put one out. Maintenance and Nurturing of Spinal Health is a long term deal. It should be a Lifelong practice. Chiropractic is one of the Best ways to preserve the spine – LONG TERM.
Let’s get into some of the Biomechanical Breakdowns that can occur in the spine when we let things go or just avoid taking care of the body because there is a lack of symptoms.
Disc Degeneration – The jelly donut shaped, gelatinous/water-based shock absorbers between the vertebrae allow you as a human to move side to side, jump up and down and generally “load the spine” without the bones breaking. Over time, sedentary lifestyles, injuries and lack of Chiropractic Care can lead to the discs becoming less and less hydrated and eventually becoming unstable and prone to injury. When left along for years and years, the body starts to stabilize the joint in other ways, such as Arthritis and Calcification.
Arthritic Bone Growth – Like I mentioned above, the lack of movement over time in the body can lead to joints becoming less stable. The human body’s innate intelligence is very smart, and when there is a lack of stability, the body lays down more bone (arthritis) to stabilize these joints. Unfortunately for us, that new bone growth, also called osteophytes or spurs, can be painful and cause damage to ligaments and tendons around them.
Foraminal Encroachment – The Nerve Roots that come from your Spinal Cord and lead to your Organs and Muscles pass through tiny little holes called Foramen. These Foramen need to be free and clear of any Osteophytes or Bone Growth to prevent Nerve Root Irritation or Nerve Symptomatology. When the Bone spurs “encroach” on the foramen, all heck breaks loose, and this is when you start to have “Pinched Nerve” type symptoms. This Arthritic Bone Encroachment often times is irreversible and needs to be solved with Surgery. Avoiding this is very important for long term Spinal Health and Wellness.
Inflammatory Processes – After the Foramen have been effected, the body starts to send extra healing to that area in the form of Inflammation. Again, its the body’s very smart way of trying to help the problem, but Inflammation often times causes pain and a myriad of unwanted symptoms. Technically its a process that is needed by the body, but when it gets to this point, it will cause pain and suffering. Clearing that inflammation out of the joints, nerve roots and surrounding tissue can be very helpful, but if you don’t get to the root of the problem, it’s very possible the inflammation will return and the whole negative cycle will begin again.
Disc Herniations – Disc issues can often be due to Traumatic Injury or chronic overuse / microtrauma to the spine. People who work very physical jobs, or who are sedentary most of their days and lives will be prone to the jelly like substance in the disc to start to push out of the disc itself. There are many levels to these Herniations, from slight bulges all the way to the disc material bursting out of the disc and starting to float up and down the spinal column. Many disc herniations are asymptomatic until its too late, and research has shown that regular Chiropractic Care can UN-Herniated discs. Just another positive side effect of Getting Regular Chiropractic Care, no matter how you feel. These disc herniations/bulges/desiccations are often surgically repaired, but if you don’t change the environment that caused it in the first place, then you are prone to having a chronic issue come back and rear its ugly head again.
As you can see, getting adjusted regularly by a Chiropractor may just be one of the best decisions you can make for the health of your spine and nervous system!
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have and I hope to see you in the office soon!
