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Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn Explains Degenerative Disc Disease and How Nutrition Helps

Usual questions of Ashburn back pain sufferers at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn sound something like this: “What is Ashburn degenerative disease?” (Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn can explain what degenerative disc disease at the drop of a hat!) and “Will nutrition help?” (“Yes!”)

WHAT IS DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE?

Degenerative disc disease results often from normal, age-related changes that happen in the discs of the spine that produce pain. The spinal discs function like shock absorbers between the vertebral bones of your spine. As discs degenerate, they don’t do their job very well. A discs’ health depends on the health of surrounding structures as much as its own health. The cartilage endplates play a huge role in the health of the disc. Unhealthy endplates do, also, as they may play a part in degenerative disc disease.

HOW CHIROPRACTIC CARE AND NUTRITION HELP DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE

Chiropractic care at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn manages disc health from both the inside and outside. The disc requires some special nutritional elements to keep it healthy and strong, ready to preserve the mobility of the spine. It calls for glucose, glycosaminoglycan, calcium, magnesium, chondroitin sulfate, and more. It obtains these nutrients through the cartilaginous endplates that border it above and below (70%) and from the sides of the disc (30%). The cartilage endplates of the disc that are adjacent to the vertebral bodies of the spine provide a major path for nutrients to get into the disc. Permeability of the cartilage endplate rises as it ages and degenerates. Degeneration of the cartilage endplate is linked to the initiation of cell starvation and death of the disc due to poor nutrition. Degeneration of the cartilage endplate may well be to blame for mechanical load-induced dehydration of the disc’s nucleus pulposus and decreased levels of glucose in the nucleus pulposus (inner gel of the disc)-annulus fibrosus (outer bands of the disc) connection area. (Read more about disc nutrition with glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate.) (1) The endplates are vital to the disc’s health. When the endplates are damaged by degenerative changes, they can’t perform their job of transporting nutrients into the disc. One study emphasizes this issue by describing how severe inhibition in the endplate nutritional pathways likely leads to intervertebral disc disruption. (2) Additionally, a good night’s rest may be good for more than beauty! Lying down even for a short time allows an increase in the cervical spine and thoracic intervertebral discs’ hydration volume. (3) Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn cares for the disc from the inside with nutrition and the outside with sleep recommendations in addition to spinal manipulation.

Ashburn CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT HELPS DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE

While resting recumbent unloads the spine, dynamic loading of the spine is beneficial, too. How? It comes back to those cartilage endplates once again.  Cartilage endplates’ ability to allow flow of nutrients depends on its porosity. The more porous and healthy the endplates are, the more flow of nutrients is permitted. The less porous, less hydrated, more degenerated the endplates are, the less flow of nutrients is allowed. Recent research today describes the benefits of dynamic loading (as opposed to static loading) on nutrient transport into the disc via cartilage endplates. (4) Chiropractic spinal manipulation is dynamic treatment of the spine. The protocols of Cox® Technic focus on individual segments of the spine to increase motion where disc degeneration may be present. It is gentle, relieving care delivered every day at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn!

CONTACT Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Sylvia Hrefna from Iceland on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she discusses her relieving care with Cox® Technic of a patient with disc degeneration in her cervical spine, the second of two cases in this podcast. 

Schedule a Ashburn chiropractic appointment for your degenerated discs. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn has a treatment plan of spinal manipulation and nutrition to assist you in finding some relief of pain because of degenerative disc disease.  
 
Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn treats degenerative disc disease with chiropractic treatment and nutritional interventions.  
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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."