Degenerative disc disease is one of the most common causes of low back and neck pain, and also one of the most misunderstood. Here are some things you should know.
The term, degenerative does not apply to the symptoms, but rather describes the process of the disc degenerating over time. Many times those with a diagnosis of degenerative disc disease are fearful that the pain will worsen and they will be crippled and confined to a wheelchair; however, the pain from degenerative disc disease usually does not get worse and in fact usually gets better given enough time. This is explained by what is known as degenerative cascade theory.
Kirkaldy-Willis was the first to describe the degenerative cascade of degenerative disc disease. There are three general stages to his theory:
There is significant dysfunction caused by the acute back pain of the injury.
Next, there is a long phase of relative instability at that particular vertebral segment and the patient will be prone to intermittent bouts of back pain.
Finally, the body re-stabilizes the segment and the patient experiences fewer episodes of back pain.
Another source of confusion is created by using the term “disease,” which is actually a misnomer. Degenerative disc disease is not really a disease at all, but rather a degenerative condition that at times can produce pain from a damaged disc.
Disc degeneration is a natural part of aging. Over time all people will exhibit changes in their discs. However, not all people will develop symptoms. In fact, degenerative disc disease is quite variable in its nature and severity.
Much confusion also stems from the fact that medical professionals don’t agree on what the phrase degenerative disc disease actually describes. And how can they when the medical textbooks rarely attempt to give an accurate description?
While debate and confusion surround degenerative disc disease, it is important to note that disc degeneration can lead to or hasten the onset of additional spinal conditions. So, it is essential and responsible to pay attention to your back pain and seek medical attention to help with symptoms. Just don’t panic, one or a combination of treatments such as physical therapy, chiropractic treatments or osteopathic manipulation, often provide adequate relief of troubling symptoms.
According to the American Chiropractic Institute, 9 out of 10 Americans suffer from headaches at least occasionally. Some of you suffer on a more consistent basis.
Bright lights, noise or general anxiety can cause headaches. Even certain foods may trigger headaches in some people.
Did you know chiropractic care can offer headache relief? In fact, a 1995 study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that spinal adjustments helped study participants suffering from headaches. The study found regular chiropractic treatment reduces tension headaches.
Do You Spend Hours at the Computer?
One way chiropractic care can help is by re aligning the neck.
Millions of Americans spend hours a day at a computer. This often leads to stiffness and muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. Prolonged tension can cause headaches. If you move around and stretch at least once an hour, you’ll help keep the blood flowing in your neck and release some stiffness.
Plus, you’ll want to make sure your workspace is ergonomically sound. One adjustment you can make is raising your computer monitor so it’s eye level. That adjustment protects your neck and shoulders so they can stay relaxed rather than straining.
You might be surprised to learn, 70% of all headache sufferers have an impairment in their cervical spine. That’s not surprising if you’re sitting for extended periods of time with less than optimal posture is it?
The National Institute of Health agrees that chiropractic care can offer headache relief. Particularly for those suffering with migraines, spinal manipulation helped.
In makes sense when you think about it. When your body is out of alignment, pressure is exerted where it shouldn’t be causing irritation and tension. Chiropractic treatment relieves that pressure. Studies show it’s more effective than medication.
Your chiropractor can make recommendations for you and prescribe a course of action that’s right for you.
If you’re seeking headache relief, consider chiropractic care. It’s time you feel better.
Do you know the health benefits of massage? Massage therapy relieves stress and pain related to headaches, fibromyalgia and a host of other issues to promote healing. Chiropractic care keeps your spine aligned. They each promote a strong immune system and keep you feeling healthy.
If you think about it it makes sense. Massage therapy manipulates your tendons, muscles and fascia while chiropractic care aligns your bone structure. They work well in tandem.
Work with Your Body’s Natural Tendencies
You’ve probably heard of muscle memory. That’s when you learn a skill like riding a bike and once your muscles understand the motions, you never forget it, even if you go for years between riding.
It works the same when your body is out of alignment.
Let’s say you’ve been involved in a left turn accident that messed up your shoulder and you have found it hard to manage to do daily tasks, you may find that a chiropractor can help ease the pain and put your body back into alignment. If you get a massage then too, the massage will help your muscles stay in alignment.
If you don’t do either one, your body can create new alignments and eventually new pains. For example, let’s look at the car accident example above. If you have a shoulder knocked out of alignment and you don’t seek treatment it will cause your spine and neck to compensate for the misalignment. This can lead to more pain down the road. Injuries resulting from car accidents are not uncommon and can sometimes be quite nasty. If you have been involved in such an incident, you might want to reach out to a car accident lawyer.
Essentially, it’s like this.
Massage therapy works well in conjunction with chiropractic care because they support one another. When your mis aligned spine is put back into alignment with by a chiropractor, massage helps it to stay there because it’s working with the muscles to support the work the chiropractor has done.
Many chiropractic offices offer massage therapy has part of their treatment process. You’ll get the most benefits by combining the two.
In the Doylestown area, Dr. Jeff McQuaite’s office offers massage therapy to area residents who want to feel better.
If you suffer with rheumatoid arthritis, you know the feeling of swollen, painful joints and fatigue.
Yet, you may not know the cause.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an auto-immune disease. What that means is, your brain sends the wrong messages to itself. It creates a cycle of inflammation in an attempt to heal what it perceives as a problem.
The Inflammation Problem
You may have heard of the inflammation cascade.
Inflammation is your body’s way of dealing with stress and sickness. But it can be a lot for anyone to deal with if they are suffering from chronic pain. This is where the help of sites like https://thegreenace.ca/ may come in handy. After all, there are many groups doing research into the health benefits of the chemicals found within cannabis products, and initial results seem to indicate that cbd for arthritis is a valid medical choice.
Additionally, the cascade occurs when your body dumps chemicals into your bloodstream and causes inflammation. This is completely normal.
Here’s an example, if you cut your finger while chopping vegetables, your body sends a flood of white blood cells to kill off any potential bacteria. Your finger will swell and feel tender.
This is an important part of healing.
The problem is when your body doesn’t know when to stop. That’s the problem with an auto-immune disease like rheumatoid arthritis.
Your nerves send the message to your brain that something is wrong so the brain releases the chemicals that cause inflammation so your body can heal. Your joints may be swollen and tender. You may feel tired all the time. That sends more signals to your body that something is wrong.
This vicious cycle suppresses your immune system. A chiropractor can reverse this process.
How Chiropractic Care Relieves Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain
Subluxation is the medical term for spinal misalignment. This misalignment leads to pressure and irritation of your nerves. Your nerves send stress messages to your brain. As you’ve seen above, that leads to inflammation.
If you can take the pressure off your nerve endings and allow the correct messages to move from your brain to your nerves, you can reduce this cycle.
That’s where chiropractic care comes in. It can help by re aligning your spine.
By re aligning your spine, your body will be under less stress which improves your immune system and creates less inflammation. It creates a health cycle.
Plus, if rheumatoid arthritis has left you with stiff joints, chiropractic care can help you gain more mobility within them. This means you’ll have a greater range of motion eventually. However, for now, you might want to consider adding a stairlift to your home to make it easier for any rheumatoid arthritis sufferers in your home. People who have mobility issues, such as those elderly people who find it difficult to move around their home, might benefit from adding one of these devices as it will allow them to travel from the bottom floor of their home, to the top floor. This can save them from having to consider entering retirement homes, as people suffering with mobility should be able to become more independent.
Chiropractor Dr. Jeff McQuaite in Doylestown, Pa, works with patients who have rheumatoid arthritis so you feel better. Make your appointment today and get on your way to health.
The Doylestown Food Pantry, run by the Bucks County Housing Group is in DIRE need of non-perishable food donations. They are having record numbers of families from our community coming in on a weekly basis, and they need our help. From now through November 9, 2013, we will be having a food drive to hopefully “Pack the Pantry”.
We will be accepting donations at our Doylestown chiropractic office during normal office hours. We are located directly across from C.B. West. Some of the items needed are:
Soups
Gravy
Rice
Beans
Canned fruit
Coffee, tea, hot chocolate
Cereal
Snacks
Canned pasta
Juice
Canned meats
Monetary donations will also be gladly accepted.
A little help goes a long way, so let’s help our neighbors who may be a little less fortunate.
You can have a herniated disc and not even know it. That’s because the symptoms can be in your leg, foot or other body part that doesn’t seem related. Of course, all of your body’s movements are related to your spine in some manner so it is related.
You can have a herniated disc in your lower back or your neck area. Here are some common symptoms.
The most common signs for a herniated disc in the lower back (lumbar) are:
Leg pain – Some refer to this as “sciatica”. You may also experience “foot drop” (pain in ankle, weakness when raising the big toe).
You may also experience the radiation of pain down the sole of your foot and outside the foot.
The most common signs for a herniated disc in the neck (cervical region) are:
Weakness in the deltoid muscle in the upper arm or shoulder pain.
Weakness in biceps in the front of upper arm and wrist extensor muscles. This can be actual pain or “tingling” radiating to thumb side of the hand.
Weakness in triceps in back of upper arm to forearm and extensor muscles of fingers.
You may also experience pain, numbness or weakness when gripping with the hand down arm to little finger side of hand.
What exactly is a herniated disc?
The problem occurs with one of the rubbery cushions (discs) between the individual bones (vertebrae). This spinal disc has a “jelly” like interior (nucleus pulpous) and a tougher exterior (annulus fibrosis). A slipped/ruptured disc is when the softer middle pushes out through a crack in the tougher exterior. This irritates surrounding nerves causing pain.
The process happens in four stages:
Disc degeneration – The disc is starting to dry out and is less able to absorb shock of movements.
Prolapse – The form and position of the disc changes causing a slight bulge to begin to form.
Extrusion – The jelly like nucleus breaks through.
Sequestration – The nucleus pulposus breaks through and moves outside the disc in the spinal canal.
The causes of a herniated disc are not always the result of a tragic accident, but are commonly a result of the following:
Most often result from gradual, age-related wear and tear.
Lifting with back muscles instead of leg/thigh muscles.
Twisting/turning while lifting.
Subluxation – One or more of the bones of your spine move out of position.
Risk factors for herniated disc conditions:
Age – Usually seen between 35 and 45 with 35% appearing in males and 45% in females.
Weight – Being overweight strains your body.
Occupation – Those with physically demanding jobs, repetitive lifting, pulling or pushing and bending sideways/twisting are most at risk.
So…can your chiropractor help you with your herniated disc? Yes! Chiropractors are the only healthcare professionals with years of training to specifically address this type condition. They are trained to locate, reduce or correct subluxations by decompressing the vertebrae allowing the disc to heal itself without medications or surgery.
On initial examination, your Chiropractor will look for intact reflexes, loss of muscle strength and/or signs of muscle wasting, and loss of sensation along the path of the nerve. Diagnostic methods such as x-ray or MRI can determine some of this. The chiropractor will also conduct a complete spinal evaluation and careful exam of posture.
Some of the options for treatment are:
Spinal manipulation – Gentle/Low force techniques such as Flexion Distraction or Pelvic Blocking.
Manual Therapy – Ice and or ultrasound in the initial phase as well as guarded stretching exercises.
Therapeutic exercises
Decompression (traction)
Back brace specially fitted to address the injured area
Supplements to replace the lost glucose amino chondroitin
With either some or all of the above, a herniated disc takes approximately 12 weeks to heal.
Another source of confusion is created by using the term “disease,” which is actually a misnomer. Degenerative disc disease is not really a disease at all, but rather a degenerative condition that at times can produce pain from a damaged disc.
