Spinal Decay

Have you heard of spinal decay? I'll bet that you've heard of tooth decay! Spinal decay is a major problem affecting our health today! One of the difficulties in confronting the problem of spinal decay is the fact that unlike your teeth, you cannot see your spine. Also, health problems that are caused by spinal decay may not be readily associated with the spine. What all this means is that spinal decay is a hidden problem that you may not even know you have until it is too late!

Spinal decay is also known as spinal degeneration, subluxation degeneration, and/or degenerative disc disease. It is a degenerative process that, when the cause is not corrected, worsens over time, often without obvious symptoms.

You may be wondering, what causes spinal decay? Most often, it is an uncorrected trauma to the spine. Examples of these traumas include, but are not limited too;
-Slips and falls (like on the ice in winter)
-Accidents (auto, sports)
-Poor ergonomics (whether at work or in sports)
-Learning to walk
-Birth!

The spine, having experienced this trauma, loses it proper, natural curve. When this is lost, your spine's range of motion, or ability to properly bend and twist, is reduced at specific joints. When this happens, other areas of the spine must move more than they should to compensate. This can set off a chain reaction of health problems in other areas of the body. How?

This phenomenon is explained easily by a metaphor called the safety pin cycle. Imagine a closed safety pin. It forms a complete loop. At the top is the brain, which communicates with the rest of the body via the peripheral nerves, and vice versa. The brain and the peripheral nerves are connected by the spinal cord. The spinal cord is housed in and protected by the bones of the spinal column. When one of the bones of the spinal column is out of place, or one of the joints of the spinal column is not moving properly, irritation of the nerves occurs. This irritation interferes with the proper communication between the brain and the peripheral nerves and vice versa. Think of it like the safety pin is now open. The loop is no longer complete, and communication cannot properly occur.

Two of the problems associated with spinal decay is the formation of bone spurs and the herniation of intervertebral discs due to their degeneration. These are two ways in which direct pressure can be put on nerves. Nerve damage and interference begins with only 30 mmHg pressure. This didn't mean much to me when I first heard it, however, it equates to approximately the weight of a nickel lying on your hand. That's not much! It is important to keep in mind that most nerve interference is not caused by direct nerve pressure. When the spinal joint are not moving properly, irritating chemicals are released, which lower the pain receptor firing threshold in you spine. This explains why normally non-painful movements become so painful.

Now imagine that you've had an uncorrected trauma (I'll bet you can think of at least one). How does your body deal with these improperly moving joints and malpositioned bones? In the early stages of the degeneration process the normal curvatures of your spine are reduced, and calcium begins to be deposited in the soft tissue (such as ligaments, connective tissue, and intervertebral disc margins) around the poorly functioning joints. This is the beginning of your body's effort to protect itself from further injury.

In later stages of spinal decay, you may see a reversal of the normal spinal curvature, further development of bone spurs, and possibly even fusion of the spinal joint. This is the end stage of spinal decay. Once fusion has occurred, your only options are surgery and palliative care (drugs to relieve the pain).

Many people think that spinal decay is a normal part of the aging process. While it is a problem we often see in elderly patients, it is NOT normal. With proper spinal maintenance throughout your lifetime you should be able to maintain a healthy spine. It is important to remember that it is normal and natural to get older, however, it is not normal to get older and suffer with pain!

So how do you know if you've got spinal decay? This is difficult for most of us, because it is usually a silent problem until the later stages. No obvious symptoms may be present early. In the later stages, numbness, tingling, pain, and altered sensations show up in the arms, legs and back. Also, because the nerves of the mid-back are responsible for communication with the internal organs, you may have problems that you would never associate with spinal decay that are in fact caused by just that. The best way to know if you have spinal decay and to avoid the problems associated with it are to have regular checks of your spine by your chiropractor. We are trained to locate and correct specific problem areas of the spine to restore proper structure and function, and therefore proper nerve communication. It's just like brushing your teeth to avoid tooth decay!

Many patients come to a chiropractor because they have back pain and then discontinue care once that pain has been relieved. This is a huge mistake! One of the first things to improve with chiropractic care is usually pain. However, that does not mean that the underlying problem has been corrected. Your body has adapted to the improper positioning and function, and has to be retrained to make the proper correction. Just as it took time for the pain to develop, it will take time for it to be corrected. One of the reasons most often cited for dropping out of care before the problem is corrected is because insurance will no longer cover treatment. At Main Street Chiropractic Center we have affordable wellness care plans available for you and your entire family, that will work for any budget! If you know of someone you love who you would like to see live a life free of spinal decay, have them call today and set up an appointment. If they tell us about this article, the first appointment will be 50% off!

So remember, brush your teeth, and have your spine checked regularly!