Water is essential to the body. The body is
composed of around 50% water. The
spinal disc has around 80% water. Disc
degeneration entails the loss of water and disc hydration. Chiropractic manages disc problems
like disc degeneration with a variety of forms of care.
Exercise assists water diffusion into the disc. Spinal manipulation
enhances diffusion of water into the disc. Drinking water can’t
hurt either! Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC uses
spinal manipulation to take care of our spine pain patients suffering
with La Grande back pain and neck pain and related arm
and leg pain and suggests exercise to enhance
the effects of spinal manipulation to improve the health of the
spinal disc.
DIFFUSION OF WATER INTO THE DISC VIA EXERCISE
Can exercise benefit the intervertebral disc in
non-specific low back pain sufferers? Researchers described how
muscles, tendons and bone do respond well, so they turned to the disc to see if it would. One new study used
imaging to learn. On T2-weighted MRI imaging after 6
months of exercise in this type
of patient, the non-specific low back pain patient, the researchers did
not uncover a benefit; however, at
3 months the imaging showed higher L5S1
diffusion coefficients. They stated that other
types of low back pain sufferers may respond differently. (1) Interesting. The increased 'apparent diffusion coefficients' is
promising though when we consider other articles
about diffusion of water into the disc. Wong pointed out
that non-specific low back pain patients who responded with greater than 30%
relief to spinal manipulation therapy compared with non-responders showed
a higher apparent diffusion coefficient for disc
diffusion of water. (2) If exercise can boost that even a little,
it has a place in neck and back pain management.
If nothing else, a La Grande back pain
sufferer may well improve the chances of responding
to conservative care by raising the water content of disc with
exercise and spinal manipulation!
La Grande SPINAL MANIPULATION AND WATER DIFFUSION
INTO THE DISC
Studies of manual therapy and traction effects on the
intervertebral disc in back pain patients showed
that there is an impact on the physiology (the structure and
function) of the disc mainly via water diffusion and molecular
transport. Both of these are important for a healthy disc. (3)
Beattie reported that changes in the water
diffusion within the discs at L1-2, L2-3, and L5S1 were observed after only one
treatment of spinal manipulation. (4) Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC uses the
gentle distraction treatment called Cox Technic spinal manipulation to make a push-pull-pumping effect on the disc and its endplates to encourage the disc to imbibe fluid into the disc help our
La Grande spine pain patients.
CONTACT Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he further discusses
the process of disc degeneration and how Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction helps
in its care via manipulation.
Set up your La Grande
chiropractic appointment now. Your body survives on water. Degenerated discs lose water. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
guides La Grande chiropractic patients toward
healthier discs with spinal manipulation and exercise to enhance water content.