Doctors like to picture them like jelly donuts. Very painful jelly donuts.
Age and exertion are the most common causes of spinal wear. Bones in our spine are not always the cause of back pains. Sometimes, it is what’s cushioning them that does it. Spinal discs are the rubbery material holding each individual vertebra together, acting as shock absorbers as well. When these intervertebral discs rupture, common nervous functions suffer. The area around the tear hurts a lot too.
The Spinal Jelly Donut
Spinal discs differ from the other cartilage found in our joints. They consist of two parts we will only mention once: the anulus fibrosus, which surrounds the nucleus pulposus, an inner gel-like center. People may feel pain in their limbs, numbness, tingling, and weakness if the disc’s center begins leaking.
Doctors link exterior tears with age, weight, occupation, and genetics. A herniated disc is a product of gradual wear and tear, or disc degeneration. Blunt force trauma rarely causes this, as diminishing flexibility is what usually causes the jelly donut’s outer layer to burst.
The Chiropractic Magic
Herniated discs are thankfully treatable without having to go under the knife. Spinal correction, or chiropractic, can gradually mend ruptured discs, restoring nervous function and eliminating back pain. Professionals from Denver Integrated Spine Center describe ruptured spinal disk chiropractic as composed of several procedures spread across a personalized treatment plan.
The flexion-distraction technique is the most common chiropractic treatment for herniated discs. This painless method uses a specialized table that “distracts” the spine. The chiropractor flexes the patient’s back in a pumping rhythm; isolating the affected area and helping the spinal disc assume its central position.
The spine is one of the most important parts of the human body. Experiencing symptoms of herniated discs should never be the cause of alarm, as chiropractic treatment is literally as easy as lying down and having your back treated. Like a massage, but more medically meaningful.
