Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD)? Is There Anything You Can Do For It?
Posted Jun 02 2009 4:34pm
San Francisco Chiropractor and Spinal Decompression Doctor comments:
Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) is very common. What happens is the spinal discs wear out faster than they should because of abnormal wear and tear. Just like the tread on a car tire will wear abnormally if you drive really hard or don't keep the front end aligned-- so will the spinal discs if the spine is out of alignment. Often overlooked, are lifestyle factors involved with disc degeneration. The spinal discs, just like the rest of the body, need a healthy context to stay healthy.
So, what you eat, what you drink, your stress levels, and the amount of exercise you get, play a big part also. Smokers are more prone to degenerative disc disease, as are people that are obese (more stress on the discs).
In order for the spinal discs to function properly and do what they are supposed to do, which is hold the spinal bones together (the discs are spinal ligaments) and act as shock absorbers, the vertebrae need to be in their proper alignment. When the vertebrae are in alignment, the spine forms three nice curves that act as resistance to the forces of gravity and motion.
When the spinal bones (vertebrae) are out of alignment (subluxation) abnormal forces are put on the spinal discs which cause them to degenerate. This is not good because as the discs degenerate they lose height which brings the spinal bones closer together. Since spinal nerves exit from in between vertebrae, as the bones come closer together they can offend and irritate the same nerves they protect when they are in proper alignment.
Here's another problem...As spinal discs weaken and degenerate (degenerative disc disease) the center of the disc can push through the outer containment walls and put pressure on the nerves as they exit from the spine. We call this a herniated disc or a ruptured disc. Often times this can lead to back or neck surgery.
So what can be done to prevent degenerative disc disease(DDD) and disc herniations, and what can you do if you have these degenerative spinal conditions already?
San Francisco Chiropractor and Spinal Decompression Doctor comments:
So, what you eat, what you drink, your stress levels, and the amount of exercise you get, play a big part also. Smokers are more prone to degenerative disc disease, as are people that are obese (more stress on the discs).
In order for the spinal discs to function properly and do what they are supposed to do, which is hold the spinal bones together (the discs are spinal ligaments) and act as shock absorbers, the vertebrae need to be in their proper alignment. When the vertebrae are in alignment, the spine forms three nice curves that act as resistance to the forces of gravity and motion.
When the spinal bones (vertebrae) are out of alignment (subluxation) abnormal forces are put on the spinal discs which cause them to degenerate. This is not good because as the discs degenerate they lose height which brings the spinal bones closer together. Since spinal nerves exit from in between vertebrae, as the bones come closer together they can offend and irritate the same nerves they protect when they are in proper alignment.
Here's another problem...As spinal discs weaken and degenerate (degenerative disc disease) the center of the disc can push through the outer containment walls and put pressure on the nerves as they exit from the spine. We call this a herniated disc or a ruptured disc. Often times this can lead to back or neck surgery.
So what can be done to prevent degenerative disc disease(DDD) and disc herniations, and what can you do if you have these degenerative spinal conditions already?