Degenerative disc disease is the most common type of spinal degeneration. The condition is characterized by a loss of function of vertebral bones (and discs). Multiple underlying conditions lead to degeneration of your spine. The most prevalent causes of spinal degeneration include:
- Aging: With progressing age, there is wear and tear in all the joints, including vertebral joints.
- Arthritis: A major contributor to spinal bone breakdown is osteoarthritis. Another type of arthritis i.e., rheumatoid arthritis can also lead to degeneration.
- Disc Herniations: Spinal degeneration resulting from a slipped disc is seen in numerous cases.
- Spinal stenosis: Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis is the most frequent cause of low back pain in old patients. It is commonly associated with spinal stenosis.
Spinal degenerative disorders frequently cause lower back pain and neuropathic symptoms like burning, tingling, and paresthesias, etc. Patients suffer from reduced mobility and range of motion. This reduces the quality of life and further worsens the condition. Mostly older patients encounter these problems, therefore, healing is slow and disease progression leads to loss of function and mobility.
One of the most potent treatment strategies for managing all such disorders is chiropractic treatment. This is because a chiropractic adjustment is non-invasive and shows promising results in alleviating symptoms.
How Chiropractic Adjustment Helps Spinal Degeneration Conditions?
Chiropractors can improve the life quality of a spinal degeneration patient in multiple ways. Most chiropractors opt for joint stretching to realign the spine (bones and the muscles). The equal distribution of forces on your back eliminates many problems. Sometimes, chiropractors may choose instrument-aided spinal correction such as the flexion-distraction technique. Studies show that flexion-distraction decreases pain and improves function in degenerative disc disease patients.
Going to the chiropractor has numerous benefits, some of which are mentioned below:
Relieves Pressure from Vertebrae
As spinal degeneration may be triggered by a herniated disc, repositioning the intervertebal disc takes away the source of damage. Chiropractic adjustment effectively regresses lumbar disc herniation and improves symptoms of degeneration.
Improves Mobility and Flexibility
Spinal manipulation and decompression strategies not only minimize pain and neuropathic symptoms but also improve joint mobility. A clinical trial revealed that spinal manipulation enhanced spinal mobility and hip flexion, and improved self-perceived pain in degenerative disc disease patients.
Halts The Progress of Disease
Chiropractic sessions improve the blood supply of the spine. This promotes natural healing of the body. Patients report significant improvements in the condition and enjoy a boost in generalized well-being. This strengthens the mind and body and thus, halts the further progression of the disease.
Spinal Degeneration Management at The Legacy Clinic of Chiropractic
The Legacy Clinic of Chiropractic offers highly effective treatment modalities to manage and halt the progression of spinal degeneration. So, you can enjoy a pain-free, active life with the right chiropractic treatment.
Conclusion
Multiple conditions like trauma, aging, arthritis, and disc slippage can cause spinal bones to degenerate. This leads to radiating pain, burning/tingling sensations, and muscle weakness, etc. Chiropractic treatment strategies (like joint stretching, and flexion distraction techniques) and decompression help relieve symptoms. This non-invasive procedure realigns the herniated disc, improves spinal mobility, and halts the progression of the disease. This leads to significant relief and enhanced quality of life.
References
- Siemionow, K., An, H., Masuda, K., Andersson, G., & Cs-Szabo, G. (2011). The effects of age, sex, ethnicity, and spinal level on the rate of intervertebral disc degeneration: a review of 1712 intervertebral discs. Spine, 36(17), 1333-1339.
- Fine, N., Lively, S., Séguin, C. A., Perruccio, A. V., Kapoor, M., & Rampersaud, R. (2023). Intervertebral disc degeneration and osteoarthritis: a common molecular disease spectrum. Nature Reviews Rheumatology, 19(3), 136-152.
- Koban, O., Öğrenci, A., Akar, E. A., Uyanık, A. S., Yılmaz, M., & Dalbayrak, S. (2021). Radiological and clinical comparisons of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis operated with rigid and dynamic instrumentation systems due to lumbar degenerative spinal diseases. Journal of Orthopaedic Science, 26(3), 369-374.
- Kirnaz, S., Capadona, C., Wong, T., Goldberg, J. L., Medary, B., Sommer, F., … & Härtl, R. (2022). Fundamentals of intervertebral disc degeneration. World neurosurgery, 157, 264-273.
- Hennemann, S., & Abreu, M. R. D. (2021). Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis. Revista brasileira de ortopedia, 56(1), 9-17.
- Buser, Z., Ortega, B., D’Oro, A., Pannell, W., Cohen, J. R., Wang, J., … & Wang, J. C. (2018). Spine degenerative conditions and their treatments: national trends in the United States of America. Global spine journal, 8(1), 57-67.
- Pi, T., & Chung, Y. (2021). Immediate effect of flexion-distraction spinal manipulation on intervertebral height, pain, and spine mobility in patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease. Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science, 10(2), 235-243.
- Chu, E. C., Chakkaravarthy, D. M., Lo, F. S., & Bhaumik, A. (2020). Regression of lumbar disc herniation following non-surgical treatment. European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine, 7(1), 27-79.
- Vieira-Pellenz, F., Oliva-Pascual-Vaca, Á., Rodriguez-Blanco, C., Heredia-Rizo, A. M., Ricard, F., & Almazán-Campos, G. (2014). Short-term effect of spinal manipulation on pain perception, spinal mobility, and full height recovery in male subjects with degenerative disk disease: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 95(9), 1613-1619.
