Intervertebral spinal discs are located in between each vertebra and serve as a shock absorber for your spine. The discs have a pliable, plastic-like outer layer that maintains the disc’s shape while the inside has a jelly-like center. In order to keep your spinal discs healthy, we must first look at the anatomy of the disc.
The job of the disc is to help our spine move while serving as a shock absorber for gravity. Unfortunate injuries to the spine can begin a degenerative process that can eventually cause pain and stiffness. Sports injuries, improper posture, repetitive stress injuries as well as sudden traumas like car accident injuries or work injuries can lead to degenerative disc disease.
If the process progresses, the outer layer of the disc weakens and the jelly-like material may spill out onto the surrounding nerve roots. The result is a disc herniation that irritates nearby nerve roots causing symptoms like numbness, tingling, sciatica, stiffness, and radiating pain. There are specific herniated disc treatment doctors that treat these symptoms.
The best techniques to keep your spine healthy include movements that pump fluid into the jelly-like disc. Pumping fluid into the discs makes them strong and less likely to herniate.
Activities that build healthy intervertebral discs include:
- Bouncing on an exercise ball
- Yoga
- Fast paced walking
- Hiking (as long as you don’t already have a herniated disc)
- Swimming
The worst activity for your spine and discs includes sitting for prolonged periods of time.
Chiropractic care can slow down or prevent degenerative disc disease by eliminating the root cause of the problem—spinal alignment! Similar to a car’s tires wearing down when the car is out of alignment, your spinal discs wear down when your spine is not balanced. The least invasive way to treat spinal disc problems includes a combination of chiropractic care as well as the 5 activities listed above.
If you are searching for Chiropractors in Charlotte, contact Active Life Chiropractic, and learn about how Dr. Mason can help reduce neck and back pain due to spinal disc problems.