McHenry Exercise and Manipulation May Help Get Water into Disc

Water is essential to the body. Water makes up about half of the body. The spinal disc is composed of about 80% water. Disc degeneration involves the loss of disc hydration and water. Chiropractic manages disc problems like disc degeneration with various forms of care. Exercise assists water diffusion into the disc. Spinal manipulation boosts diffusion of water into the disc. Drinking water can’t but help!  OrthoIllinois Chiropractic utilizes spinal manipulation to take care of our spine pain patients experiencing McHenry back pain and neck pain and related leg and arm pain and recommends exercise to boost 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 reported that muscles, tendons and bone do respond positively, so they looked at the disc to see if it would.  One new study made use of 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 didn’t uncover a benefit; however, at 3 months the imaging exhibited higher L5S1 diffusion coefficients. They did explain that other types of low back pain sufferers may respond differently. (1) That’s noteworthy. The increased 'apparent diffusion coefficients' is promising though when we look at 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 diffusion of water into the disc. (2) If exercise can boost that even a bit, it has a spot in back and neck pain management. If nothing else, a McHenry back pain sufferer may well improve the odds of responding to conservative care by raising the water content of disc with exercise and spinal manipulation!

McHenry SPINAL MANIPULATION AND WATER DIFFUSION INTO THE DISC

Studies of manual therapy and traction effects on the intervertebral disc in back pain patients demonstrated that there is an effect on the physiology (the structure and function) of the disc mainly via water diffusion and molecular transport. Both of these are vital for a healthy disc. (3) Beattie stated that changes in the water diffusion within the discs at L1-2, L2-3, and L5S1 were seen after only one treatment of spinal manipulation. (4) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic 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 imbibition of fluid into the disc help our McHenry spine pain patients.

CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic

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.

Make your McHenry chiropractic appointment soon. Your body survives on water. Degenerated discs lose water. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic guides McHenry chiropractic patients toward healthier discs with spinal manipulation and exercise to coost water content.