Richmond 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 has around 80% water. Disc degeneration entails the loss of disc hydration and water. Chiropractic takes care of disc problems like disc degeneration with various approaches. Exercise helps with water diffusion into the disc. Spinal manipulation enhances diffusion of water into the disc. Drinking water can’t hurt either!  Johnson Chiropractic implements spinal manipulation to take care of our spine pain patients suffering with Richmond back pain and neck pain and related leg and arm pain and suggests exercise to increase the effects of spinal manipulation to take care of the spinal disc.

DIFFUSION OF WATER INTO THE DISC VIA EXERCISE

Can exercise help the intervertebral disc in non-specific low back pain sufferers? Researchers reported that muscles, tendons and bone do respond well, so they turned to the disc to see if it would.  One new study made use of imaging to see. On T2-weighted MRI imaging after six months of exercise in the patient with non specific low back pain, the researchers did not uncover a benefit; however, at 3 months the imaging showed increased L5S1 diffusion coefficients. They explained that other types of low back pain sufferers may respond differently. (1) Interesting. The increased 'apparent diffusion coefficients' is promising yet when we read other articles about diffusion of water into the disc. Wong explained that non-specific low back pain patients who responded with greater than 30% relief to spinal manipulation therapy compared with non-responders demonstrated a higher apparent diffusion coefficient for diffusion of water into the disc. (2) If exercise can enhance that even a bit, it has a spot in neck and back pain management. At the very least, a Richmond back pain sufferer may well increase the chances of responding to conservative care by maximizing the water content of disc with exercise and spinal manipulation!

Richmond SPINAL MANIPULATION AND WATER DIFFUSION INTO THE DISC

Studies of manual therapy and traction effects on the intervertebral disc in back pain patients documented that there is an impact on the physiology (the structure and function) of the disc primarily via water diffusion and molecular transport. Both of these are important for a healthy disc. (3) Beattie stated that changes in the water diffusion within the the L1-2, L2-3, and L5S1 discs were appreciated after just one treatment of spinal manipulation. (4) Johnson 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 the disc to imbibe fluid into the disc help our Richmond spine pain patients.

CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he further describes the process of disc degeneration and how Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction helps in its care via manipulation.

Schedule your Richmond chiropractic appointment soon. Your body survives on water. Degenerated discs lose water. Johnson Chiropractic guides Richmond chiropractic back pain sufferers toward healthier discs with spinal manipulation and exercise to enhance water content.