La Grande 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 entails the loss of disc hydration and water. Chiropractic manages disc problems like disc degeneration with various approaches. Exercise assists water diffusion into the disc. Spinal manipulation enhances diffusion of water into the disc. Drinking water can’t hurt either! Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC implements spinal manipulation to take care of our spine pain patients experiencing La Grande back pain and neck pain and related leg and arm pain and suggests 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 turned to the disc to see if it would. One new study made use of imaging to find out. 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 though at 3 months the imaging showed 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 yet when we consider other articles about diffusion of water into the disc. Wong described 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 disc diffusion of water. (2) If exercise can enhance that even a little, it has a place in neck and back pain management. If nothing else, a La Grande back pain sufferer may well improve the chances of responding to conservative care by raising the water content of disc with exercise and spinal manipulation!
La Grande SPINAL MANIPULATION AND WATER DIFFUSION INTO THE DISC
Studies of manual therapy and traction effects on the intervertebral disc in back pain patients showed that there is an effect 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 wrote 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) Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC uses the gentle distraction treatment called Cox Technic spinal manipulation to create a push-pull-pumping effect on the disc and its endplates to encourage imbibition of fluid into the disc help our La Grande spine pain patients.
CONTACT Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
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.
Make your La Grande chiropractic appointment now. Your body survives on water. Disc degeneration is a loss of water. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC guides La Grande chiropractic patients toward healthier discs with spinal manipulation and exercise to enhance water content.
