Oxford Exercise and Manipulation May Help Get Water into Disc

Water is central to the body. Water makes up about half of the body. The spinal disc is composed of around 80% water. Disc degeneration involves the loss of disc hydration and water. Chiropractic manages disc problems like disc degeneration with a variety of approaches. Exercise helps with water diffusion into the disc. Spinal manipulation boosts diffusion of water into the disc. Drinking water can’t but help!  Satterwhite Chiropractic uses spinal manipulation to take care of our spine pain patients experiencing Oxford back pain and neck pain and related arm and leg pain and suggests exercise to increase the effects of spinal manipulation to improve the health 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 described how muscles, tendons and bone do respond well, so they looked at the disc to see if it does.  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 did not discover a benefit; however, at 3 months the imaging exhibited increased L5S1 diffusion coefficients. They did explain that other types of low back pain sufferers may respond differently. (1) Interesting. The increased 'apparent diffusion coefficients' is promising though 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 demonstrated a higher apparent diffusion coefficient for disc diffusion of water. (2) If exercise can enhance that even a bit, it has a place in back and neck pain management. At the very least, a Oxford back pain sufferer may well improve the chances of responding to conservative care by maximizing the water content of disc with exercise and spinal manipulation!

Oxford 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 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 reported that changes in the diffusion of water within the the L1-2, L2-3, and L5S1 discs were seen after only one treatment of spinal manipulation. (4) Satterwhite 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 Oxford spine pain patients.

CONTACT Satterwhite 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 Oxford chiropractic appointment soon. Your body survives on water. Disc degeneration is a loss of water. Satterwhite Chiropractic guides Oxford chiropractic patients toward healthier discs with spinal manipulation and exercise to coost water content.