Aurora Chiropractic Center Sees Disc Disease in Young People
“You’re young! You don’t have to worry about back pain.” Not true! New research shows that young and old alike must contend with disc degeneration. Most of us will personally have to deal with disc degeneration’s pain at some point in our lives…or take care of a loved one coping with its back pain or neck pain ramifications. Aurora Chiropractic Center is here for young and old alike when Juneau disc degeneration interferes with your life.
DDD STARTS EARLIER THAN ONCE THOUGHT
It’s hard to believe, but it is documented in the medical literature. Disc degeneration begins in the late teens! A study of 18-20 year old healthy air force cadets uncovered that 77% had13 disc degeneration or disc herniation. (1) That’s a new revelation! It’s been recorded in other studies that disc degeneration starts at age 20. Now it is shown to appear in 18 year olds! In this study MRIs were taken of all cadets. They all reported no spine pain. On MRI, 30% showed at least one disc’s dehydrating, 13% disc narrowing, 49% disc bulging, 18% disc protruding, 8% disc extruding, 13% with spondylolisthesis, and less than 1% even showed asymptomatic vertebral fractures. These findings in young, seemingly healthy people are similar to what would be expected in adults. (1) It’s never too early to start paying attention to the spine! Aurora Chiropractic Center takes care of spines at all ages via spinal manipulation, nutrition and exercise.
WHY?
Researchers (and parents) wonder “why?” Why does lumbar spine disc degeneration or cervical spine disc degeneration start so young? Genetics may play a role. 80% of patients in a recent study had mutations in their collagen-encoding genes. Collagen is vital to disc and joint health. Lumbar disc herniation patients had two variants in their gene encoding for aggrecan, a protein that the end plate depends on for load-bearing. Such a mutation influences the nucleus pulposus, annulus fibrosus and end plates. (2) Certainly, the whole reason about why a disc degenerates isn’t fully defined yet. Aurora Chiropractic Center does have methods to contain and relieve the pain of a Juneau degenerated disc.
INTERRUPTING DISC DEGENERATION, PROMOTING DISC REGENERATION
Researchers explained disc degeneration as a complex connection of mechanical, biochemical, and structural alterations at the cellular level, cells that are in an abnormal mechanical environment. Regeneration of such cells would demand very specific conditions and wouldn’t always be possible. However, traction of 2 to 6 weeks was found to be a sensitive time for regeneration of a degenerated disc. The researchers suggest that this could interrupt the above explained cascade of changes. (3) Aurora Chiropractic Center uses Cox® Technic to gently create a positive environment for the healing of degenerated discs by increasing the area of the spinal canal by 28%, increasing the height of the disc by 17%, and dropping intradiscal pressures to as low as -192mmHg in the low back and dropping pressures in the cervical spine by a mean pressure as much as 1265 mmHg. (4,5) Aurora Chiropractic Center bolsters the Cox® Technic system of spinal pain management by adding spinal nutrition (especially disc nutrition supplementation) and exercise to optimize the relief and clinical outcome for Juneau back pain patients.
CONTACT Aurora Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Paxton Schofield on The Back Doctors’ Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson who discussed his care of arthritis and degeneration with Cox® Technic.
Schedule your Juneau chiropractic appointment at Aurora Chiropractic Center for your spine’s health. You may not be too young for back pain, and you are undoubtedly not too young to take care of your spine. A Juneau chiropractic treatment plan of spinal manipulation, nutrition and exercise can benefit all ages of back pain and neck pain sufferers due to disc degeneration.
