During the waking hours of the day, we lose an average of 2 cm in height; that's nearly an inch!  Wow.

 

How can we, as your local Richmond chiropractor, help you with this fact? Well, Johnson Chiropractic understands the effect of gravity on the human spine and the importance of spinal manipulation to maintain the best posture, motion, and health of your spine. Why is this important? Because such efforts can prevent, or drastically reduce, the incidence of disc degeneration and back pain in your life.

 

Let’s discuss the spinal disc so as to understand how chiropractic can help attain and maintain a healthy spine. First, the disc consists of two parts, the NUCLEUS PULPOSUS on the inside of the disc and the ANNULUS FIBROSIS which surrounds and contains the nucleus pulposus. The nucleus pulposus is a gel-like material which normally is approximately 80% water and the annulus fibrosis is a ligament-like structure surrounding the nucleus that controls movement of one vertebra / bone on its adjacent vertebra which allows normal spinal motion.

ELECTRIC SPINE It is helpful to understand that the two parts of the disc are seamlessly merging into each other and contain electrical charges. Yes, your spine is electric! The fluid of the disc carries positively and negatively charged ions which determine the coupled behavior of solid deformation and fluid flow. The human body is reduced by roughly 2 centimeters during the waking phase of the day. This change in height is triggered by mechanical loads stemming from the body weight, which squeezes the interstitial fluid out of the disc, making it lose height. During sleep, this electro-chemical imbalance is reset with the disc’s absorbing fluid back into itself through the process of osmosis. (1)

You can see, then, that the spinal disc is constantly exposed to compressive and absorptive changes. Your Richmond chiropractor can treat you to best ensure proper spinal mechanics to manage this constant, daily mechanical stress on your disc. Johnson Chiropractic utilizes spinal manipulation to ensure proper spine motion, nutrition to supply such requirements of the disc to maintain its health, and advice about proper spinal movements in daily life to reduce the already excessive stress on your spinal discs.

 

 

 

So just remember that disc degeneration is a risk factor for developing chronic low back pain. (2) Fortunately, Johnson Chiropractic is your partner to prevent disc degeneration and control the changes it brings.