Disc Health 101

If I ask you what you should do to maintain good oral hygiene the answer for 99% of us doesn't require a second thought. Brush and floss daily and get regular cleanings. Dentists have it easy. People know how to take care of their teeth because firstly, they are the only joints in the body you can see with the naked eye, so its relatively easy to detect and correct a problem. Secondly, we care about them being functional so we can eat food and make a good impression with that winning smile.

Now I ask you a tougher question. What do you do to maintain good spinal hygiene?  Just like teeth, your spinal joints need to be cared for daily. Unlike with your teeth, we cant just scrape off or pull out the gunk that builds up around the joints and cause decay. Lets start our crash course in taking care of the most important joints in your body! 

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Your Inter vertebral discs (IVDs)  are the single most important joints in your body. Healthy discs keep you pain free and moving, and allow your nervous system to work optimally. As you can see in the left side of the picture, the disks have  a normal height and integrity, they are well hydrated and give the spinal nerves plenty of room to work their magic. Unhealthy discs cause pain and limit your motion. They allow the spinal nerves to become compromised leading to a wide variety of problems including sciatica, numbness, weakness, and many other issues. On the right side of the picture the discs are dehydrated and have lost their height and integrity. Over time this leads to arthritis, those changes in the bone strength and shape.

Keeping your disks looking like the ones on the left for as long as possible is the goal because you can't keep a spare spine in a glass by your bed stand. 

Good daily spinal hygiene is as easy as taking care of your teeth.
1.Instead of brushing, do mobility focused exercise every day. A structured class of yoga or Pilates works great or just  moving your spine in all directions by yourself. Going for a 30 minute walk is also beneficial. A disc that is moving can pump nutrients in and toxins out staying healthier longer. 

​2.No flossing needed, but your discs do need the proper nutrition to stay healthy. The most important nutrients being glucosamine and chondroitin in sulfate forms. 
Chondroitin sulfate (from perna canaliculus) is the single most effective item for relief of joint pain and inflammation. Glucosamine sulfate is a natural component of joint cartilage and lends even more anti inflammatory properties to the mix. They must be in sulfate forms so that they attract water to the discs, keeping them hydrated. At our office we use the most effective and researched joint and cartilage repair and regeneration supplement on the market. 

3. Get adjusted regularly with spinal decompression to prevent degeneration or to attempt to repair damage that has already been done.