Introduction

The body can move, twist, turn and bend due to the spine making sure that the body is upright and functioning without pain. When a person is injured or pulls a muscle that causes pain to the back, it can hinder them from doing their daily activities. The pain can range from a dull, mild ache to a sudden sharp pain affecting a person. Luckily there are ways to treat back pain that can help improve the quality of life of a person while also reducing the pain symptoms. In this article, we will be looking at intradiscal pressure and how disc degeneration can affect it and seeing the effects of vertebral decompression relieving disc degeneration on the spine. By referring patients to qualified and skilled providers specializing in spinal decompression therapy. To that end, and when appropriate, we advise our patients to refer to our associated medical providers based on their examination. We find that education is the key to asking valuable questions to our providers. Dr. Alex Jimenez DC provides this information as an educational service only. Disclaimer

 

Can my insurance cover it? Yes, it may. If you are uncertain, here is the link to all the insurance providers we cover. If you have any questions, please call Dr. Jimenez at 915-850-0900.

What Is Intradiscal Pressure?

In the body, the spine is protected by ligaments, the spinal cord, soft tissues, and spinal discs from injuries. When a person stretches and hears the spinal joints pop, the spinal fluid starts to allow the beneficial nutrients to nourish the spine and keep it healthy. This is known as intradiscal pressure, and research studies show that intradiscal pressure is influenced by the fluid flow of the spine, causing intradiscal pressure to be necessary for disc height and axial compliance for the spine for it to be healthy. Other research studies have shown the effects of respiration on intradiscal pressure in a healthy prone individual. However, if the spine has been influenced by disc degeneration, the intradiscal pressure is reduced and can cause spinal issues to develop over time. The spinal load must be healthy for intradiscal pressure because it requires respiratory movement when the body is in motion and in a sitting or standing position.

 

How Does Disc Degeneration Affect Intradiscal Pressure?

Back pain remains the second most common symptom for many individuals to visit their primary physicians. The spine is protected by soft tissues and spinal discs that allow the body to stay upright and do stuff in its range of motion. When the back gets injured, it can cause a person to be in pain and hinder them, depending on how severe the injury is. Some of the pain sources can include DDD or degenerative disc disease.

 

Research studies have shown that DDD (degenerative disc disease) can occur when the spine has been injured due to heavy lifting, vibrations, immobilization, and trauma. When these factors start to cause stress to the spinal discs, it can cause the intradiscal pressure to increase and cause low back pain to affect the body, as research shows.

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Axial Decompression Therapy-Video

The video above shows how axial decompression therapy is used for individuals suffering from low back pain, herniated disc, or DDD (degenerative disc disease). Research studies have shown that when the body begins to age normally, the spinal disc will wear down and cause the bones to rub together. Utilizing decompression therapy as part of their wellness treatment can help alleviate the painful symptoms that the person was feeling. Decompression therapy uses traction to gently stretch the spine, allowing the beneficial nutrients and oxygen to go back into the spinal disc. This will enable individuals to feel instant relief and get them back on their wellness journey pain-free. If you want to learn more about spinal decompression therapy, this link will explain the benefits of spinal decompression and how it can alleviate low back pain symptoms.

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The Effects Of Vertebral Decompression For Disc Degeneration

 

Many treatments can help the effects of disc degeneration, from elevating to chronic issues on the spine. One of those treatments is vertebral decompression. Research studies have found that when individuals utilize a 6-week treatment on the decompression machine will begin to notice a reduction in pain while an increase in the disc height on the spine. The gentle traction will stretch the spine slowly, alleviate the chronic back symptoms, and repair the spinal discs by allowing nutrients to go in. Other research studies have shown that decompression therapy creates negative pressure on the spine, allowing the intervertebral disc to increase hydration. This negative pressure alleviates the stress of the nerve root that the disc is applying to and causes the person to be in pain. When combined with physical therapy, the individual will begin to feel much better.

 

Conclusion

The spine is protected by ligaments, soft tissue, the spinal cord, and spinal discs while keeping the body to stay upright while it is in motion. When there is an injury or a pulled muscle that causes the person to be in pain, it can affect the spine and the back. This will cause chronic issues to develop, causing the individual to be in constant pain and making them miserable. Luckily, there are treatments to treat back pain and alleviate the spine, and decompression therapy can help lower the symptoms. Decompression therapy allows the individual to be strapped to a traction table and gets their spine gently pulled to cause instant relief. This will allow the spine to decompress and the nutrients to rehydrate the spinal discs, providing the individual to become pain-free.

 

References

Apfel, Christian C, et al. “Restoration of Disk Height through Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Is Associated with Decreased Discogenic Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study.” BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, BioMed Central, 8 July 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2912793/.

Choi, Jioun, et al. “Influences of Spinal Decompression Therapy and General Traction Therapy on the Pain, Disability, and Straight Leg Raising of Patients with Intervertebral Disc Herniation.” Journal of Physical Therapy Science, The Society of Physical Therapy Science, Feb. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4339166/.

Li, Jai-Qi, et al. “Comparison of in Vivo Intradiscal Pressure between Sitting and Standing in Human Lumbar Spine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Life (Basel, Switzerland), U.S. National Library of Medicine, 20 Mar. 2022, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35330208/.

Medical Professionals, Cleveland Clinic. “Degenerative Disk Disease: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic, 27 May 2021, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16912-degenerative-disk-disease.

Palepu, V, et al. “Biomechanics of Disc Degeneration.” Advances in Orthopedics, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 17 June 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3382964/.

Sato, K, et al. “In Vivo Intradiscal Pressure Measurement in Healthy Individuals and in Patients with Ongoing Back Problems.” Spine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Dec. 1999, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10626309/.

Vergroesen, Pieter-Paul A, et al. “Intradiscal Pressure Depends on Recent Loading and Correlates with Disc Height and Compressive Stiffness.” European Spine Journal : Official Publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2014, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25031105/.

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