Cary Chiropractor Talks about Spinal Degeneration and Time

Spinal Degeneration
“The only reason for time is so that everything does not happen at once.” – Albert Einstein

degenerative-disc

Most patients seeking chiropractic care start because of a specific symptom like low back pain, headaches, disc problems, sciatica, stiffness, back spasms and more. Many of our patients think that the problem began a recently when the symptoms started. Much to their surprise when I review their X-rays, the problem is actually decades old. The relevance of time is visually seen on the X-rays. Clinically, the x-rays revel how old the problem is as we classify the spinal degeneration. These pictures reveal bone spur formation, disc degeneration, and compensatory curvatures. These structural changes did not occur instantaneously but over time and often silently for many people.

degenerationSpinal degeneration is classified from Phase 1-Phase 3 and can begin to develop in as little as 5 years. The misconception is that degeneration is the result of normal aging. Interestingly, the degeneration has little to do with normal aging rather it has to do with the function of the spine. Subluxations in the spine cause the spine to break down at a faster rate. Simply put, a subluxation is a misalignment of the spinal bones which results in the reduced communication in your nervous system. Much more can be said to define a subluxation, but that will be a blog post all on it’s own. On the x-rays it is not uncommon to see spines with only a couple areas of phase 2 degeneration while the rest is normal.

Obviously all of the spinal bones are the same age in an individual, so we know something happened to the areas that caused them to break down faster. While most people are familiar with cavities in teeth and get regular check ups, most people have not been to a chiropractor for a check up on their spine. Our best recommendation is for everyone to have their spines evaluated by a chiropractor. You are never too old or too young to have a subluxation. Unless you have had your spine checked it is not possible to know based on how you feel.

To learn more contact Legacy Chiropractic in Cary NC for more information.