There’s that age-old adage: spinal discs are like jelly donuts.
Okay, I’m not sure how long it’s been around, but I’ve been saying it for a really long time! Because it’s true. Every spinal disc between each vertebra has a fibrous exterior and a gelatinous interior. As a chiropractor for disc injuries, I know that these little guys are super important to the overall health of our spine.
As we age, not me but other normal people, our discs begin to show signs of wear and tear. Degeneration happens to the best of us, again, not me but others, and when it happens in our spine, the discs can begin to cause pain. The sugar-coated exterior of our discs can only take so much. In addition to age, inflammation is another cause of degenerative disc disease. But I sort of sacrificed the right to harp on inflammatory diets when I made donuts the crux of my metaphor.
The big thing to know here is that disc degeneration can’t be reversed.
Fear not, with the right treatment and care we can significantly reduce the symptoms of degenerative disc disease.
Signs of Degenerative Disc Disease
Pain is the most obvious sign that something is wrong. In fact, that’s what pain is. It’s our body’s way of telling us:
Pain from degenerative disc disease is most common in the back, but it ultimately depends on which disc or discs are damaged. The buttocks, upper things, lower back, or even the neck are all fair game. The pain can be sharp or nagging, like Alan from legal, and one can feel numbness and tingling in the arms and legs.
Interestingly, the pain is at its worse when sitting down. Often people think, “oy, I’m in pain; I need to sit down.”
Our bodies were built to move. It’s when our spine doesn’t receive adequate motion that it begins to break down. The sedentary lifestyle of corporate warriors and streaming loungers has accelerated the degeneration process in many Americans. Getting up and moving around often provides much-needed pain relief.
Conventional Treatment for Degenerative Disc Disease
Typically, doctors hand out pain relievers like tictacs to patients complaining of back pain.
Sometimes they’ll even prescribe stronger painkillers, like opioids.
Steroid shots are another go-to for our friends in diagnostic medicine.
And the axis of evil wouldn’t be complete without surgery to remove the damaged disc or possibly insert an artificial one.
Our thoughts on opioid pain medication and steroid shots can best be described in a scene from the docuseries of one of America’s most interesting families:
These treatments are unnecessary and, in some cases, put patients at risk for more severe issues. They also don’t care for the underlying cause of the pain.
5 Natural Remedies for Degenerative Disc Disease
Stay Active
Movement is life, move it or lose it. When we stop moving, our bodies begin to break down and atrophy. Regular exercise is a great way to keep the body moving, the heart pumping, and the endorphins flowing. Exercise:
- Lowers inflammation
- Increases flexibility
- Strengthens muscles
- Boosts circulation
- Supports a healthy body weight
- Maintains bone strength and joints flexibility
- Reduces stress
- Improves mood
- Improves sleep
I’m not saying throw a bunch of money into the bottomless pit that is corporate gym memberships. Even just walking for 30 minutes a day will remind the body that it is alive and has a pretty important job to do.
Promote Collagen Production
Collagen is the glue that holds our bodies together. We’re talking gorilla glue level stuff here. It’s critical to the spine’s health, keeping the discs and vertebrae working in perfect harmony. Our body’s collagen production slows as we age: cue wrinkles, sagging skin, and joint pain. Compounded with a high-sugar diet, smoking, and a lot of sun exposure, we have to be conscious about adding collagen to our diet to supplement our depleted reserves.
The best way to boost collagen levels is by drinking bone broth. We often recommend bone broth to patients with herniated discs because it has all the nutrients the body needs to restore collagen levels. Collagen supplements and protein powders made from bone broth are other good ways to keep the skin tight and the spine limber.
Eat Right
Ugh, we always hear about eating right, but isn’t “right” subjective?
An anti-inflammatory diet isn’t just good for someone trying to curb the development of degenerative disc disease. Inflammation is at the root of most diseases – arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and inflammatory bowel disease. It’s in the name, for goodness’ sake! Here is the definitive list of anti-inflammatory foods.
- Green leafy vegetables
- Bok choy
- Celery
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Blueberries
- Pineapple
- Salmon
- Bone broth
- Walnuts
- Coconut oil
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Turmeric
- Ginger
Maintain a Healthy Body Weight
The more weight we carry, the more pressure we put on our delicate joints and spine. This isn’t about fad diets or body shaming; we want to make long-term sustainable changes to improve how our body functions. It is a fact that being overweight predisposes us to certain diseases and forces our body to work a lot harder to respirate, circulate blood, and heal.
As a healthcare practitioner, I don’t care if a patient can’t fit into their jeans from five years ago; I care about whether or not they have the energy to move to keep their spine limber and how hard their body has to work to battle disease.
Also, five-year-old jeans are out of style now. Gen Z has instructed society that cargo pants and bell bottoms are back.
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care is the best treatment for degenerative disc disease. Regular spinal checkups, just like the ones we do with our teeth, can help identify degeneration early and prevent degenerative disc disease from happening in the first place.
In our practice, we use…
- Chiropractic adjustments to restore joint movement and optimize the nervous system
- Spinal decompression to relieve pressure on the discs and allow them to rehydrate and heal
- Massage and trigger point therapy to relieve muscle tension associated with disc injuries
- Custom exercises to strengthen the core muscles that stabilize the spine
These therapies keep the spine in the best health possible and ward off issues that can interfere with our body’s optimal function and cause pain. Give us a call or schedule a time to meet with one of our amazing doctors. We want to know each patient’s unique story so that we can develop a plan to care for their unique issues and help them get their life back!
