Q: Why do I have degeneration in my discs and what can be done?
A: Disc Degeneration has many causes: aging, poor posture/ alignment, injuries, genetics, and even poor nutrition. The discs (shown in red in photo on the left), are the shock absorbers of the spine. When the discs wear down, we may say there is “bone on bone”. This means, the shock absorbers are gone or have degraded.
What can be done? Many things….
The discs between vertebrae have low blood flow in comparison to muscles and other types of tissue. Perhaps a few of your vertabrae are degenerative, AND, you likely have many discs that are still healthy and can be preserved. It is important to get the blood flowing to the discs – making the brain more aware of the disc and therefore supplying it with more fluid to stay cushy and springy. As for the discs that have degeneration – the muscles surrounding these discs are likely very taught and may contain active “trigger points”. These are points of tension that may be leading to pain in other areas of your body. By releasing these trigger points with Acupuncture or Manual Therapy, you will be giving your body its best chance to avoid compensation patterns and musculoskeletal issues. There is a ton that can be done for this very common condition. Have hope! As always, we are here to answer any questions.
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Osteopathy and Acupuncture by Monica Ander in Nelson BC 