Degenerative Disc
An Automotive Comparison
As you experience wear and tear on your back you will eventually begin to suffer some degree of damage. This damage most often comes in the form of degenerative disc problems. This degeneration of the discs that are located between each of the vertebrae in your back. This can best be understood if you compare the discs to the shocks on a car. When you drive your car across roads that are extremely rough over any period of time the shocks will begin to wear out. When they do you can begin to feel the jarring and bumping effect that your car is suffering. Now imagine that your back is that car and the discs are those worn out shocks. Imagine what sort of damage your body is suffering as these natural “shock absorbers” begin to wear out.
Disc degeneration is a normal part of aging. As such we can all expect to suffer from some degree of it over time. When we overtax our backs by using improper lifting techniques or by standing on hard surfaces for long periods we can damage these discs much more quickly. This degeneration can be quite painful and may have an enormous impact of the sufferer’s quality of life. By living in a state of chronic pain you can see the effects on both your physical state of well-being as well as your mental well-being.
When you have trauma to your discs they may begin to dry out and lose their ability to cushion the vertebrae. Since there is very little blood supplying them they simply do not have the ability to repair themselves. Untreated, the resulting pain can radiate to other parts of the body including the thighs, buttocks, or hips. This pain may increase when you lift, sit, twist, or bend. So, what can be done to help treat degenerative disc pain?
The treatments options that are currently available are both wide and varied in effectiveness. Spinal injections or use of anti-inflammatory medications might provide a margin of relief but these come with a chance of further injury. Surgery, which should be a last chance option, is unfortunately one of the first offered by many physicians. The good news is that most often, degenerative disc issues can be treated quite successfully without the need of surgery.
Successful use of holistic therapy techniques have proven quite effective at treating the pain related to degenerative discs. These techniques are non-invasive meaning there is no surgery involved which negates the risks of possible infection. There is also no risk of a drug interaction that might be faced if you happen to be taking medications for other reasons. Most importantly these techniques can have the benefit of bringing instant relief to the sufferer rather than having to wait through several different treatments or rounds of medication.