Disc Derangement, New-Start Health Center's Approach to Low Back Pain

Lumbar disc derangement is the most common cause of organic low back pain and in a chiropractic office, it is commonly misdiagnosed. Studies have shown that nearly 40% of patients suffering from low back pain have had symptoms that are consistent with lumbar disc derangement. The catch is, no standard chiropractic “adjustment” will help resolve this type of pain. Instead, to restore the body’s function, a different therapy must be applied, Mckenzie Protocol.

 

We have all been trained to be scared of the infamous “herniated disc” or “slipped disc” and we know that if you get one of those, surgery is needed. Well I am here to give you a bit of a sigh of relief. Studies have been done on patients with absolutely Zero low back pain, and yet a large percentage of these patients had evidence of a “herniated Disc” on their MRI. What does this mean? Disc bulges, or minor disc herniation can be pain free. This is great news,  but the condition can worsen and go down the road of disc prolapse or sequester, and if you have a weak core, your chances of these conditions is greatly increased. The pain syndrome does not start until the disc bulge or herniation starts to tear the outer fibers of the disc called the annulus fibrosis. This is the definition of disc derangement.  The outer fibers of the disc are much like the enamel of your teeth. It is designed to protect you from the very sensitive nerve fibers. When these outer disc fibers tear, it is like a cavity in the disc. The inner part of the disc (nucleus pulposus) starts to migrate into the outer fibers and affects the nerve endings much like sugar on a cavity.

Luckily the disc is slightly different than your tooth’s enamel, because it can actually repair itself. The current protocol in the medical world is to a disc bulge, herniation, or derangement is also similar to the dental world.  When we get a severe cavity, it is pretty common to use a synthetic metal to fill the void in the too, or even put a crown on the tooth. The surgical intervention of lumbar disc disorders is to but a spinal block in the segment, meaning they remove the disc and put a metallic disc between the two spinal segments. The concept is great, but studies have shown that spinal disc surgeries have a 60% fail rate, and there is actually a diagnosis for it called, Failed Back Surgery Syndrome. Scar tissue and the blocking of a joint in the low back causes so many alterations in the biomechanics of the spine that further disc injuries are inevitable. Instead of surgery, allow us at New-Start to help your body restore itself.

Disc derangement is a result of weak core muscles, repetitive motions, and lumbar spine instability. Getting adjusted by a chiropractor is very effective in restoring motion in to fixated segments in the spine, but if a condition is caused by instability, or too much motion, it seems pretty clear that an adjustment to increase motion will be of no benefit, and could possibly worsen the condition. If this condition is misdiagnosed, your chiropractor could potentially make it worse.

At New-Start Health Center, We pride ourselves on staying on top of the most current treatment protocols to allow us to get patients to a PAIN FREE status as quickly as possible. This starts with Proper Diagnosis of the pain syndrome.

Disc derangement pain can be very elusive. If you suffer from low back pain when sitting for long periods of time, increased pain in the morning, pain when moving from a lying to a sitting position or a sit to stand position, or have pain in certain movements such as leaning back then you may have a disc derangement. The pain can be local to the low back, or can also travel down into the buttock and all the way to the knee.

You do not need to have all of these symptoms to have disc derangement. If you ever suffer from Low Back Pain, it is important to find out with a quick physical exam if you do have any derangement. It is important to remember that 40% of all people with low back pain, suffer from disc derangment, and you do not want it to progress to a disc prolapse or sequester.

Call New-Start (812) 799-0668 if you want to have your Low Back Pain further inspected and to find out if we can help you Become Pain Free.

If you are tired of seeking pain relief with no results, call (812) 799-0668 TODAY and schedule a FREE CONSULTATION, and let's get you back to the PAIN-FREE Life you are missing.

Visit www.NewStartHealthCenter.com TODAY!

Fibromyalgia, Scoliosis, GERD, etc.One Cause. A Chiropractor Can Help

This term refers to a condition called brain laterality, meaning one side of the brain’s cortex is over stimulated in regards to the other side. The most common form of brain hemisphericity is right brain dominance. The left and right brain are associated with two major hormones in the body, testosterone and estrogen respectively. The female sex is more susceptible to being effected by emotion or fear is because estrogen and the right brain are associated with emotional control. When the brain is constantly stimulated by emotion, it activates the right cortex, causing an overstimulation and leads to right brain dominance.

Other causes of brain laterality are lack of activation of the cerebellum. Cerebellum is the part of the brain that is responsible for our motion detection and balance. If there are fixated joint segments on the left side of the body, the cerebellum will not receive any motion information, leading to a decrease in cerebellar function. The trick is, that all sensory information that comes from the body, goes to the opposite side of the brain. So any lack of motion in a joint segment on the left side of the body, will shut down activation on the right cerebellum. This can lead to activation of the right cortex, leading to right brain dominance.

Muscle control is also stimulated by the opposite side of the brain, so your left arm is controlled by the right cortex. This is important because when a person falls into right brain dominance, the muscles on the left side of the body are over activated. This doesn’t affect every muscle in the body, mainly just the postural muscles that are fired automatically, meaning they fire without any of our control. The majority of postural muscles are the ones that support the spine. When the body becomes right brain dominant, there is an over activation of the left side spinal muscles in regards to the right side, leading to idiopathic spinal scoliosis. This is why the spinal curvature is always to the left.

Prolonged durations of right brain dominance, brain hemisphericity, brain laterality, can lead to many more common symptoms. As the right brain becomes over stimulated, it starts to build more neuronal ties to the brain’s limbic system. The limbic system is what controls our response to a stimulus, and controls our sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for our Flight or Fight response to a stimulus. When we over activate the sympathetic nervous system, we shut down the parasympathetic nervous system.

The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for our digestive function. When you over stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, and shut down the parasympathetic nervous system, you inhibit the body’s ability to digest food, leading to number of conditions, IBS, GERD, ulcers, diverticulitis, Leaky Gut, Crohn’s, and even colon cancer. Poor digestion also leads to a deficiency in nutrients, most importantly, B-vitamins. Deficiencies in B-Vitamins can be linked to fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, infertility, depression, chronic fatigue, and even insomnia.

Common signs and symptoms of right brain dominance is someone who uses feelings as a way of describing things, someone who has a big imagination, someone that draws and is more interested in art than math. 

This can be treated, and alleviated with controlled care. Stimulation of the nervous system on the left side of the body will increase cerebellar function on the right side of the body, inhibiting the right cortex from being over stimulated. Also, lifestyle changes, that allow us to cope with stress with also decrease the emotional stimulation of the right cortex. This therapy takes time, but is very effective.

If you know anyone who demonstrates any of these symptoms, seek a natural treatment plan.

Sincerely,
Dr. Trent Mozingo

If you are tired of seeking pain relief with no results, call (812) 799-0668 TODAY and schedule a FREE CONSULTATION, and let's get you back to the PAIN-FREE Life you are missing.

Visit www.NewStartHealthCenter.com TODAY!