Vancouver Diabetics with Disc Degeneration Benefit from Vitamin D

The intervertebral disc is a complex and important part of the spine. It allows pain-free motion of the spine, or not. If the disc degenerates, spinal motion deteriorates, and pain often occurs. This is even more likely for patients with diabetes. It is|It’s]5] just one more concern Vancouver diabetic patients need to address. The latest research on diabetes and the disc indicates that vitamin D may help with the health of the disc. Vancouver Spine Care Centre is prepared to do just that for Vancouver back pain patients as well as Vancouver diabetic patients who also have Vancouver back pain.

Diabetes, Vitamin D, and the Disc

Diabetic patients with disc degeneration want to take Vitamin D as it prevents and even treats degenerative changes in their discs. How? By improving the content of TGF-β and IGF-1, two influential growth factor cytokines (proteins circulated by cells that control specific interactions with other cells). (1) Vancouver Spine Care Centre bets you’ll agree that it is stunning how the health of the disc gets down to the very cells that make it up|of which it is comprised! Those cells crave Vitamin D to do their job right. Vancouver Spine Care Centre encourages Vancouver diabetic and non-diabetic patients similarly to take care of these cells nutritionally and with Vancouver chiropractic spinal manipulation in the form of Cox Technic.  

Glucose Status and the Disc

The glucose status also alters the oxygen consumption rate of degenerated discs: degenerative discs in low glucose have higher oxygen consumption rates and degenerative discs in high glucose have lower oxygen consumption rates. The glucose status did not affect non-degenerated discs. (2) Vancouver degenerated discs react in a different way than non-degenerated ones. Of this, Vancouver Spine Care Centre is confident because Vancouver Spine Care Centre sees it daily in taking care of our Vancouver back pain patients.

Oxygen Consumption Rates and the Disc

The degenerative intervertebral disc has a notably higher oxygen consumption rate - 3 to 5 times greater - than the non-degenerative, normal human disc.  The degenerative disc is different at the cellular level. This oxygen consumption rate factor changes the behavior of the disc’s cells and even its tissue’s nutritional status as nutrients are delivered to the disc via the matrix and endplates. This rate of transport of nutrients is influenced by the degenerative state of the disc. (2) So when should Vitamin D be taken to safeguard and care for the Vancouver degenerative disc? When the disc is healthy and even more so when it is not.

Schedule your Vancouver chiropractic appointment at Vancouver Spine Care Centre to discuss the health status of your Vancouver spinal discs and how Vitamin D may be of benefit to them whether they are degenerated or not.