“You have to know where you came from to know where you are
going.”
It’s true for all of us individually,
domestically, and professionally. It’s true for
medicine – allopathic and alternative - too. It’s true for the understanding
of the disc and the spine it holds. Knowledge
of Vancouver back pain keeps evolving, and
one of the key milestones was rather new
in the history of man. Vancouver Spine Care Centre discloses
old and new discoveries about the disc
and the back pain it brings about as well as the
Vancouver chiropractic care that reduces that back
pain.
HISTORY OF THE DISC HERNIATION
The knowledge of disc herniation as a
compressive force on spinal nerves resulting in back pain and leg
pain is a relatively new phenomenon. Remember that the spine changes as it grows older. The shape
of the disc and the composition of it tissue changes. The center part of the disc,
nucleus pulposus, changes and decreases in size. (1) We know
differently today, but in 1909, the disc herniation was assumed
to be a tumor. In 1930, a neurologist (T Alajouanine) and surgeon (D
Petit-Dutaillis) described their surgical experiences with disc
herniations that were initially studied by a pathologist
named CG Schmorl. But it was not until 1934 when WJ Mixter and JS
Barr circulated the first report of surgically getting
rid of disc herniations in 19 patients. (2) (Unless it is
published, it did not happen…and you do not get credit
for it!) So it was fewer than 100 years ago that
the disc herniation was named a disc herniation and known
as such! Allopathy and alternative medicine like chiropractic have risen
to the challenge in that time.
ALLOPATHY and ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
Allopathic medicine is traditionally centered
on the disease and tends to focus
on symptom-specific treatment (usually pharmacological or invasive) to get
rid of the cause of pain. Alternative medicine usually
focused on a whole-body approach and has a tendency to concentrate on treatments that stimulate
the body’s capability to heal itself (herbal supplements, Reiki, chiropractic, Tai chi, acupuncture, etc.) to decrease pain. (3) Nowadays, integrative medicine is growing in its appreciation and use of the best of both.
CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT FOR DISC HERNIATION
Chiropractic care is all-encompassing
care for spine pain conditions. For the disc herniation causing
low back pain, neck pain, leg pain and/or arm pain, gentle flexion distraction
spinal manipulation is relieving. A new study points
out that horizontal traction was very effective
in producing a significant increase in
average lumbar spine disc height and reduction in lumbar
lordosis. (4) Such is available with the Cox Technic System of Spinal Pain
Management causing long-y axis distraction. Vancouver Spine Care Centre concentrates
in this treatment. Cox Technic is described as a non-thrust low
velocity variable amplitude spinal manipulation that manages low
back pain non-pharmacologically. It is shown to
decrease pain in chronic low back pain patients. (5) It decreases
intradiscal pressure in the disc to as low as -192mmHg, opens the
spinal canal area by 28%, and enlarges disc height by 17%. (6)
Vancouver Spine Care Centre eases back pain due to disc herniation very
effectively.
CONTACT Vancouver Spine Care Centre
Listen to this PODCAST
by Dr. Jake Bohnen on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. He discusses a
case of a disc herniation he treated with Cox® Technic and reduced pain…and the
herniation on MRI!
Schedule a non-surgical Vancouver chiropractic care
appointment with Vancouver Spine Care Centre today. Together, we’ll figure
out where you’ve been on your back pain journey
and set a path of correction and control for its
future with the most proper treatment possible.