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Our bodies are subject to wear and tear every day, but some parts suffer more than others. Your lower back is one such part. It has to bear most of your weight and carry you upright. Any kind of weight lifting you do will be definitely felt by your back. The most likely elements of your back to suffer are the discs – the rubbery cushions between the vertebrae. In time, they wear out, the vertebrae and backbones sink and they start pressing against the nerves. This is, in short, the definition of degenerative disc disease. The good news is that the chiropractors at our clinic can help you find relief from this condition.
What Are the Main Causes of Degenerative Disc Disease?
Wear and tear of the body is a normal part of aging, but not everyone suffers from degenerative disc disease (DDD). People who do manual labor involving a lot of weight lifting (construction workers, warehouse workers) are more at risk.
However, our chiropractors treated patients with DDD who did not perform weight lifting on a regular basis. Instead, the triggering factor for their condition was:
• Disc desiccation – the discs between the vertebrae can become dry and brittle, especially due to frequent dehydration and smoking
• Accidents and trauma – car crashes, slip and fall accidents or sports accidents can result in injury to the discs
• Obesity – overweight people tend to suffer from various back problems, including degenerative disc disease, due to the extra pressure on the spine
• Bone and muscle weakness – maintaining an erect posture requires support from your bones and muscles. If they are weakened, the entire effort is transferred to the spine.
Recognizing the Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease
DDD usually manifests itself through immobility in the lower back and mild to severe pain. However, many patients also experience the following symptoms:
• Numbness in the legs
• Pain when sitting down, bending or lifting weights
• Tingling or burning sensation in the lower back
• Sciatica – a type of pain affecting the lower back, hips and upper legs due to pressure on the sciatic nerve.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you may have degenerative disc disease. In this case, you should see a chiropractor at our clinic as soon as possible, before the condition worsens.
Why Treat Degenerative Disc Disease with Chiropractic?
Western medicine doctors will probably recommend pain medication in the early stages of DDD and, later on, surgery. This means that you numb your pain until your condition is sufficiently serious to warrant a highly invasive and risky procedure.
Chiropractors at our clinic believe that people deserve to live free of pain, not just numb their pain. We can help delay the onset of DDD and relieve many of its unpleasant symptoms. Our approach is to treat the entire person, not just their back.
This involves:
1. Identifying the Cause of Degenerative Disc Disease
We will look at your medical history and give you a thorough physical evaluation in order to know what exactly triggered DDD. Depending on the root cause, we will crate a personalized treatment plan for you.
2. Performing Specific Chiropractic Therapies
Each patient is unique, so we will devise a different set of chiropractic manipulations and therapies for every case. Our aim is to:
• Improve mobility in the lower back
• Strengthen your muscles
• Reduce inflammation in the discs
• Remove the cause of pain.
3. Giving You Helpful Lifestyle Advice
Every part of your body is influenced by your lifestyle. A saying goes that after the age of 30 we are all responsible for how we look. This is true for the entire body. A poor diet, rich in sugar and fatty foods, very little physical activity and habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol have a negative impact on every aspect of your health.
Our chiropractors will give you helpful tips to live a more active and healthier life in order to prevent a new bout of degenerative disc disease.
We are here for everyone who wants to feel good, active and energized during their entire lifetime. We have natural, non-invasive and safe solutions for any back problem, including degenerative disc disease. Call our clinic now to book an appointment with an experienced chiropractor!
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