The number one question our doctors get asked in Coeur d'Alene ID is “How did my spine get like that?” Fair question. With the ability of thorough X-ray analysis, it’s easy to see where the body has begun to break down. Our answer is the same for everyone: “I have no idea!”

But let’s break down why this degeneration really occurs. It is well known now that genetics have very little to do with our own health outcomes. Our health is our responsibility and is based on the choices we have made and how well the body has adapted to those decisions. Your doctor can expand on this further, however the discs in the spine break down over time (degeneration) due to stress. Physical stress, chemical stress, and emotional stressors wear on the frame of the spine. Now, if there is an old injury to the disc, and the vertebra shifts, we will see accelerated degeneration at that segment. Think if you were to camber or tilt one of your car tires. Sure, the car would run fine for a while, but eventually that cambered tire would wear out more quickly.

Disc degeneration is not “wear and tear”, and it certainly is not due to “old age.” Each person has 24 discs in the spine. Never once in the thousands of X-rays we have taken has there been someone whose discs are ALL degenerating at the same pace. All the discs are the same age, yet some are way worse than others – again not due to normal aging. Getting back to the question at hand, we have no idea why the disc is wearing thin, but what we do know is how to correct the subluxation to save the disc from further damage.

Why Does it Matter in Coeur d'Alene ID

Why does this all matter? When a disc/joint is not moving well in the spine, the brain receives inadequate information from the body on the afferent nerve. The constant telephone communication between brain and body is suppressed or lost and the brain must deal with the insufficiency. This results in poor movement patterns, visceral changes (organs), or an inflammatory response detrimental to our health.

What really makes a disc worse is TIME. A smart doctor once said, “procrastination is the thief of health.” Spot on. Even if symptoms are minimal or non-existent, the alarm will eventually sound. If you want a spine that is not riddled with degeneration, get your spine checked regularly by a Gonstead Chiropractor.