The adult human body is made up of 360 joints. Our spine is actually made of up of joints as well, they are called spinal joints. Do you recall people saying, “I got a herinated disc?”, Actually, between two joints, there is a soft spine disc called the intervertebral disc. The disc is made of a inner part called the nucleus and a outer part called the annulus.  The spine disc is very important because it is the tool that allows us to have movement! Many people may wonder, “I didn’t do anything to my spine how come I got a bulging disc?”  There are 3 different types of injuries to the spine disc (posture chiropractor Toront).

Macrotrauma

Macrotrauma refers to big impacts to the spine such as car accidents or falls. When the spine receives a certain amount of force that is too much for it to handle,  it can set up the stage for spine disc degeneration. Remember when your back hurts and it is all red and swollen? It is because of the inflammatory process that may initiate degeneration of the nucleus of the disc. This will increase the load of the outer annulus which will eventually buckle and tear. This is called disc herniation. The entire process is pain free until mechanical or chemical irritation to nerve fibers of the innervated part of the annulus occurs. This is why it is important for you to get your spine checked even if you don’t feel pain because pain is the final warning signs from your body (spine toronto, neck pain toronto).

Repetitive microtrauma

Repetitive bending of our back or having too much load on our back will also result in the weakening of our disc. This may lead to herniation of the annulus part of the disc leading to inflammation and nerve root irritation/sciatica. The result of repetitive microtrauma is the similar to the result of a macrotrauma (low back pain toronto, shoulder pain toronto).

Asymmetrical posture

One of the aspects of the spine that chiropractors focus on is the posture of our body. Any chronic imbalance of load will cause a disproportionate production of Type I collagen  which will lead to stiffness as well as inadequately development of the disc. So might lying on ones couch eating chips and watching TV lead to degenerative changes in the disc? Yes it can! (knee pain toronto chiro, bad posture chiropractor toronto)

it is recommended for kids and adults to go to the dentists for regular teeth checkups. So why not get your spine checked? Our spine houses the spinal cord, which is the “highway” between of our brain and body.  Most people think that my spine is healthy, until they feel pain. Do not let pain guide your body, be proactive about your health (low back exercises Toronto)