06/12/2025
# 11 WE JUST LOOKED AT THE RESULTS OF A DAMAGED LUMBAR DISC.
We also said it’s preventable…and made the point that permanently fusing vertebrae together is most definitely not the best solution.
It’s ironic to think about some of the things we invest time into maintaining while ignoring the potential for prevention where our bodies (which is also a magnificent machine) are concerned.
For example, most men (and some car-loving women) are willing to spend countless hours to keep their car in tiptop shape. Immaculately clean….well oiled…tires maintained and aligned…engine running smooth and purring. Admittedly, that is absolutely important, no denial here. With car maintenance there are so many factors to consider and, happily, most are easy to see and evaluate. In other words – we usually notice when something is amiss.
That’s not always the case with our bodies and our health.
How about teeth? Who hasn’t had the benefits of flossing, brushing, and regular checkups instilled into them? Mess up and we find ourselves trembling in the dentist’s chair clinging to armrests, as we listen to the drill tear into us as we worry about the large bill to come.
But when it comes to the spine, probably because we have never been taught the importance of maintenance and likely because we can’t see what’s, our first introduction to prevention may very likely be when it’s almost too late.
Chiropractors, like any other licensed health professionals, are required to engage in continuing education. The options for this continuing education are subject to state board approval and offer great diversity. In other words…we must all undergo a specified number of hours of continuing ed, but it’s up to the individual chiropractor to decide what that focus will be. We each lean toward the education that supports our specific interests and focus of practice. I might specialize in nutrition as a result of holding a dual license - both nutrition and chiropractic, but I also practice with two guys who are now (and have always been) totally into fitness. That means, over the years, we have all attended (multiple times) The Arnold Classic and ICA Symposium in Columbus, Ohio. YUP! Schwarzenegger still actively trains lifters and sponsors educational seminars for chiropractors who work with sports and fitness. Arnold’s focus being “natural” fitness as opposed to steroid-aided training with an emphasis on developing injury-free, maximum performance training skills.
WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH DISC HEALTH?
Wait a minute! Did we just say that weightlifting is important for spinal health?
Yes…but perhaps not to the extent these professional weightlifters take their training.
Certainly, we know that prevention of osteoporosis (a dreaded but much too common condition of the bones that begins to plague most American women who are over age 30 – and men in later years) and is characterized by a leaching of calcium and essential minerals from the bone - thus weakening our inner support structure to the point where debilitating fractures can occur. Let’s face it …we’ve all heard the story about our aunt “Bessie” who fell and broke her hip…and then never fully recovered. Most of the time that means Aunt Bessie will spend the remainder of her days in a wheelchair. And nine times out of ten Bessie didn’t fall and break her hip….in fact, Bessie’s hip, as a result of advanced osteoporosis, likely snapped and caused her to fall. Admittedly, recovery rates are poor but can happen.
Tying bone health to the matter of weightlifting - and the reason we said osteoporosis begins it’s sad process by age 30 relates to several factors and our list is merely a brief summary and is not all inclusive.
1) During the formative years, did the diet allow for adequate nutrition with all essential nutrients? You won’t build strong healthy bone matter by eating donuts, burgers and fries. Did the essential glands and organs receive the necessary nerve enervation to do their job?
2) Calcium, in order to be absorbed in the GI, requires a “fixing” to be done by the natural acid present in the stomach. If this doesn’t happen the calcium will pass through the GI without being absorbed and will exit with the f***s. Did Bessie’s overeating result in indigestion after which she routinely swallowed Tums or other antacids like they were candy? That destroys the stomach acid and the crucial “fixing” of calcium that needs to happen – not to mention it also destroyed Vitamin C which is essential for healing and collagen production.
3) Is our body even capable of making the proper gastric juices that are essential? That depends on if the stomach is receiving the proper nerve enervation from the brain and is receiving the necessary building blocks to manufacture both acids and enzymes.
4) Are the necessary hormones - those designed to build up bones and tissue (instead of breaking it down) diminishing as we age? Answer - yes, absolutely –
BUT there is something we can do to stop or slow the breakdown - something old Bessie likely never considered doing. That is having her spine checked by a professional to make sure no subluxations [or misalignments] are interfering with the free flow of life-giving energy to all the parts it needs to go.
4) Are we using our muscles in a way we are meant to do? The laying down of new bone cells not only requires the “building blocks”. That job, done by cells called Osteoblasts, always works more efficiently when the bone is exposed to physical stress, specifically in the form of weight-bearing activity or exercise. That, for our last example, is why those who end up with bed rest, even within a matter of days, begin to deteriorate. Muscle wasting begins and minerals are leached from the bones.
Preventing disc problems is all about prevention and maintenance. For that we need to explore a bit more anatomy - next time in #12.
