Chiropractic clinic, chiropractor, physical therapy. Valdosta, Georgia

ANATOMY OF YOUR SPINE

Most often, back pain is a mechanical problem. Mechanical back pain tends to occur with activity and go away with rest. Many times your pain starts in the low back, then you feel it spread into one or both buttocks. As the condition worsens, it goes down past the back of the knee or into the foot. Your back pain may also be only painful at the center of your spine or in the hip. Pain is a signal that tells us something is wrong so it is important to have these conditions evaluated by your Physician or Chiropractor. We specialize in diagnosing and treating these conditions at Care Medical Center so call our office to schedule your appointment to end your neck or back pain.

There are many areas of your spine and back that can generate pain. Refer to the chart below to see which parts of the spine can be a source of back pain.

Muscle: Muscles rarely send pain information, but the tendons on the ends of muscles may register pain.
Bone: The covering around bones, called the periosteum, has sensors for pain.
Disc: The outer portion of the annulus can register pain, especially when a crack forms in this area.
Ligament: These supportive tissues have many pain sensors.
Nerve: Irritation of the sheath around the spinal nerve can register pain or other symptoms.
Joint: The enclosure of a joint, called the capsule, is richly supplied with pain sensors.

Spine - Contact our chiropractic clinic in Valdosta, Georgia. We feature physical therapy, massage, and aromatherapy.

SPINE CONDITIONS

Degenerative changes often lead to certain spine conditions. The conditions listed here represent some of the conditions that may be causing your pain.

Herniated Bulging, and Degenerative discs
Facet joint arthritis
Spinal stenosis
Foraminal stenosis

Herniated, Bulging Disc, and Degenerative Discs

A disc that has been weakened may bulge, rupture, or herniate. If the annulus ruptures, or tears, the material in the nucleus can squeeze out of the disc, or herniate. A disc herniation usually causes pain in the buttock or leg if the disc presses against a spinal nerve. The chemicals released by the disc may also inflame the nerve root, causing pain along the distribution of the nerve down the leg. This type of leg pain is called sciatica. Even a normal disc can weaken or rupture. Heavy, repetitive bending, twisting, and lifting can place too much pressure on the disc, causing the annulus to tear and the nucleus to rupture into the spinal canal. Once the disc is injured, the disc may begin to degenerate. Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a progressive disease where the disc loses water and ultimately loses its height. When the disc thins, it continues to degenerate and ultimately forms osteophytes or spurs around the disc and vertebrae adjacent to the disc. There is no cure for degenerative osteoarthritis so it is imperative to stop or slow the progression of the disease once the disc is injured. A multi-faceted approach to treating this condition is needed to heal the injured disc. Thats where we are best suited to treat disc conditions because we use a team approach involving Medical care, Chiropractic decompression therapy, and Physical therapy to get you the best results possible.

At Care Medical Center, we specialize in non-surgical treatments of conditions such as these. Our treatments have been clinically proven to be 86% effective for treating herniated discs.

Facet Joint Arthritis

The facet joints along the back of the spinal column link the vertebrae together. If a disc loses its height, the vertebra above the disc begins to press down on the vertebra below. This causes the facet joints to press together. Articular cartilage covers the surfaces where these joints meet. Like other joints in the body that are covered with articular cartilage, the facet joints can develop osteoarthritis as the articular cartilage wears away. Extra pressure on the facet joints can speed the degeneration in the facet joints. The swelling and inflammation from an arthritic facet joint can be a source of low back pain.

Spinal Stenosis and Foraminal Stenosis

Stenosis means “closing in.” Spinal stenosis refers to a condition where the tissues inside the spinal canal are “closed in,” or compressed. The spinal cord ends at L2. Below this level, the spinal canal contains spinal nerves that travel to the pelvis and legs. When stenosis narrows the spinal canal in the low back, the spinal nerves can be squeezed inside the canal.

The pressure from spinal stenosis can cause problems in the way the nerves work. The resulting problems include pain and numbness in the buttocks and legs and weakness in the muscles controlled by the nerves. Pressure on the nerves that go to the bladder and rectum is a cause for concern because it can weaken the muscles that control the bladder and bowels.

Spinal nerves exit the spinal canal between the vertebrae in a tunnel called the neural foramen. Anything that causes this tunnel to become smaller can squeeze the spinal nerve as it passes through the tunnel. This condition is called foraminal stenosis, meaning that the foramen is narrowed.

As the disc collapses and loses height through degeneration, the vertebral body above begins to collapse toward the one below. The opening around the nerve root narrows, squeezing the nerve.

Arthritis of the facet joints can cause bone spurs to form and point into the foramen, causing further nerve compression and irritation. Foraminal stenosis can cause a combination of mechanical and neurogenic pain.

Call Care Medical Center today at 229-241-8925 in Valdosta, 229-382-5857 in Tifton or 229-686-2277 to schedule your consultation to see how you too can eliminate your neck and back pain!

Contact our chiropractic clinic in Valdosta, Georgia, for the finest chiropractor. We feature physical therapy, massage, and aromatherapy.