WHAT IS SPINE DECAY?
The spine is made up of 24 moveable bones called vertebra that are stacked like donuts and separated by a cartilage spacer called a disc. Spine decay is "ARTHRITIS" - usually termed "OSTEO ARTHRITIS". It is caused by wear and tear damage to the joints & discs of the spine and is often misrepresented by the medical community as age related arthiritis. ?? IF ARTHIRITS IS AGE RELATED - WHY DOES IT USUALLY OCCUR ONLY IN CERTAIN AREAS AND NOT THE ENTIRE SPINE - AREN'T ALL THE VERTEBRA THE SAME AGE??wear & tear to the body as you age but it should be slow and evenly distributed. (Just like your car tires when the front end is in alignment - the tires wear slow and even) but when the front end is out of alignment it speeds up the damge to the tire. The damage also occurs unevenly -more on the inside or outside. Why? - because that area is under greater pressure therefore it will wear faster. YES there is some normal You spine is the same way - when balanced and in alignment there is slow and even wear. But when out of alignment the damage speeds up in the area under greater pressure (WOLFF's LAW). This is often seen ON AN X-RAY as localized damage in one area of the spine but not in the surrounding area. Your spine has an ideal position where all the joints are lined up evenly and the spinal cord and nerves are free and relaxed. FROM THE FRONT - the skull should be level to the ground and 90 degrees to the top of the spine. The knob on the back of the 24 vertebrae should be lined udown the middle and the hips should be level to the ground and 90 degrees to the bottom of the spine. FROM THE SIDE - the ear hole should be lined up over the last vertebrae in the neck and the last vertebra in the middle back should be lined up in the middle of the pelvis/hips Phases of Degeneration: 1) Phase 1 - When the spine or individual vertebrae are not in the ideal position (out of alignment). Often times this is occuring without your knowledge but sets in motion the accelerated damage cycle (just like a tooth cavity). This can be detected by a trained chiropractor. The misalignments at this phase are usually completely correctable 2) Phase 2 - After years of spinal misalignment the damage becomes visible on an X-ray as bone spurs and thin discs. It often causes restriction in movement, stiffness, and pain (BODY's FIRE ALARM). The misalignments at this phase may be partially corrected and stabilized to minimize future damage. 3) Phase 3 - If the misalignments in phase 1 and 2 are not corrected then permanent spinal damage occurs. Discs are completely worn, joints and vertebrae are fused together by the body. The misalignments at this phase are not correctable and care is designed to contro the patient ongoing symptoms. Phases of degeneration are use to determine approximately how long your spinal misalignments have been present and give the doctor a reasonable expectation for care. **THE LONGER YOU WAIT - THE GREATER THE DAMAGE - THE LESS IT CAN BE CORRECTED** |
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