The Truth About ‘Slipped Discs’: Part 1

“I have arthritis in my back!” I hear this every day I practice in my clinic. I ask them why they say that, which is usually followed by, “Bad backs run in the family.”

Now, this can be a fair statement, but it’s also not fair because it isn’t true.  What I mean is arthritis, at least the kind we are talking about, is called OSTEOARTHRITIS. This is when the spine has wear and tear, and it gets worn down to bone on bone. When this happens, you have stages of arthritis or osteoarthritis. Phase 1 usually has mild wear and tear on the disc. The disc sits between most vertebrae, the backbones, like a tire that shock absorbs. Phase 2 has moderate damage to the end plates of the vertebrae while the disc gets even thinner. It is almost like a tire losing its tread. Then, in Phase 3, the disc is “desiccated,” which leaves the disc very thin. Often, in phase 3, there are bone spurs. At this point, there is little you can do to help the spine. Sometimes, it’s so far gone only surgery is the answer.  You don’t have to let this happen, keep reading so I can tell you what is really going on and how to stop it!

The reason this article is called, “The truth about slipped discs” is because most people start out with a pretty good spine. Over the years, the damage starts in phase 1 damage. If the person continues to overuse and hurt their back, this moves to phase 2. The spine shifts into a malposition because of overuse and repetitive injuries. So, my response to, “I have a bad back because they run in my family,” is to find out if that is really true! Or if it is just mistreatment of their back through thousands of times doing things they shouldn’t be doing and not getting regular adjustments that would help.

Now, a small percentage of the time, there could be a more serious condition like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, or other serious back conditions. These serious conditions could run in the family and eat away at the spine. Yet most of the time, when people have “bad backs” or “arthritis,” it is because of something more obvious, at least to me. It’s a move to copy your family and the way of life you have seen. If you saw your dad working hard and lifting heavy things, you mimic your parents. I know I have a very hardworking dad, and he is a man’s man. Sometimes, he even thinks of me as stronger than I am! My three brothers learned to build race cars, sheds, and even do farm work with my dad. We have the advantage of him showing us things, and also, we are adjusted often, which has offset a lot of damage.

Most of the time, when a person claims they have a bad back is they have repetitively damaged an area of their spine. The joint becomes malpositioned, and often the disc has “slipped”. The disc provides a cushioning-type effect. But when the disc migrates towards the spinal cord and spinal nerves, it can cause debilitating pain. Most “slipped discs” happen little by little but some have come from a major trauma like a motor vehicle crash. When the disc moves out of place, whether over the course of years or in a bad accident, it can cause severe, life-stopping pain. Usually, when I see someone walking into my clinic hunched over or sideways, called an antalgic posture, I feel bad and know it may be a disc disorder. You see, this is because they have an inflamed and slipped disc. When patients come in with pain in the legs, it is often a “slipped disc,” and that disc is putting pressure on the nerve! This is a painful condition. In the neck, if there is a “slipped disc,” it can cause tension headaches or migraine headaches. It can cause numbness and pain in the shoulder and arm. In Part 2, I will explain more about the disc itself and how to read your MRI like a pro.

Back to the comment, “I have arthritis.” arthritis in the spine speeds up dramatically when there is a slipped disc that has not been dealt with. I have seen many people who have a slipped disc for years, and the amount of arthritis is phase 2 or phase 3 in a few years as the body tries to disintegrate the disc to protect the nervous system and spinal cord! And when only one or two areas of the spine have moderate or phase 2 or phase 3 severe arthritis I know they had a slipped disc undealt with. Probably because they didn’t know!

So, do you have someone you care about who has said they have a “bad back”? And they think this because someone else in their family does? I want you to be bold and ask, “What phase?” Ask them if they have phase 1- mild wear and tear, phase 2- moderate degeneration of the disc, or phase 3- the disc is almost gone, and the spinal joint has bone spurs and is bone on bone. Then I dare you to ask what they have done for themselves. I dare you to ask them what they have tried because if it’s Bengay or over-the-counter medications, there is a better way. And, if it isn’t phase 3, there is still help, and if we get to the bottom of it, we can help them slow down or stop arthritis. I don’t want anyone to live in pain!

In the next article, “The Truth About ‘Slipped Discs’: Part 2,” I will explain more about slipped discs and give you information on disc disorders. I will share some cutting-edge non-invasive options to help you if you have this painful condition. Until then, if you would like more information, call our office today! Tell someone about what you learned today, and hopefully, they will have new information that will help them become pain-free.