Female Focus
Page 23
www.female-focus.com
The importance of your spinal discs A spinal disc is a little
Article supplied by Cas Van Voorthuizen, Telephone 696 971 988
jelly-like substance with a softer centre
surrounded by a tight ring of strong collagen fibres. Between every two vertebrae there is one of these rubbery cushions acting to give shock absorbtion within the spine.
Damage to the disc usually occurs in 2 distinct manners: 1. By ageing, which is a gradual process and allows the spine to adapt. The disc will become a little bit smaller, the person’s back becomes a little bit stiffer, but without any major symptoms in general.
2. The other condition is a more acute one, where the disc suddenly protrudes out of place or prolapses.
A protrusion or bulging of the disc is the most frequent lesion. Here the softer centre of the disc displaces towards the spinal canal. The person may get local pain in the spine due to the inflammatory process or referred pain in the arm or leg when the bulging-out of the disc pushes on the nerve roots between the vertebrae.
A prolapse, i.e. the leaking out of the softer centre of the disc towards the surface, due to a tear in the outer ring, is a more serious condition where the prolapsed material pinches the nerve in general and causes sciatica and even weakness or numbness in the arm or leg. This last condition terrifies a lot of patients, but to set your mind at ease I can tell you that only a small percentage (not even 10%) will need surgery.
Some of our daily activities and postures can lead to these conditions or lesions. We perform most of our activities with a bended back. We usually sit in a flexed position and we lift things in a flexed and often rotated position.
All this wearing and tearing degenerates the protective ring around the disc and little fissures appear that can eventually lead to its prolapse. Another factor is the loss of tightness of the big ligament (Flavum) on the dorsal side of the disc to protect its bulging into the spinal canal. Additionally the loss in general of our “lordotic” position (the little curvature at the lumbar end of the spine) leads to disc problems.
Early treatment leads to much better results. The first days of back pain from conditions like these are fundamental in the start of physical therapy and the road to recovery and the healing of the disc.
In my practice I use the McKenzie method for the treatment of slipped discs. This technique has been proven to work over a period of 30 years all over the world and is globally recognised as a leading treatment for back, neck and extremity disorders. It is simple and cheap for the patient because it allows him or her to perform most of the treatment at home.
To see how my late college from New Zealand came to this method it is very instructive to see the Robin McKenzie video on MDT on:-
www.mckenzieinstitute.org/nz.
I am always open to giving any information about this article or other issues over the telephone or by email. Cas Van Voorthuizen, telephone 696 971 988.
See advert above for more information.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68