Disc degeneration causes a decrease in the ability of the disc to provide sufficient support. The spinal cord has no pain receptors and is protected only by the vertebral bones and soft tissues above and below it. As the spinal disc degenerates, the vertebral bony structure moves forward on the front of the spine and creates a wedge-like shape in between the bones. This “wedge” reduces space there and has less room for your spinal cord than was once present. As we get older our discs dry out, their elasticity decreases and they become brittle. The more brittle they become, the more easily they can crack or rupture through everyday movements or activities (as simple as bending over to tie your shoe!).
When a bulging disc occurs due to wear and tear of aging then it referres to as degenerative disc disease (DDD). It causes back pain because the actual bone moves forward toward/on top of an adjacent vertebra. In this case, the disc herniates but not bulging on the backside of the spinal canal.
When a disc ruptures. It can cause nerve compression or other issues such as if the bone where a disc has ruptured presses against an adjacent nerve root and a patient may have a sensory loss in certain areas like numbness or pins and needles sensations. A patient may also experience weakness because of pinched nerves from trauma. This happens to areas supplied by nerves. And this leads to a lack of good blood supply thereby causing tissue damage in that area as well.
What happens when you sit?
To understand what happens to your spine when you sit. Imagine yourself standing upright with both feet on the floor using all your leg muscles to stand still. In this position, the vertebrae hold immobile against each other by their surrounding soft tissues. While all the weight-bearing compressive forces support from underneath by your leg musculature acting as a mechanical cushion – or spring – between your spine and floor.
Now imagine that you sit on an office chair requiring you to bend your knees – reducing the muscles’ ability to support you and disengage the spring mechanism. As a result, your spine now rests on top of the chair back.
With less muscle support, the vertebrae are forced out of alignment with each other, shifting forwards. This puts more pressure on the discs in between them. Which gradually become thinner as they absorb this excess load from above. This also damages the cartilages, which we know as endplates. This damage generally comes up in MRIs as – “Modic type II changes in endplates”.
Over time, these changes cause chronic pain and loss of function, even if there’s no actual injury. Interestingly though, some people can sit for long periods without any symptoms at all while others feel terrible after just a few minutes. The defining difference is whether you’re naturally flexible or not. Those who have never done any regular stretching can’t twist their spine into a healthy seated position.
Help your spine in regular intervals
Stretching is crucial because it helps us to sit in line with our spinal anatomy, rather than slumped forwards and out of alignment. The result? Less pressure on the discs and much greater comfort at work or home!
By doing regular stretches throughout the day, you give your spine the chance to stay in its natural comfortable ‘S’ curve while keeping all your joints, muscles and tendons supple and strong. If you are just starting out with stretching exercises then we highly recommend asking for help from an experienced teacher to make sure you learn how to do them properly (click here for more info). Stretch whenever you have time – even if it’s just for a couple of minutes at the end of each workday. You can also help yourself by correcting your posture when standing, as well as sitting and lying down – just read on to find out how!
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