How long does it take to create irreversible spinal damage after even a small injury in your spine?
Hi, I’m Dr. Kim Carlucci from Montclair, New Jersey, and today we are talking about self-care.
After an injury, we do not want to let things wait. When you have any kind of pain, it is an indication that something is not right. The medical doctor will usually prescribe a mild anti-inflammatory and tell you to return in two weeks if it is not better. I’m here to tell you that that is not a good idea.
The nervous system remodels after the peripheral nervous system shouts at it long enough saying, "I’m in pain I’m in pain". At that point, the central nervous system will cause a change in reflex patterns that will be permanent. You must be fairly aggressive in the first two weeks of an injury to restore function and motion to the area of discomfort. Of course, this is not including bone fractures or surgical procedures.
When you have a sprain strain injury, sprain being a tearing of tissue in the ligament and a strain being a tearing of or breakdown of tissue in the muscle, most people wait to treat.
Researchers found immobilization in rats for two weeks leads to sensory dysfunction accompanied by a systemic reduction in protein and ions and by local changes in bone (reduction in density and thickness) and muscle structures (reduction in fiber size and muscle mass) concurrently with diminished contractile function.
Studies have shown that immobilization of an area or vertebrae due to any kind of trauma or immobilization of any sort for a time period of 6 to 8 weeks will cause irreversible growth of bone spurs and cartilage breakdown. (Arthritis)
Treatment of 2 to 6 weeks is a sensitive time period for regeneration of the degenerative disc.
The first two weeks are the most effective in treating an injury. If you have had an injury longer than eight weeks and we’re talking about months or years, you’re not without hope. The treatments will have to be repeated and for a much longer period of time, sometimes months, to reverse or at least help to stop the degeneration.
My point is not to scare you but to talk to you about time management. Most people don’t get help until they are in pain or in a crisis situation. You’ll spend far less time at the chiropractor if you "nip it in the bud" within the first couple of weeks of an injury rather than wait until you’re in crisis and have to spend 2 to 3 times a week for a couple of years in treatment.
Please don't neglect your health. I hope this information is helpful I’m Dr. Kim Carlucci as always chiropractic brings out the best in me let it bring out the best in you.
n the Journal, "Life Sciences"
Volume 137, September 15, 2015, in a study called: Sensorial, structural and functional response of rats subjected to hind limb immobilization"
This was revealed in, "The Journal" May 2019 Volume 19, Issue 5, in a Study, Called
"Controlled immobilization-traction based on intervertebral stability is conducive to the regeneration or repair of the degenerative disc", the authors demonstrated that disc degeneration is a cascade of biochemical, mechanical, and structural changes mediated by cells in an abnormal mechanical environment
