South Huntsville Neighbors, May 2024

YOUR HEALTH
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Your Discs and Jelly Donuts
By Dr. Christine Spurlock DC, Fiona Wellness Center
Did I mention donuts just to get your attention? Actually, a jelly
donut is a perfect example of something familiar that is similar to
the discs in your spine. Even better, picturing a jelly donut can
help you understand what is happening when your discs come
under pressure and bulge outward.
The spine is an elegant compromise in form and function. To
achieve the range of motion your neck and back require, a little
bit of stability is sacri 昀椀 ced. Your spine has twenty-four bones
stacked on top of one another. In between those bones, acting as
cushiony pillows, are the discs that keep your bones from grinding
against each other when you turn your head or swing a golf
club. The ligaments are the ropes that lock these bones together,
while the muscles use tendons to grab hold of the bones and
contract for movement. Last but not least, we have the nerves,
which use the spine as their freeway to get messages to and from
the brain.
Okay, back to the jelly donut. Like our calorie-laden friend,
discs have two layers. The jelly, or nucleus, sits safely in the
center. Just as the donut’s crust keeps the jelly from getting all
over your hands, your annulus is the tough outer layer of the disc
that holds everything in place.
Compressed disc put pressure on nerves, causing pain. Decompression
therapy lifts pressure from nerves, relieving pain naturally.
When a disc is herniated, the donut crust becomes weak and the
soft center spills out. A bulging disc is what we get when a weak
spot bulges out due to internal pressure. What causes it to bulge is
sometimes hard to pin down. In some cases, it can happen after lifting
something heavy or a car wreck, but often it is just wear and tear
since our discs age just like the rest of our bodies.
A healthy disc keeps spaces between the bones in your back. When
they degenerate some of that space is compromised. Your spinal
cord uses those spaces as tunnels for nerves to transmit through.
A nerve will let you know when it is not getting the space it needs
in the form of radiating pain or numbness down your arms or legs.
Due to gravity and all that we ask of our bodies, a disc usually needs
outside help to get back to its optimal state.
Helping You Live
Your Best Life
Non-Invasive Solutions That Can
Restore Your Health and happiness
SERVICES
• Peripheral Neuropathy
• Chronic Knee Pain
• Back Pain
• Shoulder Pain
• Hip Pain
• Arm and Hand Pain
• Foot and Ankle Pain
FIONA WELLNESS
CENTER
2905 Bob Wallace Avenue
Huntsville, AL 35805
256-489-3500
AESTHETIC SERVICES
• EMSCULPT
• Non-Invasive
Dr. Christine Spurlock DC
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