Height is different in the morning and evening. Huh! ? Do not you think so? In fact, it involves an intervertebral disc.
The intervertebral disc is like a cushion between the bones of the spine. Do you have any familiarity with “disc herniation” that you often hear from your feet? Today is a story about such an intervertebral disc.
Intervertebral disc that hardens with age
The intervertebral disc is ... 1. Central nucleus pulposus 2. Outer fiber wheel (consisting of 15-25 plates) 3. Cartilage that forms upper and lower surfaces It is made from.
The outer ring consists of 15 to 20 concentric rows of fibers, and has a spiral crossing to increase strength and torsion (twist) motion. Also, there is a nucleus called nucleus pulposus in the intervertebral disc. When pressure is applied, the nucleus pulposus distributes the pressure well. This nucleus pulposus, which is made up of hydrophilic mucoid tissue at the time of a baby, gradually changes to fibrocartilage as it ages and becomes like a fiber ring.
Intervertebral discs occupy about 20-25% of the spine, with the lumbar intervertebral disc supporting the body being the thickest. This intervertebral disc thickness also tends to decrease with age due to degeneration and decreased hydrophilic action. It seems harder and harder with age, But this is an unavoidable phenomenon.
The water content of the intervertebral disc decreases with age, and degeneration has already begun in the 10s. The intervertebral disc itself, which initially was about 85-90% water, decreases to 65% over the years. In addition, the intervertebral disc contains a lot of hydrophilic mucopolysaccharides that add elasticity, but this also decreases over the years and turns into fibers.
Don't be lamenting here. If you try to maintain a posture that does not place a burden on the intervertebral disc and exercise moderately, the intervertebral disc will remain healthy.
Height is different in the morning and evening
The intervertebral disc is a resilient cushion that resists pressure such as impact and gravity.
Because the intervertebral disc is flexible, it will shrunk flat when applied for a long time, and will return to its original shape when no load is applied. Chiropractor Creave says that the lumbar disc that supports the upper body of the body gradually thins over the course of the day and usually returns to its original shape after sleeping within 5 hours.
t may be a little surprising, but adults are one to two feet taller in the morning than in the evening. This height difference is due to the phenomenon in which water flows in and out of the cartilage on the upper and lower surfaces of the intervertebral disc. It absorbs and expands. Actually, this water movement also plays a role in protecting the disc.
And when the spine moves back and forth, left and right, the intervertebral disc is elastic, so the spine is stabilized while being shrunk or stretched on one side.
Intervertebral hernia
When the ligaments that connect the discs are traumad or weakened, the more fibrocartilage on the outside of the disc is torn, the greater the pressure on the disc. If it is torn, the contents of the disc will escape. This condition is called “disc herniation”. In the spine, herniated discs most commonly occur in the lumbar vertebrae because the lower back supports the bulk of the weight and is the most bent part.
When it comes to herniated discs, the hernia compresses the spinal nerves that pass through the spine and the roots of the nerves, causing pain and tingling in the legs. Chiropractic can provide adequate treatment for disc herniation, This is to improve the movement of the lumbar spine and restore the disc flexibility.
A healthy intervertebral disc is a cartilage that is so flexible that there is a difference in height between morning and evening. Although it gets harder as you get older, you can prevent yourself by taking a posture that doesn't put a strain on your hips and daily self-care. The posture with a rounded waist places the highest burden on the intervertebral disc, so when you are sitting on a chair, do not put a burden on your waist by putting a towel around your waist.
Chiropractic is very effective for maintaining the health of the intervertebral disc and for herniated disc. By moving the upper and lower joints of the intervertebral disc, the intervertebral disc can regain its flexibility. There are many treatment improvement cases in this hospital. Please contact us if you have any problems.
Written by
Kazunori Kosuge
Bachelor of Applied Science Bachelor of Chiropractic Science AK Practitioner
Where is Clinic?
CHIROPRATICA
東京・六本木・麻布の国際基準のカイロプラクティックならこちらへ。
東京都港区麻布十番2-18-4 テンポイントビル102 03-6809-6155 最寄り駅：都営大江戸線 or 南北線 麻布十番駅（徒歩1分)
クリニックの場所や治療内容を知りたい方はこちらをご覧になってください＾＾。
Thank you for reading to the end.