From Chronic Pain to Healing: What Your Manchester Chiropractor Wants You to Know About Recent Discoveries
If you're dealing with chronic low back pain, you know how trying it can be when treatments only deliver temporary relief. Although there's still much to learn, evolving research is shedding light on the reasons behind disc degeneration and investigating potential therapies that might provide better results in the future. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries is keeping close tabs on all of this to help our Manchester back pain patients best.
Understanding Your Disc Health: The Hydration Factor
The discs in your spine function like shock absorbers between your back bones, and they're mostly made of water-filled substances called proteoglycans. When these discs lose their water content over time, they can't absorb shock as well, contributing to pain and further breakdown. While staying hydrated won't cure disc problems, it may support your discs' natural function—though we still need more research to completely grasp how this works. We can talk more at your next Manchester chiropractic visit about ways to hydrate your discs.
Early Promise: Lab-Grown Disc Components
Studies by Chopra's team (1) have made advances in developing "biomimetic proteoglycans"—artificial versions of the natural components found in your discs. In laboratory studies, these engineered molecules can copy some properties of healthy disc tissue. However, these studies are just beginning, and it may take time to determine if this treatment will be both safe and effective for people|this research is still in its infancy, and it will likely be some time before we know if this approach can safely and effectively help human patients like our Manchester back pain patients.
Why Decompression Techniques May Help
Exploring Natural Pain Pathways
Some of the most preliminary research by Melrose and colleagues (3) is exploring whether compounds from natural sources, including venoms (wow!), could be developed into targeted pain treatments. This research remains in initial development and centers on learning about pain pathways rather than coming up with ready-to-use treatments. It may be many years before we see practical applications, if any emerge at all. Fasincating!
What This Means for Your Current Treatment
While these research developments are hopeful, they don't alter your immediate treatment options. What they do suggest is:
- Lifestyle factors like hydration and movement patterns may be more significant than we previously grasped.
- Current treatments your chiropractor uses may have stronger scientific support than before.
- Future treatment options are being researched, though timeline and success remain uncertain.
- Managing expectations is critical—breakthrough treatments take time to develop and prove safe.
The reality is that back pain treatment remains challenging, and while research is advancing our understanding, most of these discoveries take time. Your best approach remains working with your Manchester chiropractor at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries who understands current evidence-based treatments like Cox® Technic while staying informed about emerging research.
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management addresses disc degeneration and the back pain that comes with it.
