Spinal Neighbors Irritate Each Other: Adjacent Segment Disease

Good neighbors. Bad neighbors. Supportive neighbors. Irritating neighbors. Know any Ashburn neighbors like that? Well, neighbors aren’t restricted to the suburban Ashburn neighborhood. They’re in the spine, too. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn deals with them every day! Neighboring spinal elements are called adjacent segments. When all these spinal segments are healthy, there’s no problem. When one segment becomes unhealthy or irritated, degenerates, herniates, bulges, experiences a back surgery or fusion surgery, etc., it affects its neighboring segments (nerves and discs). Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn may be the mediator of - the Ashburn back pain specialist for - these spinal elements and help each segment individually become healthier and function better with the whole spinal system.

So what determines if an adjacent segment will respond poorly to its neighboring disc’s deterioration or back surgery procedure? Whether that adjacent disc has some degeneration itself already. If the adjacent disc is healthy and normal, the likelihood of its decline is less after a lumbar posterolateral fusion back surgery. (1)  Also, the more segments that are fused in a spinal surgery increases the risk of adjacent segment degeneration. (2) Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn is in our Ashburn chiropractic patient’s corner to bring about back pain relief that may help prevent a back surgery.

Now, a tricky part of this adjacent segment issue is that spinal nerves communicate beyond their own respective spinal level (usually just one level up or down). Cervical and thoracic spine nerves communicate greatly while lumbar spine ones don’t as much. But these communications can produce symptoms that may be a level off. (3) This makes things interesting! A symptom may be produced by various nerves. That’s why your Ashburn chiropractor does so many different tests during the Ashburn chiropractic examination to be sure the correct diagnosis is made as this diagnosis guides the treatment plan for your back pain and neck pain relief. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn is well experienced in back and neck pain diagnosis!

Adjacent segment issues impact even neuropathic pain, a chronic disease of the nervous system involving spinal nerves. It’s pain that extends into the extremities and feet. How? Well, the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) houses the spinal nerves that run throughout the spine between and among the spinal levels. Within the DRG, some spinal nerves function well, and others are damaged. Researchers are now finding a way to differentiate been these damaged and healthy nerves. (4) Just where all of this information will take back pain care is to be determined, but it is amazing! Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn keeps on top of these nuances to provide the most accurate care possible for our Ashburn chiropractic clients.

So bring your spine to Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn. Contact Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn to set a Ashburn chiropractic appointment for a thorough examination and relieving treatment plan for your spinal pain condition.