Did you know the average Australian (men and women) shrink up to 5cms over the course of their life? It’s true. You can begin losing height slowly some time in your late twenties then the process accelerates as you age. So, if you are in your thirties…You Are Shrinking Right Now!
The good news is: there are simple and easy things you can do … right now … to minimize the aging and shrinking process to make sure you stay young, healthy and tall and don’t end up looking like a hunchback!
The spine is made up of 24 moveable bones that stack on top of each other like blocks. In between each spinal bone, or vertebra, is a disc.
The disc does 3 things:
- It sticks the vertebrae together
- It is a shock absorber for your spine and
- It gives proper spacing between the vertebrae allowing them to move leaving room for the nerves so that they don’t get pinched.
What does all this have to do with you shrinking I hear you ask? The disc is like a jam donut: it has an outer layer and a soft gel-like centre. That centre is normally 88% water. Your disc makes up 33% of the height of your spine. And, if your disc somehow loses water dries out so-to-speak, your discs only have ONE WAY to keep their water content … MOTION! And, not just motion … but … proper motion! Proper motion serves as a natural pump that brings water and other nutrition in and out of the disc. As soon as that motion is stopped or altered the disc literally begins to shrink up and die. If your spinal bones misalign or malfunction (what Chiropractors call a subluxation), the disc cannot move through their normal range of motion its water content is lost and the disc height is decreased. Your disc starts to shrivel up and you begin to shrink.
As your disc shrinks, it compresses joints and causes inflammation (swelling) due to friction. Swelling and friction reduce mobility even more. Your spine can become deformed, making it difficult to maintain balance and upright posture.
During this process, nerves can get pinched and may result in severe pain and other chronic health problems. Even though you can’t completely stop the aging process of your spine … you can drastically slow it down – reducing the amount of height you lose and all the chronic pain and health problems that go along with it. So, what can you do?
Go to your Chiropractor and have your spine routinely checked for misaligned and malfunctioning spinal bones (subluxations).
Chiropractic adjustments that correct subluxations combined with rehabilitation procedures can restore proper motion to malfunctioning spinal segments decreasing friction and swelling, and allowing fluid back into the disc.
If you think like I do, it also makes sense to come and see me BEFORE you’re in agonizing pain. By that time, your spine needs a Chiropractic overhaul. A lot of work must be done and money spent that could have been avoided if you came in for your regular Chiropractic check-up.
The worst thing is: waiting until you are in pain means damage has already been done. Some damage can be corrected some cannot. Over time, this damage adds up leading to problems and pain that may not be able to be corrected not to mention spinal degeneration and shrinking.
And don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your questions. We’re here to help, we care about you and we truly enjoy participating in your lifelong good health.
Towards Wellness
The real key to living a happy, healthy, pain-free life can be found in the wise old saying:
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
