Decompression Can Take The Pressure Off

In the worlds of balloon animals, backyard pools, aviation and diving -- think the bends -- and certain movies, decompression is a bad thing. In the world of backs, it is actually very good.

The discs in your back can suffer a range of insults. They may herniate -where something tears and things start going in directions they shouldn't. They can rupture or prolapse or any of several other things which really, really hurt.

They can also just suffer from daily abuse, as well as time and age. Sadly, these are things that it is very difficult to avoid - outside of an entirely different kind of movie - but there are means of coping.

Did you know that you are actually taller when you get up in the morning than you are when you go to bed? Even if you aren't losing calcium and shrinking.

Not a lot taller mind you, maybe a quarter of an inch or so, but nonetheless, something is different. During the night, when you sleep, all the pressure that is put on the discs in your back - which, by the way, are cushions that keep your vertebrae from rubbing together - is relieved and the discs fill with fluid. Hence, the height.

During the day as you stand, sit, slouch on the couch eating chips, pressure is slowly applied to these discs, forcing the fluid out and reducing the cushion. Over time, the discs may not revive like they used to. If a disc is injured, this is almost inevitable and part of the reason for the pain you feel over such an event.

It also possible that poor posture, bad body mechanics and just general hard work can cause you to be putting your spine and its protective discs into positions that hamper the influx of fluid and reduce the protective aspect. Again, you get pain. Not as significant or immediately debilitating as a herniated disc, but in some ways possibly more damaging.

The problem with chronic, low-level pain is that we tend to start out ignoring it and eventually become accustomed to it. When it gets worse, we do the same thing. Not only is this a vicious cycle, but it can also lead us to unconsciously assume postures or ways of dealing with our bodies that mask the pain while actually contributing to the problem.

A chiropractor can help to ameliorate or even totally eliminate this. You may not even have to hang upside down to get fluid back into your discs.

There are adjustments that can be done to make sure your body is working as it should. While there will be some age-related fluid loss, or rather, decrease in retention, proper body mechanics and other treatments can mitigate this so that you are functioning at a much better level.

Proper decompression will allow the discs to refill to their maximum capacity overnight. This will not only make you feel better, it will also reduce the chances that you will be holding your body in an awkward posture to relieve the pain while making the problem worse. Plus, it will no longer take you five minutes to stand up.