Oh my achin...

I have done something to my back. I think it's called "30-something itis" and I am not happy. I work out at least 3 times a week to good ole Richard Simmons - my trusty VHS Sweat into the Oldies. I have played tons of ball. I walk my BFF Milo all over the place like Ceaser Milan says to. I coach little league. I keep up with twins (wait, change all the above to past-tense). I did something to my back in January and it's gotten progressively worse.

I have never believed in Chiropractors and after a year of therapy from my ACL surgery I swore I would be on my last leg before visiting another medical facility (pun intended). It's gotten so bad I can't sleep.

Well I decided to make an appointment and just see what they had to say. They took x-rays and determined I have a degenerative disc. Here's a little recap to explain...I am bolding the words that seem to trouble me.

What causes degenerative discs?

As we age, our spinal discs break down, or degenerate, which may result in degenerative disc disease in some people. These age-related changes include:

• The loss of fluid in your discs. This reduces the ability of the discs to act as shock absorbers and makes them less flexible. Loss of fluid also makes the disc thinner and narrows the distance between the vertebrae.
• Tiny tears or cracks in the outer layer (annulus or capsule) of the disc. The jellylike material inside the disc (nucleus) may be forced out through the tears or cracks in the capsule, which causes the disc to bulge, break open (rupture), or break into fragments.

These changes are more likely to occur in people who smoke cigarettes and those who do heavy physical work (such as repeated heavy lifting).

A sudden (acute) injury leading to a herniated disc (such as a fall) may also begin the degeneration process.

As the space between the vertebrae gets smaller, there is less padding between them, and the spine becomes less stable. The body reacts to this by constructing bony growths called bone spurs (osteophytes). Bone spurs can put pressure on the spinal nerve roots or spinal cord, resulting in pain and affecting nerve function

So the Chiropractor did some kind of adjustment (I think she was trying to break my back in the event her diagnosis was wrong). She then sent me for a deep tissue massage by a manly woman and ended with a tens unit, heat, and ice. So far? I feel like I've been in a wreck and yes, my back still hurts. I am going to stick with it for now but I hope I will see some results soon.