Inflammation. Disc Degeneration. There is a relationship.
Inflammation is the body’s response to damaging
stimuli (injury, pathogens, metabolic stress – a disc herniation pushing
on a nerve!) as it attempts to repair itself
before the harm was achieved. Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center is always amazed at how the body takes care of itself!
Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center sees its Pensacola chiropractic care as the body’s partner in healing especially
when there is spine pain. Chiropractic care uses
many tools like spinal manipulation, exercise, and nutrition to help
the body. Melatonin is one nutritional tool that is proving value
in its ability to interrupt the inflammatory process
related disc herniation that results
in back pain, neck pain and other spine related pain.
DISC DEGENERATION AND INFLAMMATION AND 'AUTOPHAGY'
Inflammatory markers interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6
(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) are linked to intervertebral disc degeneration. (1) IL-1 β actually promotes
itself, its own expression, by upregulating NLRP3 inflammasome activation. (2)
The body controls itself down to the cellular level
via autophagy, the natural process during which the body’s
cells clear out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In
a recent study, melatonin boosted autophagy
and decreased the degradation of the disc’s
extracellular matrix (technically marked by a decline
in marker LC3B, autophagasomes and autolysosomes and inhibition of the NF-kB
signaling pathway). The end conclusion was that melatonin prevents
intervertebral disc degeneration by stimulating autophagy. (3)
Wow. Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center is encouraged by this research to see just
how well melatonin can work for Pensacola back pain related
to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is quite a common malady
seen at Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center that positive news of
melatonin’s benefits are quite rousing. A recent
study explained how melatonin could modify
the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process started
by IL-1 β. Additionally, melatonin decreased the
inflammatory cell collection and decreased the release of linked
inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new discovery
that melatonin interrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers
postulated that melatonin may support
the restoration process of intervertebral discs after damage was
already present. (1) Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center will keep
following the new research regarding the role inflammation has
in Pensacola disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in reducing
it.
INFLAMMATION AND MELATONIN
The importance of melatonin in helping
to slow or stop painful conditions due to inflammation is growing.
The description of melatonin as a multitasking molecule affecting
mood, immunity, and energy among other mechanisms is quite apropos.
It’s also anti-oxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory, specifically
by blocking the activation of inflammasomes (4) Melatonin’s
formal chemical name is as about as long as its list of tasks: N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine.
The pineal gland secretes melatonin naturally. Melatonin influences
the body’s aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis (cell death), and autophagy
(cell-cleanout) activities. (1) Melatonin’s specific influence on
inflammation and disc degeneration is most interesting
to Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center and our Pensacola back pain patients.
CONTACT Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Hrefna Sylvia based in Iceland where back pain isn’t much different
from any other country on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr.
Michael Johnson as she describes how The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management handles disc
degeneration for relief of chronic low back pain in her patient.
Schedule your Pensacola chiropractic appointment with
Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center today. We can talk about the role
inflammation plays in your back pain experience and how melatonin may address the related disc
degeneration.