for everyone with back injuries, who didn't alreddy know this... from a doctor who gave himself 2 slipped disks by intensive, frequent running and managed to fix himself:
"When the back is in pain for protracted periods of time, the muscles do a thing called "splinting." When a muscle splints, it is straining to hold the joint structures in place.
Splinting occurs when the other structures of the back (bones, joints and ligaments) are damaged and cannot hold the back in proper alignment. This happens, for example, when an intervertebral disc collapses and brings the vertebrae closer together than they were meant to be. It also happens when there is ligament damage.
Ligaments are the cables, so to speak, in the back structure, which can be compared to a suspension bridge. When they break or become stretched out of shape, the vertebrae go out of alignment. Then the paraspinal muscles try to fill in for the damaged ligaments by holding (splinting) the spine in a rigid alignment. Muscles are not made for constant strain, and they eventually degenerate from this activity.
AMP (adenosine monophosphate)is the first step in the biochemistry of building the substance the body itself manufactures to store energy (ATP - adenosine triphosphate) which is used by muscles in movement. When there is a lot of splinting, the muscle becomes exhausted. Supplying new AMP for the muscles is like fueling up a car. Muscle tissue is given a new lease on life.
Another item (you can take orally), which is a precursor of ATP, is creatine. I recommend five grams per day. This is especially useful when taken before exercise to increase the muscular strength of the back.
Glucosamine, Chondrotin Sulfate and Natural sulfur (methyl sulfonyl methane, a nutritional food supplement found in fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products). These three substances are used by the body to make and repair cartilage, tendon, ligament, joint fluid, heart valves, eyes and blood vessels. In the face of chronic injury, the body simply cannot make enough to make a major repair possible. A degenerated disc in the back is a classic example. Taking these supplements makes possible the repair of joints, which were once thought to be beyond repair.
Chiropractic manipulation of joints can help you feel better, no doubt about it, especially early in the disease process. It is important for you to know that such manipulation is not curative of the disease process. No number of manipulations will make your collapsed disc become normal again and no amount of manipulation will make your ligaments repair themselves.
If your chiropractor performs dramatic, vigorous manipulation, while this may feel better in the short-run, in the long-run this type of spinal manipulation will damage your back by further ripping already torn and degenerated ligaments. Therefore, the alignment will not hold, and you will soon be back for another adjustment.
If you do have chiropractic manipulation, go to a chiropractor who appreciates the value of gentle manipulation over dramatic, vigorous manipulations. Determine this by interviewing the chiropractor by phone before you make an appointment. If you do go in for treatment, and you find the adjustment to be too vigorous, do not hesitate to say so.
