Inflammation. Disc Degeneration. There is a connection.
Inflammation acts as the body’s response system to damaging
stimuli (injury, pathogens, metabolic stress – a disc herniation compressing a nerve!) as it attempts to restore itself to normal
before the harm was done. Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation is always amazed at how the body takes care of itself!
Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation sees its Baton Rouge chiropractic care as a partner of
the body’s system in healing especially
when spine pain is an issue. Chiropractic care uses
many tools like spinal manipulation, exercise, and nutrition to take care of
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 related
to intervertebral disc degeneration. (1) IL-1 β in fact promotes
itself, its own expression, by upregulating NLRP3 inflammasome activation. (2)
The body controls itself down to its cellular level
via autophagy, the natural process during which the body’s
cells clean out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In
a new study, melatonin enhanced autophagy
and reduced the degradation of the disc’s
extracellular matrix (technically marked by a decrease
in marker LC3B, autophagasomes and autolysosomes and inhibition of the NF-kB
signaling pathway). The final conclusion was that melatonin inhibits
intervertebral disc degeneration by stimulating autophagy. (3)
Wow. Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation is inspired by this research to see just
how well melatonin can perform for Baton Rouge back pain related
to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is a very common malady
seen at Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation that positive news of
melatonin’s benefits are quite rousing. A new
study stated that melatonin could modulate
the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process started
by IL-1 β. Additionally, melatonin reduced the
inflammatory cell collection and reduced the release of connected
inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new finding
that melatonin disrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers
postulated that melatonin may contribute to
the healing process of intervertebral discs after damage was
already present. (1) Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation will keep
following the new research regarding the role inflammation plays
in Baton Rouge disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in reducing
it.
INFLAMMATION AND MELATONIN
The significance of melatonin in helping
to slow or stop painful conditions due to inflammation is rising.
The description of melatonin as a multitasking molecule affecting
mood, immunity, and energy among other things is quite fitting.
It is also anti-oxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory, specifically
by hindering 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 impacts
the body’s aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis (cell death), and autophagy
(cell-cleanout) activities. (1) Melatonin’s specific effect on
inflammation and disc degeneration is most interesting
to Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation and our Baton Rouge back pain patients.
CONTACT Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation
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 addresses disc
degeneration for relief of chronic low back pain in her patient.
Schedule your Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment with
Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation now. We can discuss how inflammation affects your
back pain and how melatonin may address the related disc
degeneration.