A Bigger Issue with Dehydration

Wontaek Hwang

2 years ago

A Bigger Issue with Dehydration

According to the lay press, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. What does that mean from the spinal perspective?

Let’s discuss the role of the spinal discs. The spinal discs are placed between the spinal joints to hold the body weight against gravity. They not only provide mobility to the spine, but they also cushion the area to absorb shock to the spine.

Generally, normal wear and tear do not cause problems. The jelly-like material inside the discs endures the heavy load pretty well. What we don’t see is the scary part. The fluid inside the discs gradually leaks out throughout daily activities.

Rehydration

Fluid availability and spinal movement are fundamental ingredients to rehydration. When the jelly-like material inside the discs has a problem with rehydration, the discs start to shrink.

The problem starts to rise when the heavy load applies to your dehydrated spinal discs. It becomes much more significant when the load is distributed unevenly throughout the spinal discs. When the discs lose the ability to absorb the shocks, it puts all the weights on the outer ring of the discs. The outer ring, the tough part of the spinal discs, is not designed to carry such a heavy load. Now, this puts the spinal discs in perfect condition to collapse and accelerate degenerative process.