What is disc Creep? Every time you bend over and stay there for more than a few minutes, your discs in the lumbar spine are experiencing disc "creep." If it "creeps" too far, you can have a "big" disk problem.
Understanding Creep: The disc is made up of two parts: an outer circular wall having the consistency of rubber and an inner sphere of viscous liquid (egg white) called the nucleus pulposus (NP). The entire disk is under pressure and the pressure varries with posiitions of standing, sitting or recumbant. Sitting places the disc under twice the pressure of recumbancy. Sitting at the office and leaning forward, compresses the anterior (front) wall of the disc and this forces the NP to move backwards into the posteror wall. If this position is held a long time, the posterior wall begins to slowly "creep" backwards, bulging toward the exiting nerve roots. Prolonged bending followed by a lift can cause the posterior wall of rubber cartilage to crack. At first it may be tiny, but it grows larger with successive episodes of bending and lifting. Remember that the NP is a liquid under pressure. It will occupy any space open to it. The crack in the wall is such a space and becomes occupied. This is often the problem when a patient is unable to stand straight and leans forward and to the left or right. Think of all the things you do every day that involve leaning forward? All day long we are bending forward! How do we prevent disc injury?
Controlling Creep: If you have an office job. Watch your sitting posture. If you find yourself bending forward for extended periods, you will need to reverse your posture by leaning back for 20 or 30 seconds and get up and walk and lean backwards some more. Leaning backwards is called back extension. Extending your back needs to be done throughout the day. In the evening, get on a large exercise ball, face up and roll on that ball. If you have room, consider an inversion unit. A few minutes in the evening can make a big difference in preventing disc injury.
