The National Institutes of Health states that circadian clock rhythm includes mental, physical, and behavioral changes, which approximately follow a 24-hour cycle, thereby, responding to mainly environmental light and darkness. More than a few living things have this characteristic including animals, plants, and numerous microbes.

Therefore, what’s the relationship between the circadian clock and low back pain? According to recent studies, the IVD (intervertebral disk); the shock-absorbers found between the vertebrae in human spine, has intrinsic circadian clocks, which are regulated by cytokines and age, and are linked to degeneration. This implies that our body has a 24-hour rhythm that produces many different changes in an organized manner during the entire day in each of the disks found in our spine!

According to researchers, there are at least 600 genes that have 24-hour patterns of expression representing numerous essential pathways, which are linked with disk pathology. In experiments conducted on mice, scientists have noticed that disk generation may occur if the normal expressions of these genes are interfered with. The study concludes that these results support the concept that when circadian rhythms are disrupted, then such complications as degenerative IVD disease and low back pain may arise.

So, what actions can we take concerning this? These findings support a vital concept, in sleep habits! And us we all know, sleep habits is everything; from an improvement in overall well-being to longevity to quality of life. If you didn’t know, circadian rhythms influence hormone release, body temperature, sleep-wake cycles, and many other crucial bodily functions, and are associated with several sleep disorders.

According to researchers, abnormal rhythms are linked to SAD (seasonal affective disorder), obesity, diabetes, bipolar disorder, and depression, among others. If you’ve ever flown from California to New York, then you know exactly how it feels when the NYC alarm rings at 7 a.m. but your biological clock insists it’s 4 a.m.

It’s high time we take the importance of sleep seriously. An alteration in sleep duration (either too little or too much sleep) shortens longevity and quality of life is negatively affected in swing-shift workers. Now, this editorial has helped us a lot; it has reminded us that the cells found in our disks also have a circadian rhythm, and if that rhythm is altered, then disk degeneration may arise, thereby, leading to low back pain!

Luckily, chiropractors, like the Houma, LA chiropractor, totally understands low back pain, and if consulted, will without doubt be of great help. They won’t use drugs nor will they consider surgeries as a way of eliminating back pain, which so far is starting to be a global menace (affects as many as 8 out of 10 people). Instead, they will first accept that low back pain exists, before understanding its cause, like in this case, the disc degeneration.

From there, they will administer correct treatment approach for faster recovery and overall well-being. Although low back pain can be avoided (by making sure your 24-hour clock rhythms are not altered), sometimes it’s just impossible and we may be unfortunate to have it at some point in life. When this happens, be sure to visit a chiropractor. The Houma, LA chiropractor, for example, knows what low back pain is and its relationship to the circadian clock and will help you accordingly without subjecting you to any side effects of medication.