Latest / The Dohnal Health Minute / Why Hydration Matters for Joint and Disc Health

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Why Hydration Matters for Joint and Disc Health · The Dohnal Health Minute

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  Hey there and welcome back. I'm Dr. Chris Donnell
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  with Donnell Chiropractic here in Nashville.
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  And today we're talking about something so simple,
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  so easy to overlook that most people never connect
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  it to their back pain or joint stiffness. We're
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  talking about water. Plain old water. And I promise
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  you by the end of this episode, you're going
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  to look at your water bottle a little differently.
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  So here's the thing. Most people know they should
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  drink more water. But what they don't know is
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  just how directly hydration affects the health
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  of your spine and your joints. And I mean directly.
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  This isn't a stretch. This is basic anatomy.
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  Let me break this down for you. The discs in
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  your spine, those cushion -like structures that
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  sit between each of your vertebrae, they're made
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  up largely of water. The center of each disc
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  is this gel -like material, and it depends on
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  fluid to stay plump, to stay flexible, and to
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  do its job as a shock absorber. When you're well
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  hydrated, those discs can handle the compression
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  that comes from sitting, standing, lifting, moving
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  through your day. When you're dehydrated, those
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  discs start to lose that fluid. They get thinner.
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  They get stiffer. And that's when people start
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  to notice that achiness, that stiffness, especially
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  in the morning or after long periods of sitting.
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  Here's what's interesting. Your discs don't have
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  their own direct blood supply the way most other
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  tissues in your body do. They actually absorb
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  fluid and nutrients through movement and through
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  hydration. So when you're not moving enough and
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  you're not drinking enough water, your discs
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  are essentially being starved of what they need
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  to stay healthy. That's a big deal. Now let's
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  talk about your joints, because the same principle
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  applies there. Your joints are lined with cartilage,
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  and surrounding that cartilage is something called
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  synovial fluid. Think of synovial fluid as the
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  oil that keeps your joints moving smoothly. And
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  guess what synovial fluid is mostly made of?
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  Water. When you're dehydrated, that fluid decreases,
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  and your joints start to feel stiff, achy, and
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  less mobile. A lot of people chalk that up to
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  getting older. And sure, age plays a role. But
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  dehydration makes it so much worse, and it's
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  something you can actually do something about
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  today. So what's the practical takeaway here?
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  First, drink more water throughout the day. Don't
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  wait until you're thirsty. By the time you feel
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  thirsty, you're already behind. A simple guideline
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  that works for most people is to aim for about
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  half your body weight in ounces per day. So if
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  you weigh 160 pounds, you'd want to aim for around
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  80 ounces of water daily. And if you're active
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  or it's a hot Tennessee summer, you need even
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  more than that. Second, move regularly. Remember
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  what I said about your discs absorbing fluid
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  through movement? Short walks, gentle stretching,
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  getting up from your desk every hour? All of
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  that helps pump hydration into your spinal discs.
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  It's one of the reasons we always encourage our
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  patients to keep moving. Third, watch your caffeine
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  and alcohol intake. Both of those are dehydrating,
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  and if you're drinking a lot of coffee or not
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  replacing those fluids, your joints and discs
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  are feeling it. Now, if you've been dealing with
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  back pain, neck stiffness, joint aches, or that
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  general feeling of tightness that just won't
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  go away, I really encourage you to come in and
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  get evaluated. Sometimes the issue is something
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  we can address very effectively with chiropractic
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  care. And sometimes it's a combination of things,
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  including hydration, movement, and spinal alignment
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  working together. You don't have to just live
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  with it. At Donald Chiropractic, we take the
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  time to actually understand what's going on with
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  your body and come up with a plan that makes
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  sense for you. We're right here in Nashville
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  and we would love to help. Thanks so much for
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  listening today. If this was helpful, share it
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  with someone you know who's been dealing with
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  back or joint issues. And if you're ready to
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  come in, just give us a call or visit our website
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  to schedule. We'll see you soon!