Oval Osteopathy and Vauxhall Village Osteopathy
  • Vauxhall Village Osteopathy
  • Oval Osteopathy
  • Your osteopaths
  • Your treatment
    • Headaches
    • Neck problems
    • Shoulder problems
    • Arm and Elbow problems
    • Wrist and Hand problems
    • Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
    • Back problems
    • Hip problems
    • Sciatica
    • Knee and leg problems
    • Foot and ankle problems
  • Your appointment
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Exercises and stretches
  • Privacy policy
Vauxhall Oval Nine Elms Osteopath

​Call 07361805089

or email click here

Blog

Slave to the rhythm

11/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
The body needs to find time to repair itself and schedules downtime so that structures can be restored to better function.  

Did you know that nostrils are periodically switched throughout the day and night, with one fully open and the other partially blocked in order that it can rest and repair from the fast moving particles you inhale?  

The intervertebral discs also have a repair cycle.  When we lie down and take the weight off them, they decompress and fluid and nutrients are sucked in so that they are plumper by about 10% and we are actually measurably taller at the beginning as opposed to the end of the day by about 1.5-2cm.  

However, the rhythm is not just a response to our activity, scientists at the University of Manchester have discovered, there is an intrinsic diurnal rhythm in the DNA of the substance of the discs.   Genes concerned with homeostasis (repair through the restoration of the balanced state) are switched on when we rest at night.  It was found that chronic inflammation and ageing both reduced the ability of the disc tissue to respond to the circadian rhythms.  Furthermore the loss of circadian rhythms led to accelerated deterioration of intervertebral disc tissue.  Read more here

Another team at University of Manchester, looking at the mechanisms behind the inflammation causing Rheumatoid Arthritis have found that the body also secretes natural anti-inflammatories (notably cryptochrome) to reduce inflammation during the night and again this is disrupted if we don't have a period of rest and darkness, read more here.

So, what are the implications?  The suggestion is that a regular sleep pattern, in darkness, is perhaps important to both mediate inflammation and to maintain disc health.  The understanding that long term inflammation reduces the effectiveness of the circadian disc repair system means that a poorly regulated body clock could lead to a double whammy of decreased inflammatory suppression and of that inflammation then leading to a degraded intervertebral disc repair mechanism.  There are some positives though; understanding how the body suppresses inflammation during the 'night' phase means we could potentially develop methods to artificially trigger that state, which could be especially useful for those with autoimmune conditions where inflammation is chronic and damaging, and understanding how ageing interferes with triggering nocturnal intervertebral disc  repair may mean that we could find a way to reverse that also.

In the meantime though, all in all, perhaps your grandparents were right when they exhorted you that 'early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise'...well the first part, at least!

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    February 2021
    March 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014

    Author

    Damian is the principal osteopath at Vauxhall Village Osteopathy and Oval Osteopathy

    Categories

    All
    Ankylosing Spondylitis
    Balanced Ligamentous Tension
    Bursitis
    Functional Technique
    Hip
    HVT
    Indirect Techniques
    Joints
    Knee
    Manipulation
    Mice
    Neck
    Osteoarthritis
    Osteochondritis Dessicans
    Osteopathic Principles
    Preventative Care
    Remit Of Osteopathy

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
  • Vauxhall Village Osteopathy
  • Oval Osteopathy
  • Your osteopaths
  • Your treatment
    • Headaches
    • Neck problems
    • Shoulder problems
    • Arm and Elbow problems
    • Wrist and Hand problems
    • Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
    • Back problems
    • Hip problems
    • Sciatica
    • Knee and leg problems
    • Foot and ankle problems
  • Your appointment
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Exercises and stretches
  • Privacy policy