Dr. Jerome Fryer Chiropractor

Increasing Disc Height: A Central Theme in My Approach to Spine Care

One central mechanical principle I consider in my chiropractic practice is intervertebral disc height.

Disc height does not exist in isolation. Changes in disc height influence the geometry of the motion segment, including facet joint relationships, intervertebral foraminal dimensions, and spinal canal dynamics.

This gives me a useful treatment target even when I cannot identify the precise source of a patient's symptoms with certainty.

Whether my working diagnosis involves discogenic pain, facet-mediated pain, or radicular symptoms, I often consider whether manual treatment directed toward temporarily increasing disc height and reducing compressive loading may be appropriate.

But treatment doesn't end when the patient leaves the clinic.

I pair manual care with home strategies designed to encourage spinal unloading and maintain the mechanical gains we are trying to achieve. The objective is to give patients something they can actively participate in, rather than making their improvement depend entirely on clinic treatment.

Over many years of clinical practice, this approach has repeatedly produced outcomes that have reinforced its value in how I manage appropriate patients.

I don't need to claim that every painful spine has one identifiable structural pain generator. Instead, I can ask a more practical mechanical question:

Can we create a more favourable environment for the motion segment by improving disc height, opening the foramina, influencing facet relationships, and reducing mechanical loading—and then see how the patient responds?

For me, that is where anatomy, biomechanics, clinical reasoning, and patient response come together.

I think it is important to help patients understand and see where their sources of pain drives from. The dorsal root ganglion acts as a sensory hub and new research has shown this, again.

Dynamic Disc Designs Spine Education Models help frame the targeted therapy/intervention.

The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is much more than a simple relay station for sensory information.

A fascinating 2026 review in the Annual Review of Neuroscience reframes the DRG as a specialized sensory-immune organ—where neurons, glial cells, immune cells, and vascular structures interact to influence sensory processing, inflammation, and pain.

This evolving understanding also raises an important question for anatomical education: Are the models we use keeping pace with the anatomy and science?

In our latest ddd PLxH design, we paid particular attention to the cauda equina—representing dorsal root ganglia at anatomical scale, incorporating natural variation between DRGs, and offering optional rootlets to better demonstrate the complexity of this remarkable region.

At Dynamic Disc Designs, we believe anatomical truth matters. Our goal isn't simply to show anatomy, but to help professionals communicate it accurately and empower patients to better understand their own bodies.

Read the latest ddd blog in the comments

Science shouldn't smell, and we must pay attention to AI. As a researcher and chiropractor, I must keep my sniffer sniffing out the bias.

When AI agrees with us: large language models as amplifiers of scientific bias - European Spine Journal Home European Spine Journal Article When AI agrees with us: large language models as amplifiers of scientific bias Editorial Published: 16 August 2026 (2026) Cite this article Download PDF Save article View saved research European Spine Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript When AI agrees with us...

Some of you may have already been introduced to my new product. Relieve back pain with the BackRelever. Patents filed in the US and Canada.

Excited to see the global results on reducing back pain for the masses.

Stay tuned.

BackRelever is officially here to help people who deal with daily back discomfort from long sitting, work pressure, and lifestyle strain.

If your back feels stiff, tired, or constantly under pressure, you’re not alone. Most people ignore the early signs until it starts affecting everyday life.

BackReliever is designed to support better comfort and relief in your daily routine.

Simple. Practical. Made for real life.

My blog, with Dynamic Disc Designs Spine Education Models

Can whiplash cause an injury that doesn’t show up on MRI?

A fascinating 2026 review in Pain Medicine examines the evidence for subfailure injury of the cervical facet joint capsule following whiplash.

Biomechanical studies suggest that during whiplash, individual cervical segments can move beyond their physiological limits, placing substantial strain on the facet joint capsules—without fracture or complete tissue rupture.

Experimental research shows that this microscopic capsular injury can initiate nociceptive activity and subsequent changes involving the dorsal root ganglion, spinal cord and even supraspinal pathways.

The important concept:

A tissue doesn’t have to rupture to be injured—and microscopic injury may not be visible on conventional imaging.

This is also why dynamic anatomical models can be so valuable for patient education. Being able to physically demonstrate cervical segmental motion and facet joint relationships can make complex biomechanical concepts much easier to understand.

An interesting bridge between biomechanics, anatomy and pain science.

See comment for link to write-up.

New paper on sitting and spine.

Can Reducing Spinal Load Improve Disc Health? Can reducing spinal compression improve disc health? New research supports lumbar lordosis during sitting, while earlier MRI research suggests spinal offloading may provide an additional biomechanical advantage.