What is daily shrink?
Daily shrink refers to people being a few centimeters shorter at night than when they began the day. In the past, daily shrink has been attributed almost entirely to disc compression. This is an incomplete conclusion. While daily shrink may include disc compression, it is only minimally caused by it, if caused by it at all. A profile of the natural curvature of the spine follows the shape of a graceful ‘S’ (lordosis). During the day gravity causes that ‘S’ to collapse a bit. The cause of that relaxation is not only a compressing disc, but includes fatiguing muscles and ligaments which support each vertebra as it sits upon its disc. The vertebral support of powerful muscles, healthy, hydrated discs and elastic ligaments, reduces the tendency of the spine to sag by maintaining the ‘S’ curvature of the spine in its maximum uprightness. This correct posture also minimizes a disproportionate amount of stress accumulating in a certain region of the disc, causing its perimeter to bulge (herni
