Can You Be Active Without Cartilage in Your Spine? Here’s What You MUST Know Before You Sit on the Sidelines

Let’s get real.

If you’ve been told you’re missing cartilage in your spine—maybe from disc degeneration, injury, or long-term wear and tear—you probably felt the air get sucked out of the room. That kind of diagnosis? It lands hard. Suddenly, you're wondering if every move you make is doing more harm than good.

And the question you’re wrestling with—is activity even safe anymore? Or will it make things worse?

Let me be straight with you, just like I’d tell my coaching clients in any tough situation: Activity isn’t your enemy. In fact, when done right—it’s your lifeline.

So let’s break it down, Higdon-style. No fluff. No medical gobbledygook. Just truth, tactics, and a mindset that serves your comeback.

When people say they’re “missing cartilage” in the spine, they’re often referring to intervertebral disc degeneration—that squishy stuff between your vertebrae that acts like a shock absorber. Think of it as cartilage’s cousin. When those discs dry out, shrink, or wear down, the spine starts losing its natural cushion.

This can cause:

• Chronic pain

• Limited mobility

• Nerve irritation or impingement

• That sinking “I feel older than I am” sensation

But here’s the kicker: this doesn’t mean you’re broken.

You’re not glass.
You’re not fragile.
And you sure as hell aren’t done.

You’ve probably heard “rest is best” or “avoid strain” if your spine is degenerating. But let’s flip the script.

Movement done right helps your spine, not hurts it.

Let’s talk about why.

1. Movement Delivers Nutrients to Your Spine

Your discs don’t have a direct blood supply like muscles or skin. They get nutrients through movement—through pressure, decompression, and circulation created by activity. No motion = no nutrition.

You don’t feed your spine by sitting still.
You feed it by moving smart.

2. Muscles Are Your Bracing System

Your spine isn’t meant to support your entire body alone. That’s the job of your core muscles—front, back, sides. When they’re strong and trained properly, they offload pressure from your vertebrae.

No cartilage? No problem—if you have muscle doing the heavy lifting.

3. Staying Active Prevents the Downward Spiral

Pain leads to less movement.
Less movement leads to stiffness.
Stiffness leads to more pain.
See the cycle?

When you say, “I’m afraid to move,” you might be unconsciously creating the exact long-term pain you’re trying to avoid.

Instead, controlled, guided, consistent movement breaks that cycle.

Let’s get specific. You don’t want to randomly jump into a bootcamp class or try to deadlift 300 pounds. That’s not the point. But avoiding movement altogether? That’s a setup for disaster.

Here’s what I recommend for my private clients and students:

✅ Daily Decompression Exercises

• Think: gentle hanging, child’s pose, supported inversion

• These relieve pressure, open space in your spine, and help your discs “breathe”

✅ Core Activation Without Spinal Loading

• Bird-dog

• Dead bug

• Wall planks

Not sit-ups. Not crunches. You’re not trying to look like a superhero—you're trying to support your spine.

✅ Low-Impact Movement (But High Consistency)

• Walking

• Swimming

• Cycling (with proper posture)

• Gentle mobility flows like controlled yoga or Pilates

These increase circulation, pump your joints, and train your body to support you through aging like a freakin’ warrior.

✅ Resistance Training With Precision

Don’t fear the gym. But fear bad form.
Hire a coach if needed. Focus on:

• Glute bridges

• Hip thrusts

• Rowing movements

• Weighted carries (done right, these are magic for spine health)

Strength equals support.

LoreLet’s be clear on what NOT to do:

🚫 High-impact jumping or running on hard surfaces
You don’t have the cushion anymore. Don’t hammer your joints.

🚫 Sitting too long
Sitting is not resting for your spine. It’s compression. Move every 30-45 minutes.

🚫 Heavy spinal flexion and twisting under load
No Russian twists. No Jefferson curls. No slouchy deadlifts. Be picky about your posture.m ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Autem dolore, alias, numquam enim ab voluptate id quam harum ducimus cupiditate similique quisquam et deserunt, recusandae.

Look, pain is real. I won’t sugarcoat it. But pain doesn’t always mean damage.
In fact, studies show that people with spinal degeneration on MRI scans often have zero pain, while others with less damage report agony.

So yes, pain is your signal—but it’s not your identity.

Track your response. Log what movements feel good and what don’t. Start slow, start small, but start. Pain is feedback—not a stop sign.

And if your body says “nope” to something, cool. Adjust. But don’t throw out the whole plan.

Great question. Here’s the truth:

Cartilage and discs don’t regenerate like skin or muscle. But that’s not the end of the story. There are promising signs of disc rehydration, stem cell activation, and inflammation reversal—especially when movement, nutrition, and light therapy are combined.

Want to dig deeper into that science? DM me or stay tuned for the next post—I’m diving into what’s actually working to trigger regeneration in the real world.

If no one’s told you this yet today, let me be the one to say it:

You are not your MRI.
You are not a liability.
You are not too far gone.
And you are definitely not fragile.

If you’ve lost cartilage in your spine, activity—done intentionally—might just be your most powerful medicine. The secret isn’t if you move. It’s how.

So stand tall. Move with purpose. Rebuild what they said was “gone.”

You’re not here to decline quietly.
You’re here to rise.

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