A subluxation takes place when a vertebrae moves out of position and causes an irritation on spinal nerves. These nerves, which protrude from between the bones of the spine, then malfunction and cause interference with the signals that travel them.
Vertebral subluxations can stem from physical, chemical, and emotional causes:
- Physical causes are related to physical aspects we deal with on a day to day basis including bad posture and workstation habits, weak or imbalanced spinal musculature, repetitive motions, and acute trauma.
- Chemical causes are related to chemicals and toxins that are introduced into our body. These chemicals come from the foods we ingest, the liquids we drink, and the air we breathe. Sometimes they are intentional such as through drug or alcohol abuse. Other times they are unintentional such as poor diet and nutrition. Chemicals that are harmful decrease the body’s ability to function and impedes our ability to deal with both internal and external stresses.
- Emotional causes pertain to stress. Medical research has proven that emotional stress effects physical health. When stress levels grow to extreme levels and stress management aren’t working well the body responds with cessation of normality in its everyday function. This malfunction can affect the immune system, which leads to injury and disease.
The brain and spinal cord are made of billions of nerve cells. These cells form a cord of nerve fibers that create the spinal cord. This cord is protected by the vertebrae of the spinal column as it extends down your back. From there the cord branches into smaller nerves that travel to billions of destinations in your body.
As well as controlling and coordinating the functions of the body, the central nervous system allows us to live in our environment by adapting to the various stimuli that surrounds us every day. In order to live healthy lives, to be healthy, it is imperative to ensure the nervous system functions properly and free of subluxations.
Subluxations aren’t just about spots of pain in the back, neck, or sciatica. Subluxations eventually lead to systematic dysfunction and disease. These “silent killers” often start out painless – just like cavities, cancer, and many other diseases. When faced with untreated subluxations, the human body reacts by performing poorly on every level. The immune system weakens, strength and coordination are negatively affected, and organs may cease to function normally. There can be an increase in pain levels and pain consistency as well as stiffness and fatigue. As if the physical symptoms weren’t enough, there could also be major affects to stress and our state of mind.
We cannot stress this enough, chiropractic checkups are essential. Doctors of Chiropractic are the ONLY health professionals trained to detect and correct subluxations. It is our responsibility to locate these misalignments and correct or reduce them through a series of adjustments. The goal of a Doctor of Chiropractic is to make these adjustments – realigning your spine – in order to allow your body to return to its natural state of optimum health. Untreated subluxations of the spine eventually lead to dysfunction and disease.