Subluxations (A.K.A. Spinal Misalignment)
By Dr. Janine Lex
Spinal misalignment is most often associated with back and neck pain. While this is often the reason for one’s first visit to a chiropractor, the whole of associated benefits become an important part of the chiropractic visit. The spinal column houses the spinal cord, our vital communication line between brain and body. It governs all functions in the body.
In my practice and in my own life experience, an adjustment can make right many ailments. From boosting the immune response in colds and flus to correcting blood flow in the extremities, a simple spinal correction effects changes through stimulating and allowing nerve flow. This is the reason for the traditional monthly adjustment. Whether you are in pain or not, an adjustment is a solid way to boost your energy and immune response. It also prevents soft tissue injuries by righting mechanical problems that lead to tendonitis, pulled muscles and lack of musculature coordination.
What puts us out of alignment? The stressors are many but I’ve broken them down into five categories.
EMOTIONAL STRESSORS:
Our emotions and feelings live, breathe and fester or exalt in our body. The spine and nervous system is one of the more common places for these to deposit or cause obstruction. Emotion deposition is often found in the low back and shoulders and cervical spine. In severe stress the cranial bones stop moving fluidly. Emotional holding or stress can be the #1 cause of spinal misalignment.
CHEMICAL TOXICITY:
Anything from drinking too much caffeine to the toxicity of fighting the flu to the body struggling to handle a sluggish liver will cause subluxations in respective levels of the spine. Subluxations of toxicity are most often found in the thoracic and cervical spine.
MICROTRAUMA:
Small nuances can become big headaches. Sitting at a desk with a computer station not appropriate for your body while you hold the phone in the crook of your shoulder trying to write down instructions is one of the big reasons for neck subluxations. Also, sitting in a car seat that is crooked can cause low back pain. One of my personal favorites is low back pain from over worn shoes. (This is generally more of a male problem.) Spinal subluxation happens when we make our body conform mechanically to challenging environments.
MACROTRAUMA:
These are the more classic garden variety subluxations. The obvious “I lifted…”, “I bent over…” Where there was a particular event where the outside physical forces were greater than the body’s resistance or strength. Macrotrauma can result from many microtraumas weakening an area and making it more susceptible to greater stressors.
FATIGUE:
Over stimulation, exhaustion and chronic stress which cause a depletion of essential neurochemicals from adrenal glands will cause low back misalignment and an inability to hold alignment. It will also make the spine more susceptible to all the other causes of subluxation.
As you can see the reasons for spinal subluxations are many and there are even more reasons to keep the spine in alignment as a core to your health maintenance. Besides getting adjusted regularly there are several important life habits to develop.
* Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
* Get between 8-9 hours of sleep per night
* Eat well…lots of vegetables and fruits and as many organics as possible.
* Stretch daily. Do yoga.
* Strengthen your abdominal and gluteal muscles.
* Breathe deeply and let each day roll off as you embrace the new one with a fresh eye and heart. * * Let go and forgive. Live with gratitude.
Spinal misalignment is most often associated with back and neck pain. While this is often the reason for one’s first visit to a chiropractor, the whole of associated benefits become an important part of the chiropractic visit. The spinal column houses the spinal cord, our vital communication line between brain and body. It governs all functions in the body.
In my practice and in my own life experience, an adjustment can make right many ailments. From boosting the immune response in colds and flus to correcting blood flow in the extremities, a simple spinal correction effects changes through stimulating and allowing nerve flow. This is the reason for the traditional monthly adjustment. Whether you are in pain or not, an adjustment is a solid way to boost your energy and immune response. It also prevents soft tissue injuries by righting mechanical problems that lead to tendonitis, pulled muscles and lack of musculature coordination.
What puts us out of alignment? The stressors are many but I’ve broken them down into five categories.
EMOTIONAL STRESSORS:
Our emotions and feelings live, breathe and fester or exalt in our body. The spine and nervous system is one of the more common places for these to deposit or cause obstruction. Emotion deposition is often found in the low back and shoulders and cervical spine. In severe stress the cranial bones stop moving fluidly. Emotional holding or stress can be the #1 cause of spinal misalignment.
CHEMICAL TOXICITY:
Anything from drinking too much caffeine to the toxicity of fighting the flu to the body struggling to handle a sluggish liver will cause subluxations in respective levels of the spine. Subluxations of toxicity are most often found in the thoracic and cervical spine.
MICROTRAUMA:
Small nuances can become big headaches. Sitting at a desk with a computer station not appropriate for your body while you hold the phone in the crook of your shoulder trying to write down instructions is one of the big reasons for neck subluxations. Also, sitting in a car seat that is crooked can cause low back pain. One of my personal favorites is low back pain from over worn shoes. (This is generally more of a male problem.) Spinal subluxation happens when we make our body conform mechanically to challenging environments.
MACROTRAUMA:
These are the more classic garden variety subluxations. The obvious “I lifted…”, “I bent over…” Where there was a particular event where the outside physical forces were greater than the body’s resistance or strength. Macrotrauma can result from many microtraumas weakening an area and making it more susceptible to greater stressors.
FATIGUE:
Over stimulation, exhaustion and chronic stress which cause a depletion of essential neurochemicals from adrenal glands will cause low back misalignment and an inability to hold alignment. It will also make the spine more susceptible to all the other causes of subluxation.
As you can see the reasons for spinal subluxations are many and there are even more reasons to keep the spine in alignment as a core to your health maintenance. Besides getting adjusted regularly there are several important life habits to develop.
* Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
* Get between 8-9 hours of sleep per night
* Eat well…lots of vegetables and fruits and as many organics as possible.
* Stretch daily. Do yoga.
* Strengthen your abdominal and gluteal muscles.
* Breathe deeply and let each day roll off as you embrace the new one with a fresh eye and heart. * * Let go and forgive. Live with gratitude.
