Above & Beyond Chiropractic

What is a Subluxation?

Chiropractors treat subluxation, or as we call it "The Verterbral Subluxation Complex". The vertebral subluxation complex is made up of five parts.

Abnomal motion or position of the spinal bones (Spinal Kinesiopathology)

This is when the bones of the spine have lost their normal motion and position. This can restrict your ability to turn and bend. It sets in motion the other four components. A good way to think about this is if your car was in need of an alignment. When the alignment is off, you get uneven wear on the tires. Another good example of this is your teeth. If you have incorrect alignment of the teeth, your dentist will suggest braces so your teeth don’t wear out too soon.

Abnormal nervous system function: (Neuropathophysiology)

Improper spinal function can squeeze, stretch, or irritate delicate nerve tissue. The resulting nervous system dysfunction can cause symptoms anywhere in the body. An example of this would be sciatic pain or thoracic outlet syndrome. It can even affect organs in the body so that they don’t function as well as they should. A well documented example of this is T4 subluxation related to asthma. An easy way to think of this is that your nervous system is a road way of information. If the road is narrowed (because the nerve is squeezed) or irritated (like a traffic jam), information is not able to travel along the path the way it is meant to. Sometimes the information will be altered or changed by the time it reaches it destination.

Abnormal muscle function (myopathology)

Muscles supporting the spine can weaken, atrophy, or become tight and go into spasm. The resulting scar tissue can change muscle tone, requiring repeated spinal adjustments. The analogy here would be a game of tug-of-war. The muscles move the bones. If there isn’t balance, just like when there are more people on one team then the other the flag/knot (or in your body the bone) will be pulled one way more than the other.

Abnormal soft tissue function (Histopathology)

A rise in temperature from an increase in blood or lymph supply can result in swelling and inflammation. Discs can bulge, herniated, tear, or degenerate. Microscopic scar tissue can be created in the fascia covering of the body. Other soft tissues may suffer as well. Think Sunburn or gristle! Ouch!

Abnormal function of the spine and body (Pathophysiology)

Bone spurs and other abnormal bony growths attempt to fuse malfunctioning spinal joints. This happens according to Wolff’s Law. Wolff’s Law says that bone will grow in the direction of force. In other words, if there is tension on the bone it will grow that way. The other factor in this scenario is when there is an area of the body in pain and distress and the body can not fix it, it has a tendency to build calcium over it. When this is happening to the spine, you can no longer move well. Sometimes this boney growth makes the space where the nerves come through smaller, thus pinching off the nerve. This spinal decay, scar tissue, and long-term nerve dysfunction can cause other systems of the body to fail.