What is a Subluxation?

A Subluxation is made up of several components, but simply put; it is a misalignment somewhere in the spine. The spine is made up of many independently movable segments called vertebra. They are joined together by small joints that aren't all together different from any other movable joint in your body. The combination of two of these segments together is referred to as a “motion unit”. If a single segment is slightly out of place, or when a motion unit becomes immovable, or “fixed”, it can cause a lot of bad things to happen. If a segment is misaligned severely enough, it can put direct pressure on the nerve root, which exits between itself and the next vertebra. If the motion unit is simply “fixed”, it can cause irritation to the surrounding tissues, causing inflammation and, again, pressure to the nerve root.

Why is nerve root pressure bad? It doesn't take much pressure to the nerve root to interfere with the transmission of mental impulses from the brain to the various parts of the body. Since mental impulses are what drive nearly every bodily function, slight pressure can reduce the effectiveness of organs and tissues. No one wants their heart or kidneys operating at less than 100%, right? The problem is that this reduced efficiency occurs long before any pain symptoms are noticeable, so it's possible to be living with health reducing subluxations, and not even know it.

What causes a Subluxation?

D.D. Palmer, the originator of Chiropractic, said Subluxations are caused by thoughts, traumas, and toxins. Today, we recognize that they can be caused by: giving birth, being born, activity, lack of activity, stretching, falls, reaching, turning, jumping, playing, sitting, working, stress, lovemaking, coughing, sneezing, hiccups, etc., etc.

Living causes Subluxations .