The primary focus for the Chiropractic profession, especially as it is practiced at Advanced Health Chiropractic, is to assess for the presence of vertebral subluxations; to locate it’s presence and through specific neurologically specific adjustments, facilitate the correction of the subluxation to allow for the natural free flow of control and coordinating information throughout a persons nervous system. The ultimate outcome;- a community of individuals and families living amazing lives, naturally!
This article discussed what we currently know about the subluxation, where it comes from, and how the stress and dysfunction it causes within the nervous system correlates with a multitude of health challenges in individuals and families.
So what is a Subluxation?
We like to teach the practice members at Advanced Health Chiropractic that subluxation has three (3) main components:
- Dysfunction
- Tension & Stored Energy
- Neurological Interference & Imbalance
While the first two components comprise the biomechanical elements of subluxation within the NeuroSpinal System, and can be commonly experienced through muscle and movement challenges, the third component causes all the trouble.
The link between the three components
Breaking down that third element even further, we see that the neurological interference comes from the effect that the dysfunction, tension and stored energy have on the central nervous system.
You may have heard the phrase “motion is life” before, and it’s absolutely true.
The number one thing that keeps the brain and nervous system active, engaged, and functioning at a high level is movement and physical activity, particularly from the spine. The term for this is proprioception, which is the perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body.
The spine has by far the highest density of proprioceptors in the body. The upper neck has more than any other area, making it particularly important, and particularly susceptible to subluxation.
The flow on effect of Subluxation
It’s time to get a little nerdy!
When subluxation is present, there is decreased proprioceptive input into the brain and nervous system, which in turn allows increased nociception to get in. Nociception is noxious, stressful, and potentially harmful stimuli reaching the central nervous system, and it causes the nervous system to move into sympathetic fight-or-flight mode, known as dysautonomia.
It goes so far beyond just looking at the movement of spinal joints and regions such as the neck or lower back. Those who understand the role of subluxation in health like your chiropractors at Advanced Health Chiropractic, look deeper into the neurological disruptions and dysfunction and get to work restoring and improving those components with each and every chiropractic adjustment.
Why are subluxations so important?
Subluxation is the most overlooked cause of various health issues that can be helped and cared for by a neurologically-focused chiropractor like in our practice. One of the surest signs a patient’s condition is primarily linked to subluxation is when all medical tests and treatments come up empty. We see it all the time, despite people seeing a long list of doctors and specialists, people still do not have the answers and action steps they seek!
What causes subluxation?
So what causes subluxation, exactly?
Put simply – stress and toxicity overload.
While stress is actually a normal, healthy part of life, helping us to gain resiliency, strength, and adaptability, what research and experience teach us is that we have far too much stress and toxicity in our current environments. And if an individual is exposed to high amounts of stress and toxicity in life, especially in a child’s life before their nervous system has developed enough to handle it, then subluxation and dysautonomia set in, and the storm starts to brew.
What does that look like exactly for millions of people today?
Research has now clearly shown that individuals and families face more stress and anxiety than ever before. With all the added stress and tension on our nervous systems, we are seeing more subluxation patterns set in, for longer and deeper.
These subluxations create significant, chronic imbalance and dysfunction within the nervous system, which then, in turn, causes dysfunction in motor tone and development as well as all other major systems — gut, immune, respiratory, mental, emotional, social, and so on.
Excessive stress, irrelevant of the type, if unable to be adapted to, will negatively affect the nervous system, causing it to go into a pattern of tension and a fight-or-flight response.
The snowball effect.
From there, a stressed and subluxated infant deals with colic, reflux, constipation, and repeated ear infections. Then each use of an antibiotic or other medication to suppress the expression dramatically increases the risk of chronic illness later on in life. More often than not, by the time a teenager or adult arrives at our chiropractic practice, they tick a myriad of signs, signals, symptoms and conditions as their body’s (aka nervous systems) struggle to cope with and adapt to everyday life.
What are the signs of subluxation?
Initially, subluxation creates excessive tension and a “wound up” response, which shows up early in a child’s life as colic, difficulty sleeping, and frequent tantrums and meltdowns. But then, over time, as things turn more long-lasting and chronic, subluxation can cause neurological fatigue and exhaustion.
Some of the most common signs of subluxation:
- Difficulty Sleeping
- Gross and Fine Motor (Muscle) Challenges
- Focus & Concentration Challenges
- Emotional Regulation Challenges
- Chronic Pain & Tension
- Fatigue and Exhaustion
- Colic
- Chronic Ear Infections and Immune Challenges
- Constipation and Gut Issues
- Developmental Delays
- Frequent Meltdowns and Tantrums
- Sensory Integration Disorder
- Hyperactivity and Impulsivity
- Functional Movement Disorders
Signs of Subluxation
In the intricate dance of the spine, each vertebra is a crucial performer, and when one falters, the harmony of movement is disrupted. This is the essence of spinal subluxation—a misstep in function that can manifest as a chorus of challenges. You may feel the pang of pain in your back or neck, however, more often than not it will start more subtle or with no obvious signal at all.
If you are lucky, headaches may emerge, a throbbing audience to the tension, as if your body is sounding an alarm for attention. (I say lucky because human beings are better at responding to signals than making proactive choices like regularly being assessed for subluxation by a chiropractor). Movement might become a challenge, leaving you with a stiffness that hinders your daily choreography. These symptoms whisper—or sometimes shout—the need for care. They are your body’s way of communicating that the spinal integrity, which supports you through life’s performances, requires a helping hand to restore its natural poise and rhythm.
How do you find and Take Care of subluxation?
By far, the most important tool our highly experienced chiropractors are trained to use is the INSiGHT Subluxation Scanning Technology. In just a 10-minute exam, these scans can find, measure, and locate many of the elements of subluxation.
Doing so allows your chiropractor to then create an exact, personalized, and customized adjusting care plan for your or your family member. The INSiGHT scans take all the guesswork out of it and bring the chiropractic exam and detection of subluxation into the modern era.
Other modes of finding subluxation include postural, physical, and other neurological exam components. But the chiropractors at Advanced Health Chiropractic all start with our technology pictured below.
Finding and locating a subluxation is one thing, correcting it is another. Our trained neurologically-focused chiropractors use an adjusting system that is safe, gentle, and wildly effective at restoring function and balance to the nervous system. Whilst the chiropractic adjustment is incredibly impactful, the magic is in the care plan that facilitates momentum and sustained results.
The coolest thing about this kind of chiropractic is that a regular adjusting visit lasts just a few minutes, easily fitting into a family’s busy schedule and also being fun and enjoyable for the child! When whole families come in to get adjusted, the kids fight and compete for who can jump on the table first. They love it so much.
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