What is a Subluxation?
A Subluxation (Vertebral Subluxation) is in simplest terms, when one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) move out of position and create pressure on, or irritate spinal nerves. These nerves are found between each of the bones in your spine. When the nerves are irritated or have this pressure it causes those nerves to malfunction and interfere with the signals traveling over those nerves.
Your nervous system is important as it controls and coordinates all the functions of your body. Our brains receive instructions to all parts of the body through electrical impulses that travel along the spinal cord. The spinal cord is protected by interlocking bones called the spinal column. These bones individually are called vertebrae. From the spinal column, nerves branch off through small openings between these vertebrae. When there is interference and the nerves do not get full signals, the body gets partial messages and is not able to function at 100% capacity.
Is there damage if left untreated or undiagnosed?
When subluxations are left untreated, we are at higher risk for disease, pain, imbalance and fatigue and can lead to ill health in any part of our bodies.
Some of the possible damage can include: Joint damage, Nerve damage, Muscle damage, Tissue damage, and overall body malfunction, leading to premature aging, less resistance to disease, fatigue, lack of mental vitality and/or physical health. Internal organ disease, spinal degeneration and possible disc herniation is also a risk if left untreated for years and damage is to occur.
What causes subluxations?
There are a number of causes for vertebral subluxations. They can be caused by accidents, sports injuries, birth stress, falls, trauma or even emotional stress. It is recommended that infants and children are checked by a chiropractic doctor to ensure there was no damage at birth or in infancy.
Sometimes our bodies give us signals that there is nerve interference. We can experience pain, irregularity, soreness, weakness, digestive issues, headaches, etc. These are not the actually problem but are alarms that a part of our body is not working properly, that there may be interference.
We do not want to ignore these symptoms or silence them with medication that doesn’t get to the root cause of the problem. Our health will only continue to decline if we do not correct the issue, or cause of the symptom.
What can a Doctor of Chiropractic do to correct subluxations?
The Doctor of Chiropractic’s job is to locate subluxations, and reduce or correct them. There is a variety of ways that a Chiropractor can help and they will work with you to discover and correct the root cause of the problem so that you can function with optimal health.
Chiropractic Care: What it can do for you
Resources:
http://www.echiropractic.net/what_is_a_subluxation.htm
http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/consumer/subluxation.htm