The moving bones of the spine and pelvis protect the intricate communication pathways of the central nervous system (CNS) which includes the brain, brain stem, and the spinal cord. If these nervous system pathways are impaired, then malfunction of the tissue and organ/gland function throughout the body may result.
The type of condition which may impair these nervous system pathways is called a subluxation. A subluxation may have different meanings depending on the medical specialty involved.
It implies the presence of an incomplete or partial dislocation of a joint or organ. Most people would be familiar with the term subluxation in relation to the shoulder or a rib.
In chiropractic terminology, a vertebral subluxation applies to a vertebra which has lost its normal position and/or motion in relation to the vertebrae above or below. This may lead to pain, inflammation, and movement dysfunction at that point and in other structures within the body.
Subluxation Symptoms
The only accurate way to determine if you suffer from subluxations is to be properly assessed by a skilled ‘pain and dysfunction’ practitioner, such as a chiropractor. However, there are a number of signs and symptoms that are often associated with vertebral subluxations. These include, but are not limited to:
| Headaches | Migraines | Muscle spasm |
| Dizziness | Poor balance | Muscle weakness |
| Back pain or tightness | Neck pain or tightness | Muscle tightness |
| Reduced spinal mobility | Pain, numbness, tingling | Joint pain or stiffness |
| Lethargy or fatigue | Poor overall health | Slow to heal |
| Altered gait | Brain fog | Poor concentration |
Because of the direct mechanical relationship between the spinal column and the spinal nerve roots, vertebral subluxations have the potential to impair proper nerve functioning, which jeopardizes the overall health and wellness of the individual.
Often a significant amount of damage is present before symptoms like pain are felt. Pain is a very poor indicator of the disease process!
What Causes Subluxations?
Vertebral subluxations can occur for many different reasons, most of which are experienced by people on a daily basis. These may include:
Physical causes such as acute trauma to the body, repetitive tasks affecting the spine, poor postural habits, poor workstation set up, slouched sitting posture, weak or imbalanced spinal musculature, as well as slips, falls or trauma.
Chemical causes include poor dietary habits, drug and alcohol use and abuse, and the ingestion of chemical toxins in the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink.
Emotional causes include prolonged exposure to stress which can have a significant impact on all the major systems of the body making the body more susceptible to injury, pain and disease.
Avoiding back and neck pain requires people to maintain healthy habits and movement while checking all the boxes in relation to the Foundation Principles of health.
Spinal Adjustments
Like chiropractors and osteopaths, a physiotherapist is highly skilled at assessing the nervous system, skeletal system, muscular system and vestibular system.
A physiotherapist focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine and pelvis) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how this relationship affects preservation and restoration of health.
Stephen Hooper, as a highly-skilled holistic physiotherapist is trained to order and evaluate radiological evidence such as x-rays and MRIs, combined with a keen understanding of healthy living and holistic healing, he can help to restore your body’s own innate ability to heal. The (holistic) approach to better health is to locate and reduce interferences within your body (primarily within the skull, spine and pelvis) allowing for a healthier state of being.
The most up to date research demonstrates that safe spinal adjustment to a subluxed vertebra can not only improve pain, muscle spasm and movement at that particular location, it may also reduce pain, muscles spasm and improve movement in other regions of the spine.
You may want to read our blog article: “Is Chiropractic Spine Adjustment Safe?”
Clinical Examples
- Adjustment of the cervical spine reduces pain and muscle spasm in the neck and reduces symptoms in the lower back.
- Adjustment in the thoracic spine improves hip range of motion and improves hamstring length
- Adjustment of the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) restores ankle movement
- Adjustment in the thoracic spine restores shoulder movement while decreasing symptoms
There are specials skills that our highly-trained holistic practitioners bring to Effortless Superhuman and these have been incorporated into the ES practitioner training system and the ES Treatment Method.
To gain a further understanding of Effortless Superhuman services we offer, book an appointment with an Effortless Superhuman ‘Pain and Dysfunction’ practitioner or give us a call on (08) 9227 6277 today.
There are specials skills Chiropractors bring to the Effortless Superhuman and these have been incorporated into the Body Genius practitioner training system and the Effortless Superhuman (ES) Method.
To gain a further understanding of the Effortless Superhuman Chiropractic services we offer, book an appointment with a Effortless Superhuman ‘Pain and Dysfunction’ practitioner or give us a call on (08) 9227 6277 today.
