“George is the first I’ve heard of that practiced chiropractic techniques that dealt with the atlas bone in your neck. My wife, Angie, had been suffering from fatigue, soreness, chronic sickness and IBS to name a few, in which the doctors had no answer for. We had dealt with a battery of test that all came back negative and these same doctors wanted to go through the tests again just to confirm the results. At that point my wife and I decided to look else where since the traditional way was not working. George had presented what he does at some networking meetings l had attended and he answered my questions throughly and promptly. Angie has been going to George for over 2 months now and the physical improvement is quite amazing. I recommend George for anyone not feeling quite 100% or for those not getting any answers from their doctors.”
The brain stem and spinal cord are the primary pathways for nerve impulses to and from the brain. Messages back and forth through these nerves control the health and function of virtually every other cell, tissue, organ, and system of the body.
Nerve tissue is so important, it is protected by bone. The brain is encased by the skull, and the spinal cord is covered by 24 moving bones of the spinal column.
Many everyday things can cause these bones to lose their normal motion or position. This sets off a chain reaction affecting the spinal bones, nerves, muscles, soft tissues, and results in degenerative changes throughout the body. Doctors of Chiropractic refer to this as the Vertebral Subluxation Complex.
Besides describing how the spine can affect your overall health, the Vertebral Subluxation Complex explains why it takes time to restore optimum health. The Vertebral Subluxation Complex is the underlying cause of many health problems and is recognized by its five component parts:
The bones of the spine are designed to move and protect the delicate spinal cord and nerve roots. But, sometimes their movement is altered, they either become stuck and immobile or they start moving too much (they become hypermobile).
Abnormal spinal movement is can be caused by physical trauma (repetive motion, car accidents, slips, falls, improper lifting, poor sleeping habits), emotional stress (worry, negative thoughts, fear), or chemical imbalances (alcohol, drugs, toxins, pollutions.)
When spinal joints are fixated or stuck, other joints must compensate for their lack of motion by moving too much. This can cause distorted spinal curves which can compromise normal function of those joints and causes problems in other areas of the spine.
Doctors of Chiropractic are trained as primary care doctors and are specifically trained to detect this aspect of the Vertebral Subluxation Complex by analyzing things like your posture, diagnostic X-rays, range of motion, and others.
The primary effect of the spinal adjustment is to restore proper spinal motion.
Because of the way your spine is designed, abnormal spinal function can rub, pinch, or irritate the delicate tissues of the spinal cord and nerve roots. While commonly associated with spinal problems, an actual pinched nerve is quite rare. It is estimated that only 10-15% of spinal-related problems are caused by direct pressure of bone on nerve tissue.
Nerve tissue irritation can result in numbness, burning, or a ‘pins and needles’ feeling. This nerve system impairment can affect the tissues, organs, and other systems of the body, increasing the susceptibility of disease and ill health.
When the communication lines from the brain to the rest of the body are not functioning properly, you can suffer from hypertension, indigestion, pain, and numbness.
When spinal joints stop moving properly, muscles have to work much harder to control your spine’s movements. As a result some muscles will atrophy (waste away) while others are forced to work harder and often spasm.
In chronic or long standing cases scar tissue can form in these muscles, changing their ability to work normally. This damage to the supporting muscles of the spine is why repeated adjustments are often necessary and adjustments don’t seem to ‘hold.’ It also explains why long-standing spinal problems are so difficult and time-consuming to correct. Without proper rehabilitation, many patients experience a relapse of their original health complaint.
The spinal muscles are the guide wires that support the spine. If they can’t work properly, the result will be chronic pain, muscle fatigue and swelling.
When there is spinal joint malfunction, the discs, ligaments, and other connective tissue are also affected.
While technically you can’t have a ‘slipped’ disc, the soft pulpy discs that separate each spinal vertebrae can tear, bulge, herniate, and degenerate. Ligaments and other connective tissues in the area of the malfunctioning spinal joint are often involved. Inflammation and swelling accompany the accumulation of blood and lymph, causing a rise in temperature.
Unlike most other tissues of the body, discs and ligaments have a poor blood supply. This makes the healing of soft tissues a very slow and time-consuming process. This is why proper nutrition and rest are also needed to help completely eliminate the cause of your pain.
In fact, complete healing often requires continued care even after the relief of obvious symptoms.
When there is malfunction or trauma to a joint, one of the ways the body responds is to stabilize the affected area by growing new bone.
Over time, boney deposits can build up, eventually recognizable as bone spurs growing from your spine. This arthritic ‘splinting’ of adjacent bones is nature’s attempt to stabilize the malfunctioning and unstable joint. If ignored or neglected long enough, the body can turn a once mobile joint into one solid bone.
Throughout the body, degenerative changes can be seen in other organs and systems. Many health conditions not normally considered related to ‘back problems,’ can often be traced back to the nerve system impairment by the spine.
While often seen in the aged, this degenerative condition is not part of the normal aging process. This type of spinal decay is the result of spinal problems which have been ignored or neglected for many years.
If your spinal joints are not moving properly, degeneration of your spine and health will be the result.
The primary job of the Doctor of Chiropractic is to detect, correct and help prevent the Vertebral Subluxation Complex using Chiropractic spinal adjustments as the primary form of treatment. Applying a carefully and precisely directed force to the spine, the Doctor of Chiropractic is able to restore normal motion and function to the spine, thereby reducing or eliminating the Vertebral Subluxation Complex.
Subluxations prevent you from enjoying the best of health. Your chiropractor is a specialist in the detection and prevention of the Vertebral Subluxation Complex.
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