What Are Adjustments?
Chiropractors are the only professionals who are trained to diagnose and treat what are called vertebral or spinal subluxations. This differentiates us from any other specialty in the health field. The word “subluxation” comes from the Latin words (sub) meaning “somewhat or slight” and (luxare) meaning “to dislocate.” So the term literally means “less than a dislocation.” A subluxation is “a motion segment in which alignment, movement integrity, and/or physiologic function are altered although contact between the joint surfaces or bones remains intact.”
When a subluxation of the bones of the body occurs, a chiropractor is one of the few people in the health care field that is specifically trained to correct the misaligned bone and allow it to return to its proper position. This procedure is appropriately called an adjustment, and the adjustment enables the body to heal itself from within. The chiropractic adjustment is a quick thrust applied to a vertebra for the purpose of correcting its position, movement or both.
The vertebral subluxation complex (VSC) is a model of spinal dysfunction from a chiropractic clinical perspective. In this model we describe the common and essential elements of spinal degeneration and dysfunction in an attempt to make them more understandable. There are actually five components that contribute to the vertebral subluxation complex (VSC). Learn More.
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Bone Component - where a bone located in the spine is either out of position to the bones above or below it, not moving properly or is under going some kind of degeneration. This can lead to decrease in the spacing between the bones through which our nerves pass; often leading to an irritation or impingement of the spinal nerve itself.
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Nervous Component - is the distortion or disruption of the normal flow of energy through the nervous system, causing messages sent through these channels to be distorted. This then leads to a decrease in the oprimal function of the various organs and systems of the human body to which these messages are being sent. Over time, this can lead to a whole host of conditions, such as acid reflux, asthma, allergies and many other organ system malfunctions
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Muscular Component - muscles are controlled or receive information from the nerves to tell them when to contract or when to relax. This constant interaction between the nerves and the muscles allows our muscles to hold our bones in place and thus is considered to be an integral part of the vertebral subluxation conplex. When a bone irritates a nerve, it can sometimes cause a muscle to spasm, which in turn pulls the bones in which that muscle is attached. This can then cause the bones to move further our of place, which further irritates the nerve, and thus a viscious cylce starts.
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Soft Tissue Component - when a bone in the spine becomes misaligned, it will also affect the surrounding tendons, ligaments, blood supply, and other tissues surrounding the bone. This misaligned bone will tug and squeeze the connective tissue with tremendous force. Over time, the soft tissues can become stretched or scarred, leading to joint stiffness or contracture, causing permanent instability and/or restriction.
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Chemical Compnent - is the change in the chmistry of the body, mainly inflammation, due to the VSC. The most obvious clinical manifestation of inflammation is pain. Pain caused by the inflammatory processes in arthritis is perhaps the most obvious area of inflammation associated with the theory of chiropractic.
Changes in the five components listed above can get progressively worse over time if they are not dealt correctly and in a timely manner. Changes is these areas can lead to muscle weakness and spasm, loss of movement, muscle trigger points, arthirtis, the formation of bone spurs, inflammation, and chronic pain. Chiropractic research is constantly being done to determine the extent of the implications of subluxations of the spine on the health of an individual. Your nervous system has to be functioning at 100% in order to be truly healthy and this can’t be achieved if subluxations exist in a person’s spine. Chiropractors are the only health professionals trained in the detection, location, and correction of the vertebral subluxation complex through chiropractic care.