It’s shocking to me how many people I encounter who have never had a spinal adjustment done as part of their clinical care. There are many misconceptions out there about what spinal manipulation actually is, does, etc. My intention with this blog post is that you take away some information you may not have known before and that it can pave the way to speaking with your healthcare professional to see if spinal manipulation might be something safe and beneficial to consider.
It’s Not Just About Cracking Your Back
From your vertebral column stems your peripheral nervous system. Those nerves come out between spaces in the bones of the vertebral column (many people refer to their vertebral column as their “spine”) these nerves branch off and feed tissues such as muscles and organs (yes – ORGANS!). To put it into perspective, if a nerve that supplies a tissue is severed/cut, the tissue can literally die.
When bones of the vertebral column get misaligned, they can put pressure on the nerves – this can cause symptoms such as tingling, pain, numbness, decreased sensation and can even impact the function of the tissue it supplies life to!
As an example, when someone comes into my office with constipation, I often check their vertebral column to see if there are any misalignments. Clinically speaking, if there are spinal subluxations (misalignments), and we correct them, it may assist in the resolution of constipation.
Spinal manipulation/adjustments don’t just serve to correct misalignments in the bony structures, they restore normal movement. Lack of normal motion in spinal joints is actually a more common cause of nerve irritation than those joints being physically “out of place.” So even without a misalignment, abnormal motion of the spinal joints can still be happening, and spinal manipulation, or “an adjustment” can serve to restore normal movement in those joints.
Some evidence even suggests that spinal manipulation may serve to increase immunity and potentially decrease inflammation in the body. (Zhang & Yao, 2016).
Spinal manipulation can serve as a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to your clinical care. As we have briefly explored here, it’s not just about “cracking your back”, the benefits of spinal manipulation, when done by a licensed healthcare professional, can serve to assist in the normal function of the body as a whole.
If you’re interested in seeing if spinal manipulation is something you should consider, call the clinic at 519.967.0004.
Cheers to You, Feeling, and Functioning Your Best!
Dr.Nadia Rizzo, ND
Reference
Zhang, L. & Yao, CH. “The Physiological Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor in Human Immunity and Its Potential Implications in Spinal Manipulative Therapy: A Narrative Literature Review.” J Chiropr Med. 15.3 (2016): 190-196. doi: 10.1016/j.jcm.2016.04.016.
Liang Zhang, MD, PhD,a,b and Chao Hua Yao, MDb 2016
