How Does Your Spine Become Misaligned?
Spinal misalignments, also called subluxations, happen when the vertebrae in your back become misaligned. The vertebrae protect your spinal cord, absorb shock, and are essential for back, neck, and trunk flexibility. Misalignments cause pain, inflammation, stiffness, headaches, difficulty sleeping, and other troubling symptoms. Misalignments commonly occur due to injuries, poor posture, and stress.
Had an Injury Lately? Your Spine May Be Misaligned
Motor vehicle accidents, falls, or a collision with another player while playing sports may jar your spine, forcing the vertebrae out of alignment. Even minor injuries can trigger misalignments. In fact, a trip and fall that doesn't cause serious injuries could still disrupt the alignment of your spine.
Wondering if you have a subluxation? Common symptoms include:
- Pain. Neck or back pain often occurs if your spine is misaligned. Wondering why your knees or hips hurt? Subluxations may alter the alignment of your entire body and could cause pain that extends beyond the spine.
- Headaches. Misalignments may create extra tension in head and neck muscles or irritate nerves, triggering tension headaches and migraines.
- Tingling and Numbness. You might notice tingling, numbness, or weakness in your limbs if a misalignment compresses the nerves that travel through your arms or legs,
- Illnesses. Misalignments may press against nerves that support your organs and immune system. If the vertebrae aren't correctly aligned, you might experience illnesses more often.
- Poor Range of Motion. Muscle and tissue stiffness limits flexibility and range of motion in your joints.
- Fatigue. Do you feel exhausted all the time or have sleep problems? Your issues may be related to a subluxation.
Your Posture Could Be the Reason Your Back or Neck Hurts
Posture issues are a common cause of spinal misalignments. Do you ever catch yourself slouching while sitting or standing? Over time, poor posture may strengthen one group of muscles while weakening another group, increasing tension in some muscles. Overly tight muscles pull on the vertebrae, altering their alignment. Unfortunately, improving your posture can be difficult if your vertebrae remain misaligned.
Poor posture is common in people who use digital devices, like cellphones, laptops, or tablets for work or entertainment. In a research study published in Heliyon in 2022, 86% of device users experienced back pain, 75% complained of neck pain, and 76% had right or left shoulder pain due to awkward posture when using devices.
Fortunately, your chiropractor offers a simple, painless therapy that restores the normal alignment of your spine whether your issues stem from poor posture, injuries, or stress. Spinal manipulation therapy realigns the spine with quick movements of the hand or an activator device. Paying more attention to your posture and performing the exercises recommended by your chiropractor will help you avoid new misalignments. Exercises strengthen the muscles that support your spine, reducing the risk of subluxations.
Spinal Misalignment: One of the Many Negative Effects of Stress
Stress not only causes headaches and stomach upset, but may be the reason why your spine is misaligned. Your body turns on its fight-or-flight response when you feel stressed. As you prepare to deal with a challenge, a rush of adrenaline increases your heart rate, ensuring that more blood reaches your muscles. At the same time, the stress hormone cortisol slows non-essential systems, like digestion, and increases blood sugar, giving your body the fuel it needs to respond to a challenge. During the fight-or-flight response, your muscles tighten to reduce the risk of injury, which may affect the alignment of your vertebrae and trigger pain.
In addition to spinal manipulation, chiropractors use soft tissue therapies, like soft tissue mobilization and massage, to loosen tight muscles and tissues. These therapies increase the production of hormones that enhance relaxation while reducing pain and muscle tension. Spinal manipulation and mobilization significantly reduced disability and improved pain in patients who participated in a research study published in The Spine Journal in 2018.
Do you have any spinal misalignment symptoms? We offer a range of chiropractic treatments designed to ease your pain and improve flexibility. Contact our office to schedule your appointment.
Sources:
Heliyon: The Prevalence of Bad Posture and Musculoskeletal Symptoms Originating from the Use of Gadgets as an Impact of the Work from Home Program from the University Community, 10/13/2022
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9556879/
The Spine Journal: Manipulation and mobilization for treating chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis, 5/2018
https://www.thespinejournalonline.com/article/S1529-9430(18)30016-0/fulltext
Healthline: How to Tell If Your Spine Is Misaligned, and What to Do About It, 10/14/2019
https://www.healthline.com/health/spine-alignment#treatment
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Spinal Manipulation: What You Need To Know, 9/2022
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/spinal-manipulation-what-you-need-to-know