What Happens to the Body When Your Spine is Misaligned
Spinal misalignment is widespread in both adults and children, yet most people have not been educated about the effects of spinal misalignment on their bodies. As a result, many individuals believe that their existing level of health can’t be improved. Many men and women believe that the discomfort, stiffness, inflexibility, or numbness they experience in their bodies is just a natural consequence of their body structure and something they’ll have to put up with for the rest of their lives. Advanced Spine & Posture understands that this is not the case.
Chiropractic care is the most common solution for correcting spinal misalignment without surgery. Every day, people who
- a) were unaware that they have misalignment contributing to their pain
or
- b) knew they had spinal misalignment, but didn’t realize it could be treated
benefit from expert chiropractic treatment!
People are frequently surprised to learn that not only is their spinal misalignment easily treatable, but it may also be causing other health issues that were previously attributed to unrelated causes.
What is Spinal Misalignment?
Spinal misalignment is a general phrase with a precise meaning: it is the state of having a spinal curvature that does not correspond to the perfect and natural curvature of the spine. Every human spine has its own form of curvature, which allows for optimum function, but all spines should follow the same general shape in order to support the body’s weight and structure properly.
When the spinal curve is normal, the body is balanced and proportionate, the body’s organs are kept safe and allowed to function normally, and the body is limber and mobile enough to carry out regular activities with ease. When the spinal curvature is normal, there is no pain in the body. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments are not damaged or stressed in an attempt to correct posture. Tissue and nerve bundles are not restricted, and nerve transmission is unrestricted and constant. When spinal curvature is correct and ideal, posture is outstanding. The chin is positioned squarely over the shoulders, there is no additional tension on the neck, and the shoulders are pulled back and tucked in the middle of their sockets.
Holding the body upright in perfect posture is not difficult when spinal curvature is normal. To support and maintain proper posture, little effort is required. The muscles of the back are flexible and loose, indicating good health mobility in the body. In conclusion, ideal spinal curvature allows for easy movement and comfort within the body.
When the spinal curvature is abnormal and misaligned, however, a slew of abnormalities can result as a consequence. Slight changes in spine curvature are possible, or the spine and joints can be many degrees off from their ideal curve. In scoliosis, for example, the spinal curvature is significantly deviated from its natural form. Chiropractic treatment can help with both situations and rapidly help in correcting spinal imbalances.
Symptoms of Spinal Misalignment
Aside from a diagnostic evaluation that uses X-rays and digital imaging to assess the spine’s alignment, there are other ways to determine if your spine’s curvature has deviated from the ideal curve. Please note that this is not a complete list; each person’s symptoms of spinal alignment may be different. However, these symptoms are common among most people who feel the effects of spinal misalignment.
Stomach Pain and Digestive Distress
Digestion is one of the most unexpected (but common) ways that spinal misalignment can impact the body. The enteric nervous system is a part of the nervous system which is dedicated to digestion. When the spine is misshaped, this neurological system can be impaired, preventing communication and circulation between the brain and the enteric nervous system.
One of the most frequent causes of this communication failure is muscular tension. When a person has muscular tightness in his or her neck, it creates a nerve energy block that reduces the flow of energy from the central nervous system to the enteric nervous system. In severe cases like scoliosis, when the spine puts pressure on the stomach, discomfort and disturbed digestion may occur.
Nerves
Because the brain and spinal cord are the central nervous system’s primary components, it is one of the most important systems influenced by spinal misalignment. The central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system collaborate to control sensation perception, motor control, hormone production and release, and cognition (thinking). When the vertebrae have become misaligned or subluxated, any of these activities may be disrupted.
Pain
Spinal misalignment causes muscles, ligaments, tendons, and tissues to work against their natural function by attempting to preserve the body’s structure. Because the body is always trying to reach homeostasis, it will attempt to compensate for poor alignment in other ways. This, combined with pinched nerves, can cause a sensation of widespread pain throughout the body. Numb, aching discomfort in the middle and lower back and neck is common; shooting, intense pain across the neck is also typical.
Sleep
Mattress manufacturers would have you believe that it’s your mattress that is causing your back discomfort but that isn’t always the case. In fact, many individuals struggle to find a mattress that provides them with true comfort. This is not due to the fact that most mattresses are poor; it’s because the majority of us have misaligned spines! Most people can find comfort on any sleeping surface as long as their spine is aligned correctly.
When the spine is misaligned, finding the right pillow(s), mattress, and sleeping position all becomes a complicated process.
Thinking and the Brain
Both the nervous system and the spine are involved in cognition. When a person’s spine is misaligned, the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid can be blocked, which aids in the delivery of nutrients to the brain as well as brain detoxification. If the link between the lower spine and brain is out of alignment, cerebrospinal fluid flow may be disrupted, reducing nerve transmission energy from reaching and being received by neurons in the brain.
Stiffness & Inflexibility in the Body
If your back, neck, and shoulders are stiff and inflexible but you are not elderly, this might be due to spinal misalignment. The spine gradually loses flexibility as it bends further from its ideal alignment. As we know, a misaligned spine can have an impact on the muscles, tissues, and ligaments since these elements of the body must support the body’s structure in the absence of optimal alignment.
Postural Concerns
Spinal misalignment is commonly indicated by an upright head posture, rounded or uneven shoulders, uneven hips, or legs with different lengths. Because posture and alignment influence each other bidirectionally, this is a chicken-and-egg problem. This implies that as one improves, the other also can in equal measure. In other words, poor posture habits might cause spinal misalignment, which can lead to further bad posture habits. Similarly, correcting misalignment is likely to lead to improvements in posture. Regardless of the source of your postural worries or misalignment, chiropractic treatment can help.
Breathing
Breathing and heart rate may be affected when the spine deviates from its ideal curvature. Physical organs of the chest and lungs can become compressed when the spinal curve is severe (i.e., in the case of scoliosis). When the spinal curvature is minor, it will still impact the nervous system, which is responsible for controlling respiration and circulation.
If you have shallow breathing, fast or erratic heart rate, or light-headedness and numbness in your extremities but no apparent reason, it’s possible that you have spinal misalignment.
Chiropractic Care Can Help
Chiropractic care may help with each of these spinal misalignment-related conditions. Advanced Spine and Posture is your premiere chiropractic resource when it comes to correcting spinal misalignment and treating back pain, neck discomfort, and other sorts of discomfort at the source. If you are looking to treat spinal misalignment, make your appointment today.
