Win With Wellness – How Do You Know If You Have A Subluxation?
As you recall if you have read earlier articles, a subluxation is a misalignment or loss of normal movement of the spinal bones that leads to alteration and stress on the nervous system. There is really only one way to know whether you have subluxations in your spine; get checked by your chiropractor. At Chiropractic Health and Wellness we use a combination of physical examination and x-rays to locate subluxations.
In healthcare, the usual circumstance is that people do not go to the doctor until they hurt, and if the pain is bad, they go quickly. The problem with this approach is the flip-side of it- people often believe that if they are not in pain, then that means that their health is good and that their spine is functioning well. That, unfortunately, is not the truth in a lot of cases. If you have subluxations in your spine there is a very good chance that you will have no symptoms at all. This is just like going to the dentist and being told that you have a cavity in your tooth when you have no symptoms. Under those circumstances would you tell the dentist to ignore the cavity until it was hurting you? Of course not…you would go ahead and have him fix the tooth.
Once a subluxation becomes established, it begins a process of decay in the disk and surrounding joints, all-the-while impacting the ability of the nervous system to communicate efficiently and accurately. This process continues until that subluxation is corrected. Subluxations start by affecting the way the muscles work and the spine moves. When the spine does not move properly the disks are deprived of nutrients and begin to deteriorate. This happens because movement pumps fluids and nutrients into and out of the disks. Spinal joints, known as facet joints, also begin to get mechanically irritated and can begin to degenerate. After a time there may be inflammation, the formation of scar tissue in the surrounding tissue and even the development of bone spurs and arthritis. The problem is that you might not feel any of this until there is enough inflammation, muscle spasm, restriction and even degeneration to trigger symptoms. This is when most people seek out a chiropractor in order to get some relief.
Once a person begins under care it is quite common for the symptoms to disappear very quickly, far sooner than the subluxation is corrected. Be aware that if the subluxation is not corrected, the symptoms will likely return and the process of degeneration will continue. At Chiropractic Health and Wellness the real work begins when the patient is free of symptoms, because that is when the corrective phase of care begins. Our job is not merely to make you feel more comfortable while your spine and health deteriorate, but to increase your overall function and health.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Jeremy Faue
