Chiropractic Adjustments
Here is Dr. Rik Wahlrab DC discussing the chiropractic treatment he performs at the Pain Relief Center:
The spine can become misaligned...that's a fact. The 24 movable bones that make up the spinal column have 2 contrary purposes; to create STABILITY and also to allow MOVEMENT. These functions can and do become altered in such a way that movement between the bones is not occurring properly...they're misaligned. The body naturally attempts to re-align itself, but it may not be able to, thus leading to what is called a "subluxation".
Subluxations can cause muscle spasms, but even worse, can irritate the nerves as they exit the spinal cord and travel to various parts of the body. Here is an illustration of what we're talking about:
An unfortunate byproduct of this condition is the extra stress it puts on the spinal discs. That stress causes the disc to become dehydrated as it no longer receives adequate fluid delivery. Normally the disc receives fluid during movement; it naturally pulls fluid in and pumps fluid out as the spine moves through its range of motion as the person is simply going about normal activities.
If there is damage to the disc, this, too, causes a lack of normal motion, and the discs can slowly lose fluid and become smaller and dehydrated, similar to a tire losing air and slowly going flat. The chart below shows the effects of this issue, which is called the Stages of Spinal Degeneration:
If you look closely at the discs, which are the dark areas in-between the white bones, you can see them becoming shorter, smaller, and in Stages 3 and 4, and you can see bone spurs growing...the body is attempting to fuse the segments because the proper movement is lacking and the discs are in trouble; the body's response to this issue is to sacrifice movement in favor of stability.
This is disc degeneration, causing bone spurs, and stenosis. Stenosis is a narrowing of the hole the nerve passes through as it exits the spinal canal. It's commonly referred to as "arthritis" in the spine.
To continue our anatomy lesson, the nerves, most of which pass through the spine, connect the brain to all the tissues of the body; all the organs as well as the muscles, skin, blood vessels, EVERYTHING. These spinal nerves go to all parts of the body. Here is how they connect to the organs:
The nerves also go to the extremities, the arms, and the legs. See this chart:
So, it's simply anatomy and physiology that explain the incredible variety of symptoms that are connected to the effects of spinal subluxations, disc degeneration, and "pinching" of the nerves.
COMMON SYMPTOMS DUE TO SUBLUXATIONS IN THE NECK
A subluxated neck can cause headaches, neck pain, dizziness, blurring vision, ringing in the ears, difficulty
concentrating, fatigue, confusion, depression, irritability, pain across the shoulders, numbness and tingling in the arms, hands, and fingers, difficulty breathing, and difficulty sleeping.
That's quite a list...a misaligned neck irritates a variety of nerves going to various parts of the body. Many patients say they have "all of them" when the symptoms above are listed. After a series of treatments, it's amazing to hear the changes in symptoms, and how many of them have disappeared because the patient's spine is so much better.
COMMON SYMPTOMS DUE TO SUBLUXATIONS IN THE LOW BACK
The low back is particularly vulnerable to misalignment and subluxation as it bears the weight-bearing brunt of standing, walking, sitting, lifting, twisting, and carrying poundage.
Common symptoms include low back pain, pain, numbness, tingling, and burning in the buttocks, legs, feet, and toes, sciatica, weakness in leg strength, muscle atrophy in the lower extremities, and even menstrual problems, prostate enlargement, bowel issues, and varicose veins. The nerves control almost every function in the body so a disruption in normal nerve flow is quite damaging indeed.
HOW ARE SUBLUXATIONS FIXED?
A misaligned, subluxated spine needs someone skilled in the identification and correction of the subluxation to fix the problem. That's where an experienced chiropractor comes in. There are many different ways to address these neck and back issues, but Dr. Rik prefers a manual chiropractic adjustment, done by hand, versus using an instrument or a pseudo-massage to do the job.
This type of treatment feels GREAT and can help you and your family, too.
Chiropractic Care for Babies and Children
People ask us when is the best time to get their spine checked and the answer is...as soon as they're out of the womb!
The trauma of birth, whether via a traditional or caesarian delivery, can cause a twisting of the neck which can subluxate (misalign) the spine right at birth. Dr. Rik has had several patients bring their babies in to be checked on the way home from the hospital! It's about 50% who need a little neck adjustment.
Some babies develop a pinched nerve so significantly that it becomes "torticollis" or wry neck. The baby can't turn their head! It's so misaligned that moving the neck is painful to the little child. Dr. Rik has had 3 such cases and they respond to gentle adjustments in just a couple of visits.
We recommend having the baby checked as soon as possible.
Here is Dr. Rik checking baby Vinnie. His mother and sister were brought in as babies by their mother (Vinnie's grandma).
By the way, we recommend to many of our patients who have loss of the normal neck curvature, the Posture Pump device to use in addition to adjustments.
Here is a link to order it from Amazon: CLICK HERE
Here is a picture:
