Is Subluxation Real?

A subluxation is a phenomenon with significant impact on overall health, regardless of age. A subluxation is neurological interference created by spinal misalignments. The nervous system is the master control center for the entire body, so any level of interference has severe consequences on overall health. Subluxation has been referred to as the silent killer. This is due to the fact that that less than 20% of nerves can feel or transmit pain. So, individuals may have subluxations present in their body, which are impacting their health, and they can’t feel it.  Research has shown that nearly 80% of the adult population has subluxations present, but doctors in the field report that it may be even higher. Chiropractors are the only health care professionals uniquely trained to locate and correct subluxation

Understanding Subluxation

The foundation of the profession of chiropractic is based around the ability to locate and correct subluxation. While many have come to associate chiropractic care as a highly effective and drug free way to help with various types of pain, the implication of subluxation is much deeper than pain. 

With few exceptions, the brain controls the body by sending signals down the spinal cord and through the spinal nerves to every organ and tissue in the body. Sensory information is then transmitted back up to the brain through the spinal cord. Spinal misalignments can impact those signals from brain to body and from body to brain. On segmental level, this will lead to dysfunction of the organs and tissues that are connected to the brain through nerves in that area. 

From a global standpoint, misalignments in the spine will impact the unconscious awareness of where the body is in space (termed proprioception). This will cause a heightened “fight or flight” (sympathetic) response and decrease stimulation to the “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) nerves. A long term heightened sympathetic response will impact health in many ways, but one of the most notable is the toll it takes on the hormones of the endocrine system and the firing of different regions of the brain. If the human body is in fight or flight that is not the right time to make long term decisions, reproduce, digest food, or sleep. Blood pressure levels will increase and blood is moved from visceral organs to muscle in a process called hemodynamic shunting. 

Evidence-based model of Subluxation

There is a large body of scientific evidence that substantiates not only the existence of vertebral subluxation, but the large number of health disparities that can be caused by subluxation. Neuro-structural dysfunction leading to a subluxation impacts the body’s normal communication process. There are various journals that research has been published in, but one of the best is the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research – https://vertebralsubluxationresearch.com

Detecting Subluxation: Tools and Techniques

Given the role of subluxations in overall health and well-being, it is important to discuss the tools and techniques chiropractors use in detecting subluxations. Subtle misalignments in the spine are identified through a combination of physical assessment and objective tools that evaluate neurological function and structural integrity.

Imaging methods play an important role in the detection of subluxations. Tools such as X-rays, thermography, surface electromyography, and heart rate variability provide a functional and structural assessment of the spine and nervous system, enabling chiropractors to measure the impact of subluxation. 

Functional leg length analysis is another tool used by chiropractors to understand if an individual is subluxated and to ensure that the chiropractic adjustment corrected the primary source of neurological irritation. 

Many people are aware of their posture or are at least aware when they have bad posture. Posture too, can give insight into the nervous system. When individuals have chronic forward flexed posture this is usually indicative of a chronic fight or flight response caused by a chronic and uncorrected subluxation. 

In essence, the detection of subluxations is a detailed process involving a mix of physical assessment, imaging technology, and objective tools. These methods and techniques provide chiropractors with a thorough understanding of the spine’s condition; allowing them to create a tailored plan to restore optimal health and wellbeing.

Impact of Subluxation on Health

There is a lot of research that is focused on the impact subluxation-based chiropractic care has on various conditions like high blood pressure, anxiety, neuropathy, infertility, autoimmune issues, and many many others. While the majority of the research is promising, it’s important to note what the actual intent and purpose of subluxation-based chiropractic care is. 

Subluxations distort neurological communication, which will have a negative impact on overall health – regardless of the patient presentation. This means no matter what health condition an individual has; the human body will adapt and heal at a higher capacity without the presence of neurological irritation than with it. This is why it’s important for everyone to see a principled chiropractor on a regular basis regardless if they are symptomatic or not. 

Why have some questioned the whether or not subluxation is real?

Since the early 1900’s medical doctors and chiropractors have not seen eye to eye. After all, medicine is the study of disease and what causes men to die, and chiropractic is the study of life and what causes men to live. Like any battle, there is power in numbers. Medical doctors have outnumbered chiropractors despite the fact that chiropractic is older than modern medicine. The American Medical Association (AMA) has had several campaigns that have attempted to both discredit and extinguish the profession of chiropractic. This went on for decades until the AMA was finally brought before the United States supreme court by the profession of chiropractic. In 1987 the AMA lost and was found guilty for their attempts against the profession of chiropractic in a historic antitrust lawsuit.

Despite the historic win, this has not stopped the onslaught of anti-chiropractic misinformation. If anything, it simply led to a change of tactic. Instead of directly attacking from the outside in, it has turned into an internal battle of politics within the profession of chiropractic. This has marshaled a change in leadership in some chiropractic colleges, which no longer teach students how to locate and correct subluxation and have banned historical chiropractic texts books. It’s an attempt to discredit chiropractic and turn it into a glorified version of physical therapy. In many fronts they are succeeding, but there are still schools and political originations fighting to ensure that families have access to subluxation-based principled chiropractors. The Principled Chiropractic Association is proud to be one of them

The Principled Chiropractors View on Subluxation

The prevalence of subluxation and its impact to the health of our society can’t be overlooked. The rates of all forms chronic illness continue to climb year over year, as do health care expenses and pharmaceutical consumption. The most overlooked and controversial aspect of health may very well be the lynchpin for the viscous cycle our society is stuck in – the chiropractic adjustment to correct subluxation. 

It is our mission to make sure families all across the United States can easily find principled, subluxation-based chiropractors in their communities that we would entrust the health of our own families to. 

Resources

Kwon C, Binongo JN, McCoy M. Secondary Analysis of a Dataset to Estimate the Prevalence of Vertebral Subluxation and Its Implications for Health Promotion and Prevention. Cureus. 2023 Nov 13;15(11)