Unfortunately what has occurred in our society is that an individuals posture is not truly considered in someones overall health assessment. And what I also find that is not commonly considered is that our posture changes over time, which means our spine changes position over time, and therefore symptoms that accompany these changes come about slowly. Just like the Colorado river carving out the grand canyon.
To get a sense of what happens when our spine changes position, or as chiropractors call it - subluxation - think about all the times when you've hit your "funny bone" I'm not 100% sure about you, but it's not a fun experience. It's estimated that the pressure on a nerve equal to that of the weight of a dime resting on a nerve changes how information, a.k.a. your sense of pain, temperature, vibration, organ control, etc. is affected. This affect can go one of two ways, either the sensation is too strong or too weak.
It would be a good idea to review this nerve chart before you look at the x-ray's below to get an idea of what some of the effects of improper nerve function are. I would also recommend taking a look at this other nerve chart, which many of our patients may recognize from a similar version in our office.
Normal Cervical Curve
Let's first get a sense of what a normal cervical curve looks like. In this picture the example is facing to the right, take notice of how each bone appears smooth and square like, has a clearly marked dark space between each vertebrae and has a gentle banana shaped curvature with the rounded portion pointing towards the front.
In this next picture, the individual is facing to the left but direct your attention to the arrows pointing out the increased bone growth and loss of disc height. ( The loss of disc height is the black space between the vertebrae)
What you are seeing is arthritis, also known as degeneration or osteoarthritis.
The bone spurring is a result of a normal process known as Wolff's law and the disc degeneration is well explained in this great article from chirogeek.com
Some of you may be thinking that this persons neck curve does not look bad, in fact it seems to follow a curve like pattern. Well you are correct, the curve is not that far from normal. But that is only one way a subluxation pattern occurs.
Another pattern that causes degeneration is lack of normal movement in a spinal segment. So even though an individual may have good posture, how those individual segments move is equally as important.
Next I'm just going to have you take a look at other types of neck curves that people have. Some of these patients come in with severe pain and other related symptoms, sometimes these patients come in with minimal symptoms.
On the left we have a reversal of normal cervical curve without a lot of degeneration. This person has an opportunity to correct their spine.
On the right this individual has severe degeneration with fusion of the bones, but as you can see the curve is maintained. This person will be able to benefit with some pain relief but will be unable to reverse these severe findings.
Finally, here are a few x-rays of individuals that have chosen the path of medications and surgery to solve there problems.
Unfortunately no one had truly explained to them the facts regarding chiropractic. If someone had, perhaps they could have saved a lot of money, pain, plates and screws.
Be proactive with your spine and with your health. The difference is more than feeling good. The difference is the quality of life and the future of the ones around you.
Someone planted a seed in your mind about chiropractic care, do the same for someone else. It just may change their life.
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