 |
The Result of Poor Alignment
Why Your Spine Deserves a Standing Ovation
“My Back is Out,” “I’ve Got a Crick in My Neck,” “My Spine’s Jammed Up,” “She’s Locked Up Again!”
If these sound familiar, congratulations—you might just be speaking the secret language of spinal kinesiopathology.
That’s right, folks, welcome to the club where long words make us feel fancy but basically mean something is off with your spine.
Spinal Kinesiopathology: Say That Five Times Fast
Let’s break it down: “Spinal Kinesiopathology” (Kin-esz-eo-path-ology) refers to abnormal motion, position, or alignment of the boney bits in your spine. In other words, your spine isn’t quite the well-oiled machine it’s supposed to be, and it’s throwing a tantrum.
Think of your spine as the freeway of your nervous system – an eight-lane highway that keeps your brain in touch with your body. It’s also the chassis for your body, the very framework that holds you upright.
Without good spinal alignment, your body can’t run smoothly, just like a car with bad wheel alignment. And let’s be honest, nobody wants to drive a car that “runs like a dog.”
Or, as one of our patients put it, “Your spine is the antenna for your body.” It’s a catchy metaphor, right? But instead of tuning into the latest hits, your spine is tuning into all the crucial signals your brain is sending to your organs, muscles, and limbs. That’s a playlist you don’t want to mess with!
A Crash Course in Spinal Biomechanics
The bones in your spine, known as vertebrae, form an intricate and complex set of joints – 105 of them, to be precise. These joints allow you to twist, turn, bend, and maybe even try your hand at the lambada (but only if you’re feeling adventurous). They also protect your spinal cord, which is kind of a big deal.
When these joints lose their normal motion and position, you get what we call a subluxation. In simpler terms, your spine is out of whack. And when your spine is out of whack, everything else starts to go a little haywire too.
Imagine your spine is like a car. Sure, the car still drives with a bad alignment, but it’s only a matter of time before you start seeing the wear and tear – on the ball joints, the rubbers, and the tyres. Similarly, your spine can soldier on without proper alignment, but eventually, it’ll start wearing down your hips, discs, and other soft tissues.
And when that happens, you can’t just blame it on old age. It’s like trying to convince yourself that your favourite pair of shoes wore out because you walked too much, not because you danced on tables one too many times (we’ve all been there).
The Usual Suspects: What Throws Your Spine Out of Whack?
Physical trauma, improper lifting, car accidents, repetitive motions (like all those hours you spend hunched over your phone), poor sleeping habits, emotional stress, and even microscopic invaders can all cause abnormal motion and position of your spinal bones. When that happens, the consequences can be more serious than just a stiff neck.
The impact on your local area – the bit that actually hurts – might seem bad enough. But the ripple effect on the rest of your body can be downright catastrophic, depending on how the subluxation messes with your nerves.
Take your neck, for instance. Subluxation patterns here can give you neck pain, headaches, and migraines. But they can also cause lower back pain, leg pains, hamstring tightness, or even more widespread issues like chronic fatigue, anxiety, elevated heart rate, difficulty breathing, and a general sense that your body is protesting against your life choices.
“Forward Head Posture” – Or as We Call It, “Text Neck”
One of the most common subluxation patterns we see is what we like to call “forward head posture” (or “text neck” if you’re feeling hip). Picture this: you’re hunched over your phone, reading this very article, with your head jutting forward like a turtle. It’s not a good look, and your spine isn’t too thrilled about it either.
When you look at an X-ray, the difference between a normal, healthy spine and an unhealthy, misaligned one is as clear as the difference between a well-manicured lawn and the overgrown jungle that’s taken over your neighbour’s yard.
Abnormal curves, alignment, and posture create tension, shear, and bending loads on your spine, which in turn, damage the delicate nerve roots and put unwanted pressure on your spinal cord. And your spinal cord is the last thing you want under pressure (unless you’re a diamond, in which case, carry on).
The Arc of Life: What Happens When Your Neck Rebels
In cases like these, the increased loads on your spine can cause:
- Axial Tension on the Spinal Cord: Think of it as your spinal cord being stretched like a rubber band. Not fun.
- Increased Tension on Nerve Roots: Those poor nerve roots in your neck are under siege.
- Decreased Blood and Nutrient Supply to the Nerves: Your nerves are like hangry toddlers when they don’t get their nutrients = cranky and difficult.
- Decreased Blood Flow to the Brain: You know how important that brain of yours is. It’s the command centre of your entire operation.
- Altered Nerve Transmission: Your brain’s signals to your shoulders, hands, and arms get scrambled like a bad Wi-Fi connection.
- Decreased Airflow to the Heart and Lungs: Breathing is kind of important, right?
Signs and Symptoms: Is Your Spine Sending Out an SOS?
Here’s the checklist:
- You can turn your head one way more easily than the other (try backing your car out of the garage without cursing).
- Your head tilts to one side in photos (unless you’re going for that artsy look).
- Your spine looks twisted, your shoulders or hips are uneven, or your clothes just don’t fit right.
- Your shoes wear out unevenly (no, it’s not a design flaw).
- Your kids run or walk with one foot turned out more than the other.
- Your back catches or gives way when you least expect it.
- You can’t touch your toes no matter how much yoga you do.
If any of this sounds like you, it might be time to give your spine the attention it deserves. After all, it’s been carrying you around all these years – it’s earned a little TLC. And if you take care of your spine, it’ll take care of you. After all, you are as old as your spine.
The Spinal Centre – Neuro-Musculoskeletal SolutionsThe Spinal Centre provides the Best Natural Medicines, Health Products and Nutritional Solutions to Free You of Pain and Improve Your Spinal Health.The Spinal Centre is a leader in the management and treatment of spinal pain and disability including:
- Chronic Back and Neck Pain
- Cervical and Lumbar Disc Injuries with or without neruological changes
- All forms of arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and osteoarthritis
- Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease
- Neuromuscular problems such as chronic back pain, headaches, migraines, neck or spinal pains
- Myofascial pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, diffuse muscular or joint pains
- Austistic spectrum disorders including ADD, ADHD, learning difficulties and autism
- Fatigue, energy and mood disorders including chronic fatigue and depression
The Spinal Centre focuses on resolution with the development of individualised treatment programs using Conservative and Integrative Medicine; combining genetic, metabolic and nutritional testing with specific natural medicines to enhance your health and achieve your genetic potential.We have helped thousands – Why Not You?
