Subluxation of the Spine

Do you experience lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches or sciatica? You could have a subluxation of the spine!

So, just what is a subluxation? When you look it up in a dictionary, you’ll find the definition in most cases is as follows: incomplete or partial dislocation of a bone or joint.

‘Sub,’ meaning under, is of Latin origin, as is ‘luxation,’ which comes from luxate, meaning dislocated. In other words, a subluxation is literally an injury related to joints, but that’s not as serious as a complete dislocation.

I’m sure over the years you’ve seen someone’s finger bend back way beyond its normal position and the first thought you had was, “ouch!” Well, that was a complete luxation or dislocation.

And while you’d likely go to the emergency room for a complete dislocation, you’d go to a chiropractor for a subluxation.

But the term subluxation — as it’s commonly used by chiropractors — is more specifically a misalignment of the spine that pinches and irritates the nerves as they exit out the sides of the spine. This nerve flow disruption causes varying degrees of malfunction to your body.

This is because the nervous system controls and coordinates all the functions of the body. So when the nerve flow is disrupted, it causes problems. This is a fact.

And, because the pain, whether it’s lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain or headaches, is stemming from the nervous system, there could be a bigger issue at hand.

In order to fully understand what’s occurring, you need to know more about where exactly the nervous system travels within the body. Sounds like you might have to go back to school!

Actually, it’s not that difficult to understand.

1. The first thing to know is that nerves go everywhere; every single cell in your body has a nerve attached to it.
2. The second thing to know is the nerves have been named after all of these crazy Latin and Greek terms that no one understands.
3. The third thing to know is that as the nerves exit out the sides of your spine, they basically go to the closest organ or muscle that is next to that nerve.

That gives you a general idea of how nerves work and why a subluxation of the spine may be the cause of pain in your back, shoulders and head. And hopefully, it helps clear up the mystery of why your body is not working very well!

If you have any questions or would like more information about subluxation, please reach out.