If muscles do not pull the bones out of place, and they don’t according to a good deal of recent research, then they do not cause a subluxation, therefore:
-they likely are a guarding mechanism, something the innate intelligence of the body is using to stabilize the spine and prevent further trauma and insult.
-in that case affecting them by physical therapeutics or modalities can be contrary to helping the body and the best that we can do is remove interference to what is creating the need for that adaptative mechanism.
Dr. Joe,
Well, I can’t speak for all chiropractors, but this is they way I understand it. We treat what we call “vertebral subluxation complexes.” That’s our big ten dollar word for what many people, even chiropractors, call “being out of place.” I don’t believe (any longer) that bones “get out of place” (the literal medical tern for this is subluxation).
Essentially what happens, in my opinion after doing this for over 20 years, is some of the joints of the spine (for whatever reason, acute or chronic) get fixated or locked up and don’t move properly (abherent motion if you will). Perhaps and probalby it is a “protective” mechanism as you say. Any joint that is injured will swell and become stiff and not move properly. It’s a normal physiological process. If it doesn’t move, it doesn’t hurt has bad.
I believe this sets the stage for 3 things to happen:
1) When this happens inflammation sets in and neurotoxins get released which can effect the nerves in the immediate area.
2) Much like muscle memory, the joint comples develops a “memory” of being fixated. That’s why we have the patients return to help restore motion memory to the joints. If it’s a chronic problem due to an old injury (which is most cases that I’ve seen) then these areas of the spine become the “weak link in the chain” whenever there is new stress placed on the spine in these areas and are the first to subluxate–our use of the term, not theirs (lock up or fixate) again. Perhaps this is the “protective mechanism” you speak of.
3) Ultimately, because we know there is no blood supply to cartilage (or very little) a joint that doesn’t move properly can’t pump in nutrients and pump out waste products (imibition) the stage is set for subluxation degeneration–what the medical profession refers to as arthritis. Oftentimes this is attributed to the patient’s age. Which I think is rediculous. We’ve all seen xrays showing one joint or vertebral segment of the spine degenerated while those above and below are not–they’re the same age! Other examples include knees, elbows, shoulders, etc. It’s imperative we get normal motion back into those joints ASAP.
We know from Guyton’s Textbook of Medical Physiology “the nervous system controls and coordinates every organ and function of the body.” Many times people suffer from conditions that respond favorably to chiropractic adjustments, (our highly developed skill of getting motion back into joints that are “stuck” and not moving properly).
Sometimes patients have conditions that respond favorably to chiropractic adjustments that most people might not associate with the spine. For instance, since the visceral nerves can be affected, things like sinus problems, stomach problems, bowel or bladder problems may respond to adjustments. The proprioceptive nerves can be affected and someone may experience dizziness or loss of balance. The motor nerves control the muscles and sometimes patients will suffer from muscle spasms, muscle weakness, trigger points, twitches or tics. We’ve ALL seen examples like these respond to adjustments in our practices. And in my opinion, if the subluxation (our use of the term, not the medics) is responsible for the nerve irritation and ultimately the sypmtoms, the patient can get all the medical tests done they want, take all the drugs they want–it will never be corrected until some chiropractor puts his/her hands on the spine, finds the problem and corrects it with an adjustment. We are the only profession trained (I prefer gifted) to do this.
Of course what brings most people in are the nerves that have to do with pain–usually neck pain, back pain, headaches, etc., but they can also have tingling and numbness when these nerves are affected.
What I like to stress is the importance of a healthy immune system. Along with eating right, getting appropriate rest and exercise, having a positive mental attitude, drinking good clean water and breathing good clean air, I can’t think of anything more important than having yourself checked periodically for spinal subluxations that may compromise your immune system. We as chiropractors know the nervous system controls everything–including your immune system. Without a healthy immune system, their quality of life is sure to suffer.
And let’s not forget the whole process is governed by Innate Intelligence…
ed
Okay folks, I goofed. At any time I have 30 to 35 posts in the “draft box”. Periodically I go over them, decide which one should be published. The others I will make some changes and “save change” or “trash” (if it’s beyond salvaging). I could not remember where I read the research and I like to have my sources noted or at least available. It also needed some more “philosophical research: (thinking through it deductively), so I made some changes and hit the “save draft” button…or so I thought. I rarely post on a Thursday and never at that time of night. When I started getting “comments,” I realized that I had hit “publish” instead! I could have deleted the entire thread but decided to let it play out and suffer through the consequences. Now I know how DD felt when his widow published that little book “The Moral and Religious Duty of the Chiropractor” posthumously:). That should be a lesson to us. My wife and kids have explicit instructions to destroy anything in draft form after I’m gone! In the future I will be more careful as to which button I’m pushing. Meanwhile enjoy the discussion and if anyone can find any scientific research and bail me out, I would appreciate it!
no doubt the spine will bend, twist, and turn to keep pressure off the nervous system as best it can, as a guarding mechanism.
however i’d like to know the research how the muscles don’t pull the bones out of place. how do they move then? something must pull them, tho it’s obviously being directed somehow by the nervous system. and when stress hits the system, the body will adapt in its best attempt to keep the pressure off the nervous system.
Further – the subluxation is a peotective mechanism of life force. When the stress accumulated in the viscinity of spine superimposes the body ability to adapt.
Innate subluxates the spine, in order to create a crack, through which some of the accumulated stress can be partially released, and keep the life line working, although the stress.
So we sould actually cherish the body’s ability to subluxate.
And than appreciate our (chiropractic) ability to restore optimal function, and to release most of the accumulated stress appropriatelly.
Not only that we turn the wasted energy of dysfunction into adjusted energy for healing.
Ronen
Ronen,
The forces of innate intelligence NEVER injure or destroy the tissue in which they work (pri.25). INTERFERENCE with transmission within the body is always directly or indirectly due to subluxation in the spinal column (pri.31).
Innate Intelligence CANNOT subluxate! Innate intelligence is 100% ALL THE TIME, Innate intelligence is ALWAYS normal and its function is ALWAYS normal (pri.27).
The CAUSE of subluxations is an external invasive force overcoming an internal resistive force. NOTHING ELSE!
So, Ronen, the body works better with a subluxation “in order to create a crack…” as well as without a subluxation (which I always thought). So…either we do not know whether we are helping or hindering the body in correcting a subluxaion, or… it doesn’t matter…so why are we adjusting them. I sure wouldn’t want to close off some stress releasing cracks!
Gosh, I know I’ve not been frequenting the literature of late but this surprised me… Could someone please post a link(s) to the research showing “muscles don’t pull bones?” Thank you!
Stress that overwhelms the body’s innate ability to adapt will result in a subluxation. The nervous system adapts to all kinds of stress. If the stress overcomes the body’s innate ability to adapt, an “exaggerated” response will occur by the nervous system which is activate the spinal muscles, pull the vertebra out of place and create nerve interference (AKA: subluxation).
B.J. Langel,
It’s really the other way around. NOT “stress that overwhelms the body’s innate ability to adapt will result in a subluxation” …. rather, it’s an external invasive force which overcomes the internal resistive force of the matter of the body that is the CAUSE of a vertebral subluxation. The vertebral subluxation (in matter) alters the mental impulse (if) which is changed back into a nerve impulse (uf). When this happens we have dis-ease.
It’s dis-ease caused by subluxations that alters the body’s innate ability to adapt to stress.
Claude, you said “rather, it’s an external invasive force which overcomes the internal resistive force of the matter of the body that is the CAUSE of a vertebral subluxation.” I don’t understand exactly what that means. What is meant by “force”? And what exactly is the pathway? I don’t think the muscles necessarily pull the bone out of place, but Ronen’s reasoning for a subluxation makes sense to me. He said “Innate subluxates the spine, in order to create a crack, through which some of the accumulated stress can be partially released, and keep the life line working, although the stress.” It makes sense that Innate would create a subluxation so there are not so there is less nerve impulse and therefore that area is “shut off”. I would would really like to understand this, but maybe there is no explanation at this point… Thanks!
Janell,
The forces of the innate intelligence of the body never injure or destroy the tissues in which they work (pri.25). The forces of the innate intelligence of the body are constructive, not destructive. In the human body, innate forces are mental impulses traveling through the nerves, which is organized in cyclic form and is an intelligent current of life. It is an adaptable innate intelligence (law of organization) making instantaneous changes according to the environmental conditions of a tissue cell.
Mental impulse, that which flows through nerves to their peripheral endings are intelligent and fulfills the mission of innate intelligence (pri.21). This force is specific moment to moment needs of a tissue cell and is very highly organized.
An external invasive force is a universal force acting upon the matter of the body. It has no path while it invade. This universal force “radiates” and express itself in matter at a distance from its source. Innate intelligence will adapt universal forces ( which have no solicitude for the structure in which they work and are destructive) and transforms them into innate forces (which are constructive toward structural matter).
Innate force (mental impulse) within the body have a path which is a conductor of nerves through which they travel. This cycle is going on so long as the body is living.
When an external invasive force overcomes the internal resistive force of the matter of the body, it is due to the limitations of the matter of that particular body. This will CAUSE a subluxation and will CAUSE dis-ease which is a LACK of active organization CONTRARY to the mission of Innate intelligence (pri.21). Innate intelligence is ALWAYS 100% (pri.9) and is therefore perfect. Innate intelligence being perfect cannot create a subluxation which is imperfect. A subluxation interferes with the transmission of mental impulses from brain cell to tissue cell and vice versa causing dis-organization within the matter of the body involved. Innate intelligence will adapt forces and matter for the body as long as it can do so without breaking universal laws. (pri24). The innate intelligence of the body can “manage” these universal laws up to a certain point by compensation, but cannot change or destroy them. The innate intelligence of the body can only use these universal laws to the limits of the matter in which it works.
With a subluxation, the matter of the body will be limited further and therefore will not adapt and produce “unspecified internal reactionary functions” which is the definition of stress from Hans Selye WHO coined the term for the first time in 1950 and wrote over 1000 pages in his book called Stress with more than 5000 references. In his book, Selye wrote that “noxious agents”, as he first called it, were effects from a lack of adaptation from the body. He later coined the term “stress”. It is reasonable to deduce that stress is the effect of dis-ease which is caused by a subluxation, which in turn is caused by an external invasive force overcoming an internal resistive force of the matter of the body.
I hope it helps you understand.
Claude,
So… which cup is the pea under?
Great explanation!!! Thanks!
why do bones move a lot but they don’t get out of place
They do get out of place (what we call subluxate). The point being made is that it is not the muscles that pull them out of place. It is a force overcoming the muscles holding them in place.