According to a 1989 article in the Chiropractic Research Journal, Volume 1, Number 3 by Charles A. Lantz, Ph.D., D.C., chiropractic theory and care stems from the discovery of what the founding father of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer, termed subluxation. Palmer initially described subluxation as a misalignment of the vertebrae in a person’s back, placing pressure on nerves associated with the location of the subluxation. According to Dr. Lantz, even though Palmer’s theory was proposed in 1895, the basic concept remains the same for chiropractors today as reported in more recent studies cited by Dr. Lantz but adding that these misalignments of the vertebrae are part of a dynamic process which includes the interrelationship of bone, nerves, muscle, and connective tissue.
The Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC)
Dr. Chris Elleraas D.C., a practicing chiropractor of 15 years, agrees with Dr. Lantz’s evidence supporting the fact that a subluxation is not just a bone out of place but also the involvement of nerves as well as muscles which effect movement and ligaments which tie bones together and dictate a bones range of motion. Dr. Elleraas also supports the voluminous research cited by Dr. Lantz which creates a hierarchy of criteria involved in vertebral misalignments. There are two major components to this hierarchy:
1. Kinesiopathology: A study of the position or movement of bones. Bones not in alignment, especially in the vertebrae (the back), have a direct effect upon nerves, muscles, connective tissue, and blood circulation.
- According to Dr. Lantz, “Bones provide the structural rigidity required for the efficient transmission of forces generated by muscles.”
- It is the bones’ connective tissue (ligaments) which control the range of motion within which bones may operate effectively.
- The circulation of blood both feeds and cleanses bone and connective tissue.
2. Inflammatory Response: A reaction of bodily tissue to an injury or misalignment of vertebrae which causes pain. This response accounts for the symptoms such as lower back pain that people endure because of misaligned vertebrae.
- According to Drs. Lantz and Elleraas, this response is a significant factor in regenerating damaged tissue due to injury.
- Both also agree that any definition of subluxation must include descriptions of nerve damage and degeneration as well as bone or vertebral misalignment.
- Dr. Elleraas notes that extended use of anti-inflammatory drugs while giving short term relief from the pain associated with tissue inflammation may, in the long run, impede the body’s natural process of repairing the affected area, delaying or even preventing effective healing.
The Chiropractic Approach to Range of Motion
Dr. Elleraas describes the movement of joints as a multifaceted process becoming even more complex when discussing the vertebrae in the back. He points to several studies including those cited in Dr. Lantz’s article which describe the movement of a vertebral joint to include not just the normal flexing and extension of joints but also a vertical springiness when the vertebrae are exposed to tension. When portions of the vertebrae become misaligned, range of motion in that portion of the spine becomes severely limited.
Long Range Effects of Long Term Misalignment of the Vertebrae
If the problem is not addressed, other parts of the body tend to compensate in order to alleviate the pain caused by inflammation of the misaligned area. Limited physical activity, the inability to stand erect, and walking with a moderate to pronounced stoop become signs of the body’s mechanism to cope with the back pain. The bigger problem is that the misalignment stays ‘stuck’, severely limiting the affected vertebrae’s range of motion. Over an extended period, without realigning the vertebrae, the joint, because of lack of movement (springiness) will begin to deteriorate. This degeneration also applies to connective tissue, nerves, and blood circulation to the affected area as well. Eventually the bone portions of the vertebral area will fuse resulting in a complete lack of the aforementioned joint mobility.
How the Chiropractor Restores Mobility to the Degenerated Joint
Dr. Lentz’s article cited above definitively states that the loss of mobility in joints due to spinal misalignments (vertebral subluxation) may be reversed when the affected joint becomes mobile. He states further that chiropractic care focuses its attention upon remobilizing portions of the spine which have degenerated to a degree where range of motion becomes limited.
According to Dr. Lentz, and Dr. Elleraas agrees, when an appropriate amount of stress is placed upon the affected portion of the spine, usually with a high velocity thrust, the joint is forced to move in a direction consistent with a healthy alignment of the vertebrae. Continual adjustments using the above described method over varying periods of time depending upon the severity of the spinal misalignment will eventually realign and restore movement to the affected area. This will also lead to a reduction and eventual elimination of back pain due to the inflammatory response mentioned above.
Joints, especially those in the spine, thrive upon their ability to move. If movement of a joint is compromised, the makeup of the joint (muscle, ligament, blood supply) becomes adversely affected causing degeneration. Adjustment procedures may vary, but the chief goal of chiropractic care is to use a process of continual adjustments to degenerative joints in order to restore movement and eventual regeneration of the affected area. This process is comparable to a gardener removing a kink in a hose, allowing water to flow freely from its source to the intended target. As a joint regenerates, neural messages as well as blood supply flow into the previously affected area without the restrictions caused by degeneration.
Chris Williams - Among other things, Chris Williams was an NCAA swimming champion, honored as the State of California Beach Lifeguard of the Year, and is ...
