Chiropractic and Spinal Function. Beyond Pain.

 

Our brains are ‘plastic.’

Not like the cheap lead based toys from China but plastic meaning that the brain learns and adapts to our body’s internal and external environments.

The breakdown of movement in the spinal joints or other joints in the body leads to abnormal input into the brain.

A major input into the brain is something called ‘proprioception.’

This just means the sense of knowing where our body is in space without having to look at it.

This sense is a primary driver of all brain activity.

The spine provides the most proprioceptive information to the brain.

Losses of motion, particularly in the spine, but anywhere else also will change the way the brain works.

It has to change it.

The brain gets information from the spine as well as other muscles and joints to allow it to plan and execute movement.

This integration and processing of information is called sensorimotor integration.

A huge amount of brain real estate is dedicated to this which tells us how critically important it is to us.

Proprioception doesn’t just have profound implications for sports activities.

It has extreme importance for all movement, for knowing where we are in space, and for helping coordinate all organ activity including obviously fuel delivery with heart activity and blood pressure.

If we’re moving changes in all these things happen without us really having to think about it.

The spine is designed to be of primary importance to the brain because any movement in our body effects the spine.

We can not move an extremity, an arm or leg…

In fact even a finger without having to make changes in the spine to stabilize and help coordinate the activity.

The spine will have to move a certain way at times while stiffen and stabilize other times with any movement.

Breakdown of spinal movement and therefore information being sent to the brain results in breakdown of coordination, balance, and control.

This means that you may bend over to pick up a piece of paper on the floor and hurt your back for example.

This can occur because you are not be able to properly control and stabilize your back during the movement leading to it being out of position during the movement leading to greater risk of injury.

These changes are potentially even more important when you trip or have a sudden force introduced into your body like with a car accident or a fall.

Taking one step back, it might be that the abnormal spinal function leads to you not knowing exactly where you are and causing the trip in the first place!

Abnormal spinal function in the neck, upper, or lower back might cause symptoms like pain, tightness, or stiffness… OR it might not.

This abnormal function might also cause other symptoms that you may not realize are related to the spinal problem… like headaches, dizziness, vertigo, clumsiness, and much more.

These breakdowns in spinal function are essentially movement disorders that are complex neuro-muscular problems.

Unfortunately because of:

• The complexity of the neuro-muscular system,
• the fact that movement is not checked by your primary doctor which is likely an MD or a DO,
• and that the movement problems may cause other symptoms or problems that seem unrelated
• means that you likely will not realize what is causing the dysfunction or that it may continue until you develop a major problem.

These problems are checked and corrected by chiropractors.

Other health professionals aren’t evaluated these problems.

They do not generally evaluate movement and particularly the small neuro-muscular movement problems that often are causing or lead to major problems.

This major system in the body is neglected but it is of huge importance.

This is the domain of chiropractic.

The majority of people don’t know this and unfortunately do not see a chiropractor.

Even those that do see a chiropractor typically will do so once they have a major problem that has often been there for some time while others just see a chiropractor when they have an unavoidable major trauma from sports or from something like a car accident.

Of course it is important to get chiropractic care in those cases of trauma.

It’s also important to be evaluated in everyone else whether there are major symptoms or not.

The video discusses some other problems not typically thought of as ‘chiropractic‘ problems that might improve with the right chiropractic treatment.

These other things tend to revolve around a couple of areas.

1. Improving neurological and therefore brain function from improving the communication between the body and brain which can have an impact on so many different things.
2. Improving autonomic function. This is the unconscious control of organ function ranging from digestion to bladder, fuel delivery (heart and blood pressure for example), and more. This has to do with changing balance between the sympathetic ‘fight or flight’ nervous system and the parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ system.

Think about it through this context…

Changes in movement change the sympathetic nervous system.

It must or you have a BIG problem.

The sympathetic system has to increase blood flow and change the heart rate when you start to move because certain areas of your body will need more fuel and oxygen like the muscles you’re moving.

The sympathetic system is also involved in pain and changes in the immune system.

If you increase the sympathetics, you will turn off the opposing system the parasympathetics.

This means ‘turning off‘ or reducing digestion.

We need to be wired this way because if we’re active we need our nervous system to increase activity in the areas necessary for movement and decreasing activity in the areas not necessary.

Thinking this through simplistically, we have changes in movement altering brain function, organ function, fuel delivery, pain perception, and the immune system.

This is why when the right chiropractor treats the person properly, the person might see changes in areas not traditionally thought of as a chiropractic problem.

It’s not because chiropractic treats a disease or a chronic health problem per se. It’s because chiropractic care can improve neurological function by changing information sent to the brain.

If done appropriately and with repetition, this will cause neuro-plastic changes in the nervous system (including the brain) which makes you not only feel better but BE better.

Yes this undoubtedly seems very complicated.

It is very complicated and that is a big part of the problem.

Evaluation and treatment of the neuro-muscular problems and their impact on your ability to function optimally is what we do as chiropractors.

Unfortunately basically no one knows this including the public and other health care providers.

Adding to this confusion is that there are many different types of chiropractors and chiropractic approaches to treatment.

This means that you may see one chiropractor and have an entirely different experience and outcome than if you see another.

Dr. Hagebusch for example has spent hundred’s of hours taking post-doctorate courses in clinical neurology, functional neurology, and other areas to better help his patients.

If you are interested in seeing Dr. Hagebusch at our Texarkana clinic, contact us!

We’re here to help Texarkana live healthier lives and this goes beyond pain relief for which we can help too!