They'll slowly start to allow your vertebra to shift one way or the other. Subluxation occurs when your tendon and muscles can't keep your spine straight. If your muscles get fatigued, they can lose some of their ability to keep your spine in alignment. Stress causes your muscles to constantly tighten up, and this increases your risk of having muscle spasms or fatigue. Your emotions can play a huge role in your overall health, and being exposed to constant stress can have a negative impact on your physical health. In turn, you experience weakening muscles. All of these things can cause your system to get overwhelmed and not function as well as it could. You also get chemicals in the food you eat if you eat ultra-processed foods. For example, people who don't get enough calcium in their systems can experience muscle spasms.Īdditionally, prescription drugs can negatively impact a person's natural body chemistry. Since your spine depends on strong muscles to keep it in place, losing muscle tone can allow it to shift. It is widely studied and accepted that chemicals can have a negative impact on your muscle and muscle tone. There are dozens of possible causes of spinal subluxation, but you can define them under three broad categories. If your spine comes under a force that is strong enough to overcome the natural amount of resistance of your body's tendons, ligaments, and muscles, the spine could get out of alignment. Sacroiliac subluxation (deterioration of a joint in your pelvis) Causes of Spinal Subluxation

For example:Ĭostovertebral or costotransverse separation (joints that connect your ribs to the spine) It can also impact any of the soft tissues along the spine, like ligaments and tendons. This type of spinal subluxation directly impacts the spinal muscles that run the length of the spine.

Scoliosis and/or curve alteration secondary to any structural asymmetriesĬategory Four - Paravertebral Subluxation Scoliosis and/or curve alteration secondary to a muscle imbalance This might include:Ībnormalities of motion (sections of your spine move in odd ways)ĭecompensation of adaptational curves (spine starts to deteriorate at any curved areas) It could involve a portion of your spine curving or listing to one side. This category of spinal subluxation refers to subluxation that takes place in one specific area of your spine. Hypomobility (joints are rigid and unmoving) Hypermobility (joints move far beyond their normal range) There are three possible subcategories, and they include: If you have this type of spinal subluxation, your chiropractor is able to detect movement between the normal sections of your spinal column. It includes:Īltered Interosseous Spacing (either decreased or increased)Ĭategory Two - Kinetic Intersegmental Subluxation This category refers to spinal subluxation that a chiropractor can detect by feeling along your spine to determine your spine's mobility. Each category has several subcategories, and this is why it can take a while to get a concrete diagnosis.Ĭategory One - Static Intersegmental Subluxation To make it slightly more complicated, there are four broad categories that encompass different types of spinal subluxation. Common tasks can aggravate the surrounding tissues as well, and this can cause inflammation that pushes on the spinal column. This is why so many people have lifelong issues with their back or neck once they injure it. It can interfere with the natural healing process of the surrounding muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues as well. If you get into some type of accident that directly impacts your neck or back, like a fall, car accident, or another traumatic event that jolts your spine, it can kickstart the process. This condition can steadily get worse over time. For example, if you have bad posture, it can slowly start to shift your spine out of the natural alignment, particularly in the soft tissue areas between your vertebra. This can come from a traumatic event or certain aspects of your lifestyle. In turn, you experience loss of function due to the different pressure points on your spinal column. When people talk about subluxation, they're talking about the vertebra in your spine being in abnormal positions or misaligned. You may have heard doctors and chiropractors take about spinal subluxation, but do you know what it really is? If not, we're going to cover what it is, the different broad categories that chiropractors use to describe it, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatments below.

Shifted spine