Vertebral Subluxation Complex

“A lesion or dysfunction in a joint or motion segment in which alignment, movement integrity and/or physiological function are altered, although contact between joint surfaces remains intact. It is essentially a functional entity, which may influence biomechanical and neural integrity.”

“Chiropractic is concerned with the preservation and restoration of health, and focuses particular attention on the subluxation. A subluxation is a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health. A subluxation is evaluated, diagnosed, and managed through the use of chiropractic procedures based on the best available rational and empirical evidence.”

• Lifestyle - Passive events such as poor posture, repeatedly sleeping or sitting in awkward positions for long periods of time contribute to subluxations.
• Trauma - Both micro and/or macro traumatic injury. Blunt force trauma to the spine caused by a severe impact injury can easily throw the alignment of joints out of place. Car accidents are a common cause of trauma-induced subluxation. Horseback riders, wrestlers, football players and other athletes in high-impact sports frequently suffer subluxation from blunt trauma. Dancers, cheerleaders and gymnasts occasionally experience subluxation in their ankles or hips as a result of a fall or performing a trick and not being caught properly.
• Degeneration - Changes in joint articulation due to arthritis, and muscular and connective tissues due to sedentary living. Repetitive wear from heavy lifting in a person's occupation is a common cause of subluxation in the spine, hips and legs, as is poor posture that slowly wears away at joints in the person's spine. These actions cause subluxation as the bones in the joints slowly slip out of place, as opposed to being quickly jolted out of alignment by trauma.
• Stress - Much like drug use and poor diet, depletes the body's ability to defend itself against daily wear and blunt trauma. Stress causes the coping functions of the body to wear away, as the body's energy goes to boosting energy as opposed to protecting joints and muscles. Stress also decreases the immune system, leading to illness and overall weakness, leaving the body unprotected against daily wear and trauma.
• Inflammation - May be perpetuated by a nutritional status that is pro-inflammatory in nature. Poor diet is not usually one of the final triggers of subluxation, but it contributes to subluxation and makes joints much more susceptible to subluxation caused by trauma or repetitive wear. Poor diet weakens the joints by not supplying enough vitamins and nutrients to the area, slowly wearing away at the area and allowing daily trauma to push the bones in the joints out of place. People often complain of localized pain and digestive disturbance as a result of subluxation in association with poor diet.

• Pain
• Stiffness
• Numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
• Weakness of the arms or legs

The image below shows the four phases of spinal degeneration in the cervical region.




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