Subluxation (joint out of place)

General or Other | Orthopaedics | Subluxation (joint out of place) (Disease)


Description

In simplest terms, a subluxation (a. k. a. Vertebral Subluxation) is when one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) move out of position and create pressure on, or irritate spinal nerves. Spinal nerves are the nerves that come out from between each of the bones in the spine. This pressure or irritation on the nerves then causes those nerves to malfunction and interfere with the signals traveling over those nerves.

Your nervous system controls and coordinates all the functions of your body. If you interfere with the signals traveling over nerves, parts of your body will not get the proper nerve messages and will not be able to function at 100% of their innate abilities. In other words, some part of your body will not be working properly.

Causes and Risk factors

Subluxations, can occur in any joint, but the presentations and pain level may greatly differ. Causes of joint subluxation include trauma (accidents, such as falling, tripping, and stumbling, are the most common traumas), poor posture or habits (driving in a car or working at a computer for long periods create too much flexion in the spine, which causes subluxations), arthritis or disease (osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis, such as gout, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, cause destruction in joints, especially weight-bearing ones) and pregnancy (hormones, such as relaxinallows for hypermobility in the pelvic joints and can lead to increased stresses and abnormal wear).

Diagnosis and Treatment

Significant structural displacement will be visible on X-ray, MRI or CT scans, whereas the vertebral subluxation is a syndrome involving inflammation, reduced motion and compromised blood flow and nerve transmission.

It is the responsibility of the doctor of chiropractic to locate subluxations, and reduce or correct them. This is done through a series of chiropractic adjustments specifically designed to correct the vertebral subluxations in your spine. Chiropractors are the only professionals who undergo years of training to be the experts at correcting subluxations. ...