04/03/2025
Subluxation
Almost without fail, when people who have just learned about chiropractic are asked if they know what a subluxation is, the response is, "Yeah, yeah, uh-huh." Just to be sure, we may say, "Well, what do you think it is" or "What exactly is your understanding?" Then it starts, like a reoccurring nightmare, "Well, a subjugation is..." or "A substantiation is..." We would like to set the record straight but sometimes get the feeling that may never happen, so for the purposes of review, we present the following.
"Sub-lux-a-tion" is a difficult word, but we as a society have managed to incorporate a lot of words into our vocabulary that are equally difficult, few of which are as important to our well-being. We have learned cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoproteins. We have learned beta-carotene, gingivitis and angioplasty. And who has not learned Gorbachev, fahr-vergnugen or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?
Subluxation is an important word and there is simply no other word that accurately describes exactly what it is a chiropractor addresses. We do not address the "it hurts right here doc, when I go like this." We do not address the "man, it feels good when you do that, doc." And we definitely do not address the "I gotta pinched nerve, slipped disc, headache, sinus prob-lem, this problem or that pain... doc"
We address the subluxation, specifically the vertebral (i.e., the big word for the little bones that make up the spine) sub-luxation. Subluxation is defined as the misalignment of one of the vertebrae, and not just any misalignment but one that impinges the structures (i.e., nerves as well as blood and lymph ves-sels) that pass through the holes between the vertebrae and consequently impair their ability to function. With respect to the nerves, this means that the conduction of mental impulses from the brain to all the cells, tissues and organs of the body is impaired and conse-quently, the parts do not work as they should. It is worth noting that the nervous system controls all the other systems of the body, including the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, endocrine and reproductive systems. That means that interference in the nervous system could keep any of the many different parts of the body from working the way they should.
Our sole purpose in this office is to find subluxations in the spine and adjust them to restore the proper nerve flow from the brain to all the parts of your body so they can work as well as they possibly can. Actually the concept is really very simple. I do not know, maybe we are just having trouble warming up to the word. Maybe for practice we could all try using it a little more. Instead of telling the chiropractor where your back hurts on your next visit, why not ask him or her to check your spine for subluxations. But be prepared for a shocked look on the chiropractor's face!
