My Blogging History

Monday, April 11, 2022

The Physiology of Why Chiropractic Adjustments Are Necessary

f4cp

The 24 vertebrae and interlaying discs of the spinal column protect your bodies’ most important and delicate system, the central nervous system, and impingements within the joints of your spinal column can contribute to a number of health problems and ailments.

Over time the human body can and will experience static malalignments that alter the optimal resting length and tension of the muscles within the musculoskeletal system. Common static malalignments include joint fixation and myofascial adhesions that lead to or can be caused by poor posture.

Think Chiropractic


- Poor posture and repetitive movements can create dysfunction within the connective tissue of the human movement system

Think Chiropractic


- This dysfunction is treated by the body as an injury and will initiate a repair process termed the cumulative injury cycle

Think Chiropractic


- Any trauma to the tissue of the body creates inflammation. Inflammation in turn activates the body’s pain receptors and initiates a protective mechanism, increasing muscle tension and causing muscle spasm.

- These muscle spasms are not like a calf cramp. Heightened activity of muscle spindles in particular areas of the muscle create, in essence, a microspasm.

- As a result of the spasm, adhesions (“knots” or “trigger points”) will begin to form in the soft tissue. These adhesions form a weak, inelastic (unable to stretch) matrix that decreases normal elasticity of the soft tissue

- Left unchecked, these adhesions can begin to form permanent structural changes in the soft tissue that are evident by Davis’s law1  which states  that soft tissue will model along the lines of stress.

- Soft tissue remodels or rebuilds itself with an inelastic collagen matrix that forms in a random fashion. This simply means that it usually does not run in the same direction as the muscle fibers. If the muscle fibers are lengthened, these inelastic connective tissue fibers are acting as roadblocks, not allowing the muscle fibers to move properly. This creates alterations in normal tissue extensibility and causes relative inflexibility

- Because of the large number of joints in the spine and the tremendous demand upon the spine for motion, muscle contraction for stabilization is particularly important, and when excessive, can result in hypomobile joints.

Joint dysfunction (a.k.a. hypomobility) is one of the most common causes of pain in the human body. 

- The zygapophyseal, or facet, joints are complicated biomechanical structures in the spine, with complex anatomy, mechanical performance and effects on overall spine behavior and health.

Think Chiropractic


- At each spinal level, there is a pair of facet joints located on the postero-lateral aspects of each motion segment, spanning from the cervical to the lumbar spine

- The facet joints, together with the intervertebral discs and spinal ligaments, connect the adjacent vertebrae of the spine at all regions and provide support for the transfer and constraint of loads applied to the spinal column. These articulations insure the mechanical stability and also overall mobility of the spine, while protecting the spinal cord running through it.

- Joint dysfunction literally means “bad motion.” There are two types of joint dysfunction: too little motion termed a hypomobility; and too much motion termed a hypermobility.

- If motion is altered at any one joint level, compensations usually occur at adjacent segmental levels to restore proper motion of the spine. For this reason a hypomobility at one level usually results in a compensatory hypermobility at an adjacent level, and vice versa. These compensations can then leapfrog up (or down) the spine, creating entire regions of dysfunction.

- The primary causes of spinal joint hypomobility can be divided into three types: taut soft tissue, bony obstruction, and jammed meniscoid body.

- Taut soft tissues and bony obstruction can be factors in all joint dysfunction hypomobilities of the body. However, in the case of spinal joints, a third cause of hypomobility has been proposed; that is a meniscoid body that has become pinched and jammed between the surfaces of the facet joint. A meniscoid body is a fibrous, fatty soft tissue that is located at the periphery of a joint space. If it displaces and moves toward the center of the joint, it can become pinched and swollen, obstructing motion toward that side of the joint.

- The synovial folds, or meniscoids or menisci, are intra-articular structures that protect the articular cartilage when opposing articulating surface glide on each other during joint motion

- This protection is realized since the meniscoids compensate for the incongruence of the joint's articular surfaces, guiding and smoothing their relative motion, and distributing the load over a greater surface area

 

In addition to these primary causes of joint hypomobility, a common secondary cause of hypomobile spinal joints is overuse due to compensatory hypermobility. When one segmental joint level is hypomobile, the adjacent joint will often become hypermobile to compensate so that the region still has full gross range of motion. In time, excessive motion at the compensatory hypermobile joint level can lead to overuse and irritation to that joint (in the parlance of Leon Chaitow: “used, overused, misused, abused”), thereby triggering muscle tightness to splint and stop its motion. Now there are two segmental hypomobile joints, causing the next adjacent joint level to become even more hypermobile to compensate. In time, this second hypermobility can also become overused and irritated, triggering muscle tightness and causing it to become hypomobile. In this manner, hypomobilities often spread through the spine. Because the musculature that tightens is often small intrinsic musculature, this condition is usually not symptomatic until the region of hypomobility is so great that full compensation by adjacent joints is not possible and gross range of motion decreases.

The longer a hypomobile joint or hypomobile region is allowed to exist, the worse it becomes. Lack of motion allows for the continued deposition of fascial adhesions that increasingly lock up the area. Allowing a hypomobility to continue also allows the increased muscle tone of the region to become more patterned into the nervous system. For these reasons, joint hypomobility tends to be a progressive condition that expands in both intensity and in scope throughout the spine. Indeed, it is not uncommon for middle aged and elderly clients to have large regions of their spine locked in hypomobility. The overall result is that once begun, this pattern of hypomobility progressively worsens as we age.

Once a joint has lost its normal range of motion, the muscles around that joint may tighten to minimize the stress at the involved segment or become overactive to prevent movement and further injury. This process initiates the cumulative injury cycle which subsequently alters normal movement patterns and leads to structural and functional inefficiency.    

The doctors at Life in Motion Chiropractic & Wellness have been specifically trained to assess and treat joint dysfunction, myofascial adhesions, as well as a variety of other musculoskeletal disorders.

The goal of treatment at Life in Motion Chiropractic and Wellness is to restore balance, flexibility, and control which instills self-efficacy and helps to keep your body moving naturally, feeling good, and aging well.

To learn more visit us at LifeInMotionChiro.com


1: Davis's law is used in anatomy and physiology to describe how soft tissue models along imposed demands. It is the corollary to Wolff's law, which applies to osseous tissue. It is a physiological principle stating that soft tissue heal according to the manner in which they are mechanically stressed.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Chiropractors - Primary Care Professionals for Spinal Health and Well-being

Primary Care Professionals for Spinal Health

In an age of increasing specialization, decreasing availability of primary care providers, and increasing bureaucracy in accessing care, patients need to interact with care providers who can assess and treat their musculoskeletal complaints. However, what is even more necessary is a focus on wellness and health optimization. This is the wheelhouse of a chiropractor.

As primary care professionals for spinal health and well-being, doctors of chiropractic provide qualified, effective care that promotes health, alleviates pain and improves quality of life. Doctors of chiropractic are extensively educated in the assessment and management of conditions affecting the spinal and extremity joints and associated neurology, and based on examination findings and indication for care, the chiropractor will recommend a short course of care to help relieve pain and improve function.

Chiropractic patient management includes manual techniques with particular competency in joint adjustment and/or manipulation, myofascial/trigger point therapy, rehabilitation exercises, patient education in lifestyle and nutritional modification, and the use of adjunctive therapeutic modalities, orthotics and other supports.

The benefits of chiropractic care include:



- Relief from pregnancy-related backache [http://lifeinmotionchiro.com/prenatal-chiropractic-care.htm]

- Correction of hip, gait, and foot problems [http://lifeinmotionchiro.com/active-care-rehabilitation.htm]

- Improved flexibility, stability, balance and coordination [http://lifeinmotionchiro.com/active-isolated-stretching.htm]

- Prevention of work-related muscle and joint injuries

- Treatment of sports related injury [http://lifeinmotionchiro.com/sports-injury-treatment.htm]

- Improved function and ability to better perform the activities of daily living [http://lifeinmotionchiro.com/posture-ergonomics-training.htm]

TO LEARN MORE:


Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Importance of Posture as It Relates to Injury

f4cp

How a person physically presents themself in an upright standing position is considered the base from which an individual moves and reflects the alignment of the body. Posture provides the foundation from which the arms and legs function. As with any structure, a weak foundation leads to secondary problems elsewhere in the system. For example, if the foundation of your house has shifted it will not become noticeable until cracks appear in the walls or problems occur at the roof.

One of the functional methods utilized by the doctors at Life in Motion Chiropractic and Wellness is a postural assessment which helps to identify muscle imbalances. Postural assessment is an excellent evaluation tool that can help to clarify a person’s musculoskeletal complaint(s) and assists with the development of a treatment plan that will address the causative factors of the complaint  rather than simply treating the symptoms.

As with the house example mentioned earlier, it is easy to add a bit more plaster to a crack in the wall, sand it out, and paint over it. However, if the weakened and shifted foundation of the house is left as is, the visible cracks in the wall will return, or perhaps become larger and be accompanied by problems with the ceiling. Eventually simply patching the structure will no longer work and will lead to an overall renovation or quite possibly reconstruction. The same is true within the body.

Treating musculoskeletal symptoms with over the counter or prescription medications, modification of activities, or simply pushing through the pain, all lead to further dysfunction and cumulative layers of structural and neuromuscular adaptations. By identifying the causative factors of the inflammation, discomfort, or poor performance, our chiropractors can implement the most effective intervention to assist you in alleviating the dysfunction and provide the pain-free functional outcomes you are trying to achieve.

To learn more about how our Doctors of Chiropractic can assist you, visit us at www.LifeInMotionChiro.com.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Joint Dysfunction - #ThinkChiropractic

f4cp

Over time the human body can and will experience static malalignments that alter the optimal resting length and tension of the muscles within the musculoskeletal system. Common static malalignments include joint fixation and myofascial adhesions that lead to or can be caused by poor posture.

Joint dysfunction (a.k.a. hypomobility) is one of the most common causes of pain in the human body.[1] [2] Once a joint has lost its normal range of motion, the muscles around that joint may tighten to minimize the stress at the involved segment (altering the length-tension relationship) or become overactive to prevent movement and further injury (altering the force-couple relationships).[1] [2] This process initiates the cumulative injury cycle which subsequently alters normal movement patterns and leads to structural and functional inefficiency.[3] [4] [5]
Chiropractors Treat Joint Dysfunction
Joint Dysfunction

The doctors at Life in Motion Chiropractic & Wellness have been specifically trained to assess and treat joint dysfunction, myofascial adhesions, as well as a variety of other musculoskeletal disorders. The goal of treatment at Life in Motion Chiropractic and Wellness is to restore balance, flexibility, and control which instills self-efficacy and helps to keep your body moving naturally, feeling good, and aging well.

To learn more visit us at LifeInMotionChiro.com




[1] Janda V. Muscles and Motor Control in Cervicogenic Disorders. In: Grant G, ed. Physical Therapy of the Cervical and Thoracic Spine . New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone; 2002:182-199.
[2] Lewit K. Muscular and articular factors in movement restriction. Man Med . 1985;1:83-85.
[3] Sahrmann SA. Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes . St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2002.
[4] Chaitow L. Muscle Energy Techniques . New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone; 1997.
[5] Sahrmann SA. Does postural assessment contribute to patient care? J Orthop Sports Phys Th er . 2002;32:376-379.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Keeping You Moving Well so that You Can Age Well

f4cp



Your body’s motion is controlled by the neuro-musculo-skeletal system. This motion system is broken down into three groups based upon the function of the various tissues within your body. The first group is known as the Active Subsystem which consists of the muscles that create motion. The second group is known as the Passive Subsystem which consists of the skeleton, ligaments, tendons, fascia, and other connective tissue that hold your body together. The third group is the Control Subsystem which consists of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and mechanoreceptors that control the motion of your body.

These three subsystems must work together for normal, healthy motion. Even if you have strong healthy muscles you cannot maintain overall wellness if your Passive and Control subsystems are not as equally strong. Therefore if you are trying to lift something without integration of these subsystems you will unable to move any more weight than your muscles, joints, or nerves will allow.  Balanced and full motion allows joints and muscles to move smoothly and keep you moving well as you age.

The doctors at Life in Motion Chiropractic and Wellness approach treatment with three principles in mind. The first is motion; problems with this affect all three of the body’s subsystems. To effectively help a motion problem treatment solutions must address the mechanical and neurological issues involved and our doctor’s approach to this threefold:

- Chiropractic manipulative therapy unlocks, restores, and maintains joint motion. Joint mobilization reduces restrictions and other posture and motion distortions. In fact, freeing a compressed nerve or restoring motion can affect other parts of the body via the Control Subsystem.

- Myofascial therapy lengthens tight muscles and breaks up ligamentous and fascial adhesions. Other benefits of this form of therapy can be pain relief, which also affects the Control Subsystem, improved circulation, and general stress reduction.

- Therapeutic exercise, during which we teach you how to properly stretch tight/facilitated muscles and strengthen weak/inhibited muscles.

Secondly, we look for compensatory movement patterns in the body’s chain of motion. Your body type, injuries, and lifestyle habits train you, over time, to involuntarily and without thinking move your body in a unique pattern of motion using your stronger muscles. Your joints and ligaments stretch in the direction they are used and subsequently adhesions form along unused paths of motion. Therefore, you begin to move along the path of least resistance, just as a piece of paper bends along a crease the tissues of the body literally groove and fold in the way they are being used. As these mechanically inefficient patterns of poor posture and unbalanced motion progress, a “pain cycle” is created, the result of which is a continuous loop of increased body stress, joint degeneration, chronic pain, and recurring injury.

The solution, which is the third principle of treatment at Life in Motion Chiropractic and Wellness, is the implementation of “the motion cycle” through the use of postural retraining which helps to form new “life habits” and trains the body to move with conscious, full range of motion. Free, balanced motion reduces joint stress, relieves pain, and restores flexibility subsequently breaking the “pain cycle”.

The goal of treatment at Life in Motion Chiropractic and Wellness is to restore balance, flexibility, and control which instills self-efficacy and helps to keep your body moving naturally, feeling good, and aging well.