THE SPINE & ITS BASICS

The three main functions of the spine are to protect the spinal cord, nerve roots, and several of the body’s internal organs. Provide structural support and balance to maintain an upright posture. Enable flexible motion. The regions of the spine consist of the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacrum. Each vertabre includes the intervertebral disc and the cushion. Discs absorb stresses the body incurs during movement and prevent vertebrae from grinding against one another. Intervertebral Foramen: the Tunnel. The foraminal passageways allow a place for nerve roots to branch out from the spinal canal. Facet joints are the guiders. Facet joints help the spine to bend, twist, and extend in different directions. The facet joints restrict excessive movement.

PERIFERIAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

The primary role of the peripheral nervous system is to connect the central nervous system to the organs, limbs, and skin to allow for complex movements and behaviors.

The somatic system is part of the peripheral nervous system and is responsible for carrying sensory and motor information to and from the central nervous system. The somatic system is responsible for transmitting sensory information as well as for voluntary movement. This system contains two major types of neurons:

Motor neurons: Also called efferent neurons, motor neurons carry information from the brain and spinal cord to muscle fibers throughout the body. These motor neurons allow us to take physical action in response to stimuli in the environment.

Sensory neurons: Also called afferent neurons, sensory neurons carry information from the nerves to the central nervous system. These sensory neurons allow us to take in sensory information and send it to the brain and spinal cord.

"YOU GOT SUM NERVE"

You can have a subluxation without having pain, in fact most nerves generally do not feel pain. Symptoms of spinal misalignment do not typically appear until many years after damage has occurred.

Sensory nerves (nerves that feel pain) make up only 6% of your nerves. The remaining 94% of your nerves don’t feel pain, they deal with body function. This means that by the time you develop a problem like asthma, indigestion or sexual dysfunction, the subluxation has been left untreated for a long time and you should begin chiropractic care immediately.

The Takeaway: Just because you don’t hurt, doesn’t mean you don’t need a chiropractor.

HOW'S YOUR HEAD?

Anterior head carriage is a common condition where the head is improperly aligned with the neck and shoulders.

It is caused by poor posture and repetitively leaning forward for prolonged periods. 3 inches of AHC will make your head weigh about 32 pounds. This is the reason why some people feel their head is getting heavy and are suffering from tightness around their neck and shoulders.

If you’re suffering from AHC, the following things can happen to you: Lose 30% of your vital lung capacity. Add an average of 30 pounds of abnormal leverage to the cervical spine. Irritation of the large intestine then causes a sluggish bowel movement.