Subluxation Pairs

There is an interesting phenomenon that occurs with spinal subluxation. I have noticed, over and over again, that in certain people, two or more regions of the spine are directly interrelated. For instance, in some people, the L5/S1 joint relationship is a constant source of discomfort. In those same people, when they come in for a chiropractic adjustment by yours truly, I discover that the T12 segment is almost always subluxated at the same time. T12 is your last official thoracic vertebra. The last “short rib” is attached to it, and the lumbar vertebrae (L1 through L5) start just below T12. In other people, C1, also known affectionately as “Atlas,” because it holds your head up, (remember the myth about Atlas holding the world on his shoulders?) will misalign in the same direction as C7. These two vertebrae are the start and end of the cervical spine. The thoracics start just after C7. 

This concept—subluxation pairing—is by no means brand new. I cannot claim discovery. Great chiropractors before me have created whole methods of analyzing and treating spinal subluxation out of the philosophy of subluxation pairing. I guess I should give specific credit to my father, the esteemed and learned chiropractor over the mountain, for first bringing my attention to the phenomenon. It serves as another reminder to me that we human beings are one whole unit, and we cannot be broken up into a myriad of tiny, unrelated parts.

The relationship between segments of the spine has two components, special circumstances caused by accidents notwithstanding. In a normal occurrence of subluxation pairing, there is a mechanical and a nervous component.  There are natural curves of the spine, and natural delineations of spinal sections. For example, the thoracic spine acts completely different from the rest of the spine, because the bones are shaped differently, and because there are ribs attached. Each of the bones I mentioned above specifically are crucial in their own way. C1 protects the brain stem, and allows for much of the movement of your skull. C7 is a major attachment to many spinal and neck muscles. If C1 is subluxated, C7 may well follow; they share muscle attachments and both support the head. T12 is a major curve transitional segment; it takes a great deal of pressure when L5 stops functioning properly.

The nerve component of a subluxation is the most fascinating to me. Segments of the spine, and spinal cord, interact in feedback loops to stabilize your body completely subconsciously. This system is just as much responsible for the phenomenon of subluxation pairing as the mechanics of the spine. Get your spine—the whole thing!—checked for subluxation.

Chiropractic and C-Sections

1.2 million women undergo cesarean sections each year, according to the website today.msnbc.com. I was one of those women. Chiropractic helped me to recover.

In the case of an emergency c-section, mothers often labor for hours, well past the point of mental and physical exhaustion. A laboring woman’s body is intent on one thing only: pushing out a baby at all costs. A natural birth is tiring by itself. Afterward, a new mother has to go through what amounts to withdrawals of pregnancy hormones that are no longer pumping through her. She is still experiencing uterine contractions, so that it can shrink down to non-pregnancy size. Her metabolism is ramped into overtime still, so that she can heal her body while producing milk for her baby.

A c-section adds two layers of extra difficulty of healing for a new mother. One layer is drugs; the human body has to expend lots of energy to break down, filter, and flush out foreign toxins. Many pain killers are essentially neurotoxins; they stop nerves from perceiving signals, and so pain messages no longer reach the brain. The second layer of complication for the recovering mother is the c-section itself; cutting open several layers of skin, connective tissue, and thick abdominal muscle is major surgery. 

The amazing thing about all this is that thousands of women go through this process, and heal beautifully. The human body has an amazing capacity to heal. Let me tell you how chiropractic helped me. After my own c-section, detoxing and hormonal changes, my body was still regaining strength. My core (consisting of major muscle groups in the central body—abs, postural back muscles, even thighs) was very weak; my abdominal muscles had been stretched thin by a growing baby boy, and then cut open. What I didn’t realize was that I was not able to even walk upright; all my concentration was given to just walking and taking care of my son. My dad took one look at me and knew I needed a chiropractic adjustment. He put me in what is called a “knee-chest” position, braced my weak belly with one hand, and adjusted my severely subluxated spine with the other hand. It was not a move taught in most chiropractic colleges; it was one perfected after forty years of experience for him.

I stood up straight immediately. Restoring the mechanical function and nerve communication pushed me days ahead in healing capacity. Although I am a chiropractor myself, I was amazed at the transformation. Because my body had been through a trauma, I made sure I was adjusted often after that. A couple of adjustments a week became once weekly, which became my regular schedule of one to two adjustments per month.