What are Subluxations?

You may never have heard the term, "subluxation," but there was once a time when nobody knew what lupus,  celiac disease,  lyme disease,  chlamydia, sleep apnea, diverticulitus, AIDS, and Alzheimer's disease were, either.

Subluxations are perhaps the most neglected of all the maladies that can afflict people, and at the same time they are among the most common of ailments.   Only chiropractors are trained to diagnose and treat subluxations of the spine, also known as vertebral subluxations.

So, what are vertebral subluxations of the spine? 

First, one needs to know that a vertebra is any one of the bones or fibrous (cartilage) segments forming the spinal column, which forms the supporting axis of the body and performs the extremely vital service of protecting the spinal cord, which is the pathway along which the various parts of the body receive commands from the brain.

If one of your vertebra has slipped out of  its normal position, it is said to have been partially dislocated, which is what a subluxation is--a partial dislocation.   Since the vertebra is one of several which form a protective jacket around the spinal cord, any disturbance of a vertebra will similarly cause a disturbance, and perhaps injury, of the spinal cord, and that will put all of the organs in your body in jeopardy.  The consequence could be any one of a very wide variety of ailments, which if not treated by the chiropractor can lead to permanent disability, or even death.  

  JA February 5, 2005