With Spinal Awareness Week last week, why not learn how to be aware of your own spine?! Below are 15 ways to know that things aren’t quite right and guess what? Only one of them is to do with pain!
This can be due to uneven leg length caused by a misaligned pelvis.
Restrictions in the upper back and ribs (thoracic spine) can cause restricted breathing and/or expansion of the chest due to the improper motion in the joints.
This can be caused by neck misalignment and severe tension in the upper neck. The upper neck and jaw are very much linked so one will often affect the other.
This is your body telling you that something is out of alignment. It can be caused by areas of your spine that are restricted and unable to move in their normal pattern.
Reduced range of motion comes from misaligned vertebrae.
An unbalanced spine drains your energy. Your body is having to do so much work to maintain your unbalance posture even at rest.
Misalignment in your spine affect the Brain-Body connection.
Chiropractic adjustments to reduce nerve pressure have been shown to help increase white blood cells throughout the body. Studies show that every time you get adjusted, your Interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels go up immediately. IL-2 is what your body uses to kill viral and bacterial assaults.
This test is easy as long as you don’t cheat. Merely look at your feet as you walk. Do they both point forward, or does one foot appear to flare outward or inward? Do both? Foot flare may be a sign of a problem in the lower spine or hips.
Keep your shoes on, and lie down. Have someone stand behind you, look down at your feet, and gently push your heels toward your head. Compare where the heels meet the shoes. One foot may appear anywhere from 1/8” to 1” shorter than the other. A lot of people describe this a normal, it isn’t, its just prevalent. In fact, it is one of our most common findings and when the cause is due to spinal alignment, it corrects.
Stand on two-bathroom scales, one foot on each. The weight distribution should be about the same over each foot. If it is not, that’s a good sign that your spine, hips or head are off line.
All are common signs of a spine out of alignment. Pain is your body is telling you something is wrong. As Chiropractors we need to find the root cause and not be guided purely by symptoms.
Nerve irritation from misaligned spine results in muscle tension. No matter how many massages you have. Unless the alignment of the spine is corrected then things will quickly revert.
Stiffness may be a sign of degenerative changes in your spine. Imagine a car tyre, it has the normal wear from the road, just as our joint do from aging. When a car tyre is out of line it wears far quicker, the same with our joints.
If your Nervous System is not in total balance, your health will not be in total balance.
Getting your nervous system checked and making sure your spine is in alignment will ensure your nervous system can communicate properly with your body. When this happens, it is only a matter of time before your body begins healing properly and true health and vitality can be achieved.