Birth Trauma, Physical Stress = Vertebral Subluxations
The chiropractic fundamentals are based on removing interference to the nervous system so that the body’s Innate Intelligence can operate at full capacity.
Interference comes by way of vertebral subluxations.
Sometimes a misalignment can be mistaken for a vertebral subluxation. For a example, sometimes it is thought that a vertebral subluxation can be seen on an x-ray.
That is incorrect. Only a misalignment can be seen on x-ray, whereas a vertebral subluxation has a far-reaching effect greater than that of a simple bone out of place.
B.J. Palmer cleared up this confusion in the early 1930s when he found that vertebral subluxations have five components to them. They are:
1.) Malposition – This simply means misalignment of a vertebra
2.) Occlusion – This refers to the closing off of an opening that a nerve passes through. In our case, we are referring to the neural canal where the spinal cord travels down.
3.) Pressure – When C1 is misaligned, this can occlude the neural canal near the brain stem. This can cause pressure or tension on the cord at this level.
4.) Interference to flow of nervous system transmission – With a misalignment, an occlusion, and pressure, there is zero chance for the nervous system to properly communicate to the rest of the body.
5.) Three-directional torqued vertebra – To achieve these four components of vertebral subluxation, the C1 vertebrae has to shift up or down, left or right, and rotated front or back.
What causes a vertebral subluxation?
Stress. Pure and simple. Various forms of stress bombard our bodies on a daily basis. If not dealt with properly, they can and will manifest themselves in the form of a vertebral subluxation. For intensive purposes, I will discuss three forms of stress: physical, emotional, and chemical.
Many times during a hospital birth, a doctor or nurse-midwife will grab the baby’s head and tug and twist until that baby is yanked free. And we haven’t even mentioned forceps, vacuum extraction, or c-section yet.
The C1 vertebrae is the most unstable vertebrae in our spine, connected only by muscles, tendons, and ligaments. With any kind of extreme twisting, turning, or yanking, that vertebrae WILL misalign in three directions, which will result in occlusion, pressure, and interference.
Beyond birth, once the baby begins crawling, standing, walking, running, and climbing, he/she will fall literally thousands of times by the age of four. My eight month old falls every few minutes. I know because of her lovely shrieking each time it happens.
As we get older, and get into sports, or exercising, or just plain old every day life, injuries occur. For example, getting tackled in football, smacking into the fence while trying to catch a pop fly, slipping and falling on an icy sidewalk, getting T-boned by a semi in a busy intersection, etc. Even natural everyday motion such as walking can have a negative long term effect. Years and years of gravity pulling down on your body will take its toll.
The point is, we can’t afford to go through life without at least getting checked for interference to our nervous system. We haven’t even addressed emotional or chemical stress yet, but physical stress beginning at birth and continuing on into adulthood can and will have long-term devastating effects on your overall well-being.
[Article By: Dr. Brandon Harshe on March 9, 2010 http://theatlasoflife.com/2010/03/09/trauma-thoughts-and-toxins-vertebral-subluxations-part-1-physical-stress/]