Providing Tucson with Compassionate Chiropractic Care Since 2001

According to studies, it was found that a spine with proper curves is approximately 16 times stronger when compared to a spine with abnormal or improper curvature. Much like the framework of a home, the spine provides the necessary support for your body. Would you consider living in a home with an imbalanced framework or support system? Chances are that your answer would be, “Absolutely not!” Now ask that same question about your own spine. Also, keep in mind, you only get one spine per lifetime, so it is of utmost importance to take good care of the only spine you will ever have.

Did you know that loss of the lordotic curve (the C-shaped curve in your neck and low back) can stretch the spinal cord by as much as 5-7 cm, resulting in a decrease in the function of the nervous system, leading to possible disease and malfunction of the body? This was determined by Dr. Alf Breig. Dr Breig was a neurosurgeon, as well as a nobel prize recipient, who conducted extensive research on the spinal cord and central nervous system.

Proper posture supports the body in a balanced, functional way. Most people don’t think about proper posture, and if you are one of those people, it may be of great value to you to consider having your posture checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic, who can create positive changes in your posture. The following statement is provided by Dr. Alf Brieg, a Nobel prize recipient and Neurosurgeon, who performed extensive research on the Human nervous system and the surrounding structures that connect to it, namely the spinal column. “Pressing on a nerve stretches the nerve; stretching the nerve reduces its ability to carry nerve impulses (conductivity); and if the nerve is not damaged, taking the stretch off the nerve will relieve the symptoms and restore normal nerve function.” What presses on these nerves is usually a spinal column that does not have proper structure and posture. What this all leads to is one simple question: Do you have proper spinal posture? Chances are that the answer is NO!! The results can be very unhealthy. Most people don’t even know how to go about implementing positive changes in their posture. Here are some choices available to you, and in combination, they are much more effective than doing any one alone. (1) Chiropractic care – Helps to improves posture, balance, and function of the nervous system and the entire body. (2) Preventative lifestyle – Helps to insure that you will lead a healthier and more productive life as you enter into your later years. (3) Muscular strengthening and stretching – This will allow proper function and balance in the musculoskeletal system, as well as affecting spinal posture in a positive way.

Note – The pictures of the spines mentioned below will be forthcoming soon! I thank you for your patience! The following pictures illustrate different spinal postures of the adult spine, ranging from ideal spinal posture to an abnormal, unhealthy spinal posture. At birth, an infant’s spine has only one major curvature, similar to a “C” curve, due to being in the womb for the duration of the pregnancy. The neck and low back curves develop prior to walking. The baby will begin to develop these curves when crawling begins. The neck curve develops by the baby constantly holding his/her head up during crawling. The low back curve develops in a similar fashion, assisted by gravity pulling downward on the baby’s belly when the baby is repeatedly in the act of crawling. The black line shown above illustrates the “C” curve in a fetal spine The first spinal picture (shown below) represents a model of a human spine with near perfect curvatures. The majority of Americans have spines with abnormal curvatures, and this may help to explain why 80% of Americans will suffer from low back pain at some point in their lifetime. Interestingly enough, people who do have near perfect curvatures are most likely following some form of preventative care to maintain the health. inte2ritv. and curvature of their spines. Chiropractic care is one of the best choices you can make in maintaining the health and curvatures of your spine. The second spinal picture (shown below) represents a model of a spine, which has lost curvature in the neck, mid-back, and low back regions. Although some curvature still exists in these areas, spinal degeneration will most likely set in if action is not taken to improve the spinal curvatures. Secondly, the spinal discs, which act as small “shock absorbers”, will be subject to abnormal loads and can begin to degenerate, causing possible future problems to surface, such as irritation to the spinal nerves – this can lead to pain, numbness. tingling, and possible loss of sensation in certain body parts. At this point, Chiropractic care and spinal postural exercises can be very effective in preventing further loss of curvatures, as well as helping to improve the existing curvatures. The third spinal picture (shown below) represents a spine that has lost nearly all of its curvatures. At this point, degeneration is almost guaranteed to set in, because abnormal spinal curvatures lead to abnormal function of the spinal column. A person with these spinal curvatures is usually past the age of 50 years, and has abused their spine and posture for many years. Spinal degeneration, bone spurs, disc degeneration, and many symptoms such as pain, stiffness and loss of spinal range of motion are very commonly seen in people who have spinal curvatures similar to this. At this end stage, even though it is more challenging, quality Chiropractic care can help to prevent further loss of curvature and spinal degeneration, and may also be able to actually improve the curvatures that have been lost over the years. Do you know what your spine looks like? Without taking pictures of the spine, it is difficult to know. Schedule an appointment today to begin taking care of your spine the right way. Remember that you get only one spine per lifetime – choose to take care of it!

Did you know that the first patient ever adjusted was a man who was virtually deaf? D.D. Palmer administered the first ever Chiropractic adjustment to Harvey Lillard, a janitor that worked in D.D. Palmer’s building. The effect of the adjustment was astounding — Mr Lillard regained his hearing due to the spinal adjustment he had received. And thus, Chiropractic was born. Chiropractic specializes in the detection and removal of vertebral subluxations. A Subluxation is a condition in which a nerve or part of the nervous system is irritated by either hard tissue (bones) or soft tissue (muscle, tendons, fascia). Bones can sometimes place direct pressure on a nerve (less than 10% of the time) or, more commonly, the bones can rotate or misalign, and tug on the soft tissues (muscles and tendons), which in turn are connected to nerves and the nervous system. This distorts and puts direct torque on delicate nervous system tissue. This all results in the nerves transmitting imbalanced. disturbed messages to the body, which disturbs the health and the ease of your body.

Symptoms – those annoying aches, pains, bodily sensations, etc., that can cause a lot of us to run to our health professionals moaning and groaning. But, a good question is, does it really do our bodies justice to want to immediately get rid of symptoms? According to Chiropractic philosophy, symptoms are intelligent warning signals, sent by your brain and nervous system, to alert you that some area of your body is not functioning properly. Even though symptoms are not pleasant, it may be that symptoms are designed that way, to actually serve a meaningful purpose of alerting you to areas of your body that are not functioning at their highest levels. Choosing to medicate yourself and “cover up” your symptoms just might be something that is counterproductive to the health of your body. An alternative choice would be to go to the source of the problem. Listen to your body, do your best to find out what could be causing the symptom, then decide how and what you are going to do in order to correct the problem, and not just the symptoms caused by that particular problem. Chiropractic care is just one of many natural ways to deal with the problem of nervous system interference, which can cause several health problems in your body. Remember, symptoms are intelligent signals sent by your nervous system to let you know there are areas in your body that are not functioning at optimum levels. Do yourself a healthy favor, and choose to address the cause of your health problems, and not just the “end results” that are commonly called symptoms.