Spine Care Answers Your Questions

1. What Can I Expect On My First Visit To Spine Care Center?
Regardless of what your reason for consulting us is, your entire first visit will be devoted to learning about your spine. In our case history and consultation, we ask many questions relating to your spine. We want to know about possible falls or accidents in your past that could have affected your spine. Your examination is spent checking and rechecking your spine. Your X-rays will be special chiropractic films of the spine. If you receive an adjustment, it will be a specific chiropractic spinal adjustment.
 2. Why Do Chiropractors Place So Much Emphasis On The Spine?
The reason your spine is so important is because it houses and protects the spinal cord and the extremely delicate nerve roots that branch out from the spinal cord - - just as the skull houses and protects the brain.
3. What Is The Spinal Cord?
The spinal cord is a large part of the central nervous system. It stems from the brain through an opening in the floor of the skull and goes down through the center of the spine to the lower part of the back. The spinal cord is like a large telephone cable that contains some three billion nerve fibers. As it descends the spine, it gives off branches to either side called "nerve roots" or "spinal nerves." These are actually cables of nerves containing several hundred thousand nerve fibers each. These nerves then branch and re-branch until they connect with the more than four hundred trillion cells of the body. Each one of these cells must receive a signal from the brain just to live.
4. What Is The Function Of The Nervous System?   
 According to Gray's Anatomy: "It is the purpose of the brain and nerve system to control and coordinate the functions of all the tissues, organs and systems of the body." It is imperative to have a nerve system free of interference or damage.
 5. What Is Health?
Health is defined as a state in which every part of the body functions normally. Total health is achieved only when every cell of the body receives a normal nerve signal from the brain.
 6. What Is Disease?
 Disease is defined as a state in which one or more parts of the body fails to function normally. Nerve Interference always causes abnormal function.
 7. How Is The Spine Different From The Skull?
You can imagine how it would be if the brain didn't have a skull around it; well, the same thing would be true if the spinal cord didn't have a spine around it. The spinal cord is just a continuation of the brain. It is the way the brain communicates with every part of the body. The only difference is the spine has to be movable, so rather than being one solid bone like the skull, the spine is separated into twenty-four movable bones called vertebrae.
8. What Are The Inter-Vertebral Discs?
Every segment of your spine, with the exception of the top two, are separated from each other by a little cushion or pad called the inter-vertebral discs. These discs act as shock absorbers and allow for motion to take place in the spine. These discs are also blamed for many spine problems such as, the so- called "slipped disc," etc. In reality the discs are so firmly attached to the vertebrae that they cannot slip. The discs act as ligaments that bind the vertebrae together.  
9. What Is A Vertebral Subluxations?  
When spinal stress is placed on a joint of your spine for the disc to absorb, the vertebra itself slips. This misaligned vertebra compresses and distorts the disc, but more important it impinges and damages the extremely delicate nerve root that it is designed to protect. This impingement interferes with the normal nerve signal from the brain to the part of the body the damaged nerve supplies. When this condition occurs, chiropractors refer to it as a vertebral subluxation.  Subluxation simply means improper motion or position of spinal bones subjecting the spinal cord and nerve roots to pressure and irritation that interferes with function and health.  The official and original definition of vertebral subluxation is:  "The condition of a vertebra that has lost its normal juxtaposition with the vertebra above, the vertebra below or both, to an extent less than a luxation, that occludes an opening, impinges nerves and interferes with the normal nerve transmission from brain cell to tissue cell."  
After more than one hundred years of constant research, this definition is as true today as it was in 1895 when Dr. D.D. Palmer first discovered Chiropractic. 
All of the early research was financed and done by pioneers in the Chiropractic profession. Many dedicated Chiropractors spent much of their time and talents developing new and better ways of locating and correcting vertebral subluxations. The largest and most extensive of this type of research was done at the " B.J. Palmer Chiropractic Research Center" in Davenport, Iowa. 
In more recent years we have been very fortunate to have several world-class scientists become interested in Chiropractic and do much research. One important example of this was a seventeen-year research project at the University of Colorado in which a computer model of the spine was developed. Among other things, their research found that a very slight pressure on a nerve root (30 mm of mercury) disturbed its impulse by fifty percent in a matter of seconds. This same research showed that not only was the individual nerve function disturbed but it also set up a toxic reaction that spread to other nerves in the surround. This indicates a dis-ease process. 
The research at the University of Colorado was in part responsible for Chiropractics first government grant for research of two million dollars in 1973. 
These research projects have shown us over the years that the vertebral subluxation is not just a simple matter of a bone out of place putting pressure on a nerve but a complex of many things. The newer way of fully describing a subluxation is to call it a "Vertebral Subluxation Complex" or simply "VSC." 

Five separate components have been identified that help us understand more about subluxations and their affects. They are:

1. Kinesiopathology - abnormal movement of spinal joints. "Clicking" noises often occur, as range of motion becomes uneven.
2. Neuropathology- nerve damage- disturbed nerve impulse- inflamed nerve roots that release toxins.
3. Myopathology - muscles abnormalities- usually starts at the site of the subluxation- then affects other areas of the skeletal system. Muscle spasm often becomes chronic.
4. Histopathology - damage to soft tissues such as the disc, ligaments and tendons close to the site of the subluxation. This in turn produces inflammation, tenderness, swelling and "hot spots".
5. Pathophysiology  - joint degeneration- disc disease- bone deformation- lose of height etc. This component usually occurs after years of uncorrected subluxations except in severe trauma cases. 

The original definition of vertebral subluxations has remained the same throughout all these years. Much has been learned about subluxations and the problems they cause. You can see how this knowledge helps us in locating and correcting them. 

10. What Is The Chiropractors Main Job?
Subluxations are all important to chiropractors. Subluxations are the major cause of interference to the normal function of the nervous system. They are the number one cause of malfunction or dis-ease in the body. Our job as chiropractors, and our only job, is to locate and correct vertebral subluxations.
11. Are All Subluxations The Same?
No, subluxations can be mild, or they can be severe.  They can cause a little damage, or they can cause a lot of damage.  Subluxations exist in four main phases: acute, chronic, deeply chronic, and permanent. 
Near Normal   Gentle Curves-- Disc spaces are even--Bones and joints are smooth and regular--No subluxation---No bone damage
Phase I or acute subluxations are those that have recently occurred and can usually be corrected in a short period of time.
Acute (sudden or recent)-- Loss of normal curve--Disc spaces are uneven--Subluxation -- No bone damage 
Phase II or chronic subluxations are those that have existed for long  periods of time and, therefore, take longer to correct. Chronic (long standing)-- Subluxation---Disc damage---Some bone damage 
Phase III or deeply chronic subluxations are those that have existed long enough to cause some permanent damage.
Subluxation---Disc damage---Extensive bone damage 
Phase IV or permanent subluxations are those in which too much damage has been done for correction to be made.
Subluxation---Permanent disc damage---Permanent bone damage---Some bone fusion 
12. What Conditions Or Symptoms Do Subluxations Cause?
The conditions that subluxations are responsible for are endless. They are as broad as the nervous system and depend on which nerves are interfered with, how severe the interference is, and how long it has been allowed to exist.
 13. How Do You Find Subluxations?
 Unfortunately, most subluxations are painless. Many times extensive damage is done before any symptoms occur. We want to know what your symptoms are, but they don't help us find subluxations, and they have little to do with the care you receive from us. We find the answers to our questions in your examination and in your x-rays.
14. What Is The Purpose Of My Examination And X-Rays?
Your entire first visit is devoted to answering four very important questions.

1.      Do you have subluxations?

2.       Are theses subluxations responsible for or related to your present problem?     

3.      What is their present phase?

4.      Is there anything that might stand in our way of correcting them?  

15. What Kind Of  X-rays Do You Make?
The x-rays that we make in Spine Care Center are a special kind called Spinographs.
Spinographs were first pioneered in the chiropractic profession as early as 1910 when the Palmer School of Chiropractic became one of the first educational institutions in the country to teach a course in x-ray.  

Spinographs are made while the patient stands or sits with the weight on the spine. This gives us a more accurate picture for the work we do than if the patient lies on a table with no weight on the spine. The films that we select to make in each case depends on what we feel will give us the greatest amount of information with the least amount of radiation exposure to the patient. Normally, we x-ray the spine from front to back and from side to side. 
16. What Do You Look For When You Study My X-rays?     
The first thing that we are interested in is an overall postural study. We want to know if one side of the pelvis is higher or lower than the opposite side of the pelvis. The wedge-shaped bone at the base of the spine is called the "sacrum." The sacrum forms a foundation for the spine to rest on. We want to know if the sacrum is level and if it is parallel with the pelvis. We also want to know if the vertebrae are level and parallel with each other and with the sacrum. We draw lines on the films and measure each misalignment in the spine.  These measurements are called " x-ray listings". These listings are written on a special card and become a permanent part of each patient's records. We also look for abnormal curvatures in the spine.  From front to back, the spine should be straight. But from the side the spine is shaped like a shallow S. These curves are normal and are important because they allow for shock   absorption, for weight bearing, and for the muscles to use as cranks or   levers in moving the spine. 
17. Does This Mean If My Spine Is Crooked, I Have Severe Problems And If It Is Straight I Have No Problems?
No, a misaligned vertebra is one that is out of alignment, but is not causing pressure on a nerve. A subluxated vertebra is one that is out of place and is putting pressure on a nerve. The difference between the two mechanically is none, but the effect they have on your health is very different. Crooked or misaligned spines do not cause nerve interference.  Subluxated vertebrae always cause nerve interference that always results in abnormal function and dis-ease.  
18. How Do You Tell The Difference Between A Misaligned Vertebra And A Subluxated Vertebra?
Your x-ray listings tell us which vertebrae are misaligned. We determined which of these misalignments, are in fact "subluxations" through our chiropractic examination. This examination is done on each visit you make to our office.  
19. What Does A Spine Care Chiropractic Examination Consist Of?
Our examination consists of three main parts.

1. Chiropractic part to determine the presence and types of subluxations in your spine.
2. A neurological part to determine the extent of any nerve damage that may be present.
3. An orthopedic part to determine the extent of any joint, disc or bone damage that may be present. 

In our chiropractic examination we rely heavily on palpation. Palpation is the art of feeling structures beneath the surface of the skin by use of the fingertips or to examine by touching.  Chiropractors are thoroughly trained in the art of palpation. Subluxations are either static (fixed) or they are kinetic (hyper mobile) in nature. This means that they do not move normally with the rest of the spine.  We find this aberrant movement (Kinesiopathology) through a method called motion palpation. 
Pressure on nerves often causes irritation to the nerve roots (Neuropathology) as they emit from the spine. This, in turn, produces tender spots, slight edema, (swelling, or soft spongy areas) that can be palpated around subluxations. There is often a skin temperature difference associated with subluxations that can be found with our nerve instrument readings.  (Histopathology)Subluxations also cause distortion and muscle contraction (Myopathology) in the spine that are indicated by observation and by special leg and weight balance tests.
X-rays also often play an important role in the Chiropractic part of our examination.  Properly made and analyzed x-rays help us in locating all five components of the vertebral subluxation complex.  Some examples are:

1. Kinesiopathology--seen on x-rays as misalignments--some x-rays also show evidence of aberrant movement.
2. Neuropathology--seen on x-rays as spinal canal narrowing (stenosis) and occluded openings both at the base of the skull and at the intervertabral foramen.
3. Histopathology--seen on x-rays as abnormal disc spaces and evidence of disc, ligament, muscle and joint damage.
4. Myopathology---seen on x-rays as posture imbalance, loss of normal curves, head tilt, high or low shoulder, high or low pelvis etc.
5. Pathophysiology---seen on x-rays as joint degeneration, disc disease, bone deformation, spurs, bone fusion etc.

If all of these chiropractic tests are negative, it means that there would be no evidence of subluxations and chiropractic care would not be indicated at the present time. The orthopedic and neurological tests that we routinely perform help us to determine if there is anything present that could stand in our way of correcting your problems. They also help to measure your progress while under our care by periodic re-examination.  If all these orthopedic and neurological tests are negative in your initial examination, it means that any nerve, disc, or joint damage that you may have should not be permanent.
20. How Do You Correct Subluxations?
Once we locate the subluxations, we know which misalignments need to be corrected. We then check your x-ray listings to determine what specific direction the correction should be made. The correction itself is made by chiropractic spinal adjustments.
21. How Do You Determine What Phase A Subluxation Is In?
We can often tell what phase a subluxation is in by the presence of bone changes that we see in your x-rays, such as the development of arthritis or bone spurs. When part of your spine does not move properly, it means that another part has to move more. If subluxations are allowed to exist for long periods of time, they cause arthritic changes. These arthritic changes and spurs are often mistaken for the cause of your problem. The subluxations responsible for these changes are chronic in nature. They require a longer period of time to correct. If a correction is not made, the arthritis and spurs always get worse as the patient gets older.
 22. What Else Do You Look For On Your X-rays Other Than Subluxations?
We look for many other things such as fractures, dislocations, different types of arthritis and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis means the loss of calcium from bone tissue.  This condition is found to some extent in most people after the age of forty-five to fifty. It is severe in certain bone conditions, in some forms of cancer or infections that affect bone tissue, and after taking certain drugs, especially cortisone, for long periods of time.  
We also look for bone tumors. These are growths found either in or on the bones and may be either benign or malignant.

 We look for congenital anomalies. Congenital anomalies are conditions that are present from birth. Many patients will not know they have these until x-rays are made. These are conditions like extra ribs, such as a cervical rib that can cause shoulder and arm problems, especially when a subluxation is also involved. Some patients have an extra vertebra in the spine. Sometimes two vertebrae are fused together at birth called a "block vertebra." This produces a stiff place in the spine. We also see several forms of "spina bifida" or "open spine" where, the vertebrae do not completely close in the back at birth.

 These are a few of the things that could stand in the way of a patient getting well and that is why we look for them.

 23.  What Can I Expect From My Chiropractic Care?
Just as subluxations and the conditions they cause are present in different stages, their correction and your recovery from their correction are in stages.

• Symptomatic Relief

 Symptomatic relief is usually the first stage of correction. Symptoms are often one of the last things to develop in losing your health, and the first thing to leave on the road to recovery. Patients with acute subluxations often experience symptomatic relief almost overnight.  Even patients with chronic subluxations usually become symptom free or much improved within the first few weeks of care. Patients often mistake this period of "feeling good" as being well since we have all been programmed to believe that health means having no symptoms.

Actually, symptomatic relief occurs when some of the primary subluxations are corrected. The underlying cause of the problem still lingers and should be corrected to prevent a return of the symptoms. Patients are usually seen daily or three times per week during this phase of care.

• Stabilization And/Or Control               

The second stage of correction in chronic subluxations is to get your condition under control, so that it does not recur every time you have a mild strain or sleep with a window open at night. The control phase of your care is usually reached within six to twelve weeks of care. We recommend patients see us once or twice per week during this period.  

• Maximum Correction

Our ultimate goal is to reach the third stage of recovery in which maximum correction is obtained. This phase of your care can be compared to an orthodontist straightening teeth. He can’t do it all at once, he does a little at a time, and with the aid of steel braces and time, bone reconstruction takes place. When we make corrections in your spine; muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissue require time to adapt to new positions. Maximum correction in chronic subluxations usually requires anywhere between six months and three years. We like to see patients once or twice a month during this phase of their care.  

24.  Will My Care Be Covered By Insurance?
Symptomatic relief and control of your condition are considered to be primary care and is covered by many insurance plans.

The maximum correction phase of your care is usually a combination of primary care and maintenance care. Maintenance care is not usually covered by insurance plans but it is truly the best health insurance you can obtain.

 25.  Can You Tell Exactly How Long My Case Will Require?
There are no two patients who respond exactly alike. The length of time and the number of adjustments required vary with each patient. It depends on how much we can accomplish on each visit, how well you take care of yourself following an adjustment, your occupation, your age, your lifestyle and so many other factors.  

26.  Will I Continue To Feel Better Throughout My Chiropractic Care?
We would like to tell you that getting well is always pleasant and easy.  Getting sick is not pleasant and, in many cases, getting well is not all "sunshine and roses" either.  Most people, whose health is much less than it should be, have gone through difficult experiences and pain in becoming sick, and often must have similar experiences as health is regained. 

 This can be compared to taking a trip. It is possible to take a short cut back to where we began, but often the only way back is over the original path.  This is frequently the case in going from dis-ease back to health. The patient sometimes has to pass through many of the same symptoms and problems he or she experienced in becoming sick. It is not uncommon to temporarily re- experience discomfort and distress that has not been present for many months or even years. This is called "RETRACING."  

Another thing that prevents some patients from feeling better right away is "CORRECTIVE CHANGE".  Nerves that have been numbed by severe or prolonged pressure function abnormally and the parts of the body these nerves supply also function abnormally. As pressures are removed nerves begin to rejuvenate and return to normal.  This may cause discomfort in the form of temporary aches, crawling sensations and pain. This "corrective change" can be compared to the discomfort experienced when an arm or leg goes to sleep then returns to normal. Temporarily it is distressing.  

27.  What Caused Me To Be Subluxated In The First Place?
Overwhelming environmental stress -- a stress in which the body cannot adapt to at the time, always causes subluxations. This may either be physical, chemical, toxic, or emotional. When outside stress and strain is greater than inside resistance, an imbalance in neuromuscular tension or tone results. Muscles move bones and an imbalance in muscle pull causes a loss of integrity and, as a consequence, subluxations result.  Whether due to over-work, lack of exercise, falls, accidents, not enough rest, indiscretion in eating, toxic poisoning, bacterial invasions, malnutrition, drugs, emotional upset, fear, anger, hatred, worry, resentment, anxiety, or whatever, stress accumulates and causes all of us to become subluxated.  
28.  Is There Any Pain Associated With Spinal Adjustments?
No, unlike some other methods of health care, your chiropractic care should be a very pleasant experience.  
29. Can People Be Adjusted Who Have A History Of Spinal Disease Or Spinal Surgery?
Certainly. It is the chiropractor's responsibility to know the spine he is working on. Each spine is as unique as a fingerprint. A chiropractor is a specialist in determining the exact areas and degrees of spinal subluxations. He knows how to work with or around any area in the spine and how to do exactly what is necessary to correct as much as possible during each office visit.  
30. Will I Have To Come For The Rest Of My Life?
No. The recommendations we give you following your initial examination are for your primary care only. The purpose of primary care is to get your present condition under control.  The chiropractor's fundamental mission is to help people who are well to stay well.  It is to keep them balanced and clear of interference so they can live, function and be as nature intended.  
SPINE CARE CENTER offers special maintenance and family care programs for patients who find, as we have, that taking care of their health makes more sense than "crisis therapy."                           

SUMMARY OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Your spine is important because it houses and protects the spinal cord and the nerve roots that emit from the spinal cord. The spinal cord is often referred to as your "lifeline" because it brings life energy to every part of your body.  

This same spine that houses and protects the spinal cord can become subluxated; misaligned in such a way that it interferes with this life energy causing the body to malfunction. This leads to endless symptoms and conditions.

The chiropractor's job is not to diagnose and treat these endless symptoms and conditions, but to locate and correct the vertebral subluxations that are responsible for them.

When we study your x-rays and compare them to the findings from your case history and other examinations, we are able to tell where your subluxations are and we know how they should be adjusted for maximum correction. We also know how severe they are, what phase they are in, and if anything would stand in our way of correcting them.

The recommendations that we give you for your continued chiropractic care are based on all these findings along with a comparison of your case with other similar cases.    

At Spine Care Center, we feel that every man, woman, and child should have their spine checked on a regular basis throughout their entire life to insure the best possible health. We have special programs just for this type care.  

This however, is a decision that individuals must make for themselves. Therefore, the recommendations that we give you are for your initial primary care only: to get your present condition under control.  

While it is impossible to tell you the exact amount of care that might be needed in your case or the exact amount of correction you can expect to obtain, we honestly feel that if you follow our recommendations to the letter along with other advice we give you from time to time during your primary care, better health and a better life will soon be yours.