A subluxation is a term that chiropractors use to explain the entity that they treat or better said correct. A subluxation is a partially dislocated or slightly moved bone, not enough to be considered dislocated but enough to cause problems. The subluxations that chiropractors deal with is the Vertebral Subluxation, these are subluxations that occur in the spine.

Now that, that is out of the way let’s get down and dirty as they say. In reality even though we chiropractors use the term subluxation all the time and indeed they do occur and are corrected. The story is much deeper and complex, with many layers of events that occur when a chiropractic adjustment (the method the chiropractor uses to correct the subluxation) is made many things are happening and are corrected. The first and foremost is motion. Motion is restored to the joint being adjusted. Yes, joints are adjusted, actually it is the joints in the spine that cause the entire problem. They tend to get stuck and can’t move in all directions. When the chiropractor makes an adjustment it pushes the joint in the direction that it is stuck thereby restoring its proper function. The click sound is the small discoid structure that is in-between the joint being realigned. It is actually called the synovial tag. This should not be confused with the spinal discs. There are discs of one type or another in the entire body, even the jaw bone. Not all discs are the same or act the same way and the mechanics changes depending on where they are. The other things that occur during an adjustment are a relaxation of the joint capsule (the sac that surrounds the joints) and relief of pain. The relief is usually instantaneous. This is why chiropractors are hailed as the hero’s of back pain since so much pain can be relieved so quickly. This is especially seen when medication like anti-inflammatory drugs that take a while to take affect and the affect doesn’t last. Now we are finding that all these drugs can cause heart attacks and strokes. I have scratched the surface of what a subluxation is and hopefully you have a better understanding of how its correction can improve your life.