Vertebral Subluxwhat!?

Vertebral Subluxation. What are these unusual words all about? What do they mean?

Throughout the years, these words have caused a lot of confusion to patients and Chiropractors. Let’s try and tease out their meaning. And the best place to start is at the beginning...

The first word, vertebral, is the easiest to explain. Vertebral means "relating to the spine or spinal column." There. Done with that one.

The next word, subluxation, is the word that causes all the confusion. Subluxation originates from its use in medicine. From a medical standpoint, the term was used to mean “less than a dislocation."

It was often used to describe minor dislocations of extremity joints; those found within the arms and legs. Within medicine, the word subluxation was rarely used, if ever, to describe the joints of the spine. Breaking down the word, sub means "less than" and luxation means "to dislocate."

When D.D. Palmer discovered Chiropractic, he used this term because it best defined the meaning of what he understood to be a subluxation at the time. The delineation began when DD Palmer focused his attention to the spine, the vertebral column. Even though D.D. Palmer used the same word as the medical profession, his application and understanding of the word had a lot more meaning than a bone “out of place.”

D.D. Palmer understood that this bone out of place could affect the tissues around it, specifically nerve tissue. When bones were out of place in the spine, it could alter the function of the nerves and effect what they innervated. His “eureka” moment occurred in 1895 when D.D. Palmer adjusted the second cervical vertebra of Harvey Lillard, a janitor in his office building. With that adjustment, he restored Harvey's hearing after years of deafness.

The Developer of Chiropractic, B.J. Palmer (son of DD Palmer), spent over 60 years researching and honing this term to its chiropractic core. To be a vertebral subluxation, four basic statements must be answered in their entirety:

1. a vertebra must lose its proper juxtaposition with the one above, below or both to an extent less than a dislocation

2. occlude an opening

3. put pressure upon nerves and

4. interfere with the transmission of a mental impulse.

If we work backward, we can understand the definition a little better.

A mental impulse occurs in the brainstem region of the spinal cord. This area of spinal cord tissue takes in all the raw stored data and electricity generated from the brain and organizes it.

A mental impulse is a transmission of functional information for a specific action, a specific reason and a specific time.

This mental impulse is happening every second of every day at lightning speed, accuracy and frequency. The mental impulse makes sure every organ, gland and tissue of your body is working: transfusing blood and nutrients throughout the vessels, exchanging gases in the lungs, producing insulin, etc.. All this is happening without our knowledge and comprehension.

This connection area between the brain above and body below is crucial for life since every organ, gland and tissue has a connecting nerve tract to this area. If you interfere with the brainstem, you can interfere with anything: the heart, lungs, pancreas, etc.

How a mental impulse is interfered with occurs when added pressure is placed on or around the brainstem.

Nerve tissue is similar to other tissues of the body in that when added pressure is placed on it, it effects its ability to work. Think of the circulatory system and how added plaque in the blood vessels effects its ability to function. Or the respiratory system of a person with asthma and how the added pressure in the lungs effects their ability to function.

The brainstem passes through the foramen magnum, found on the base of the skull, and continues between the first and second cervical vertebral foramen.

The added pressure on the brainstem occurs when the foramen opening, is occluded or closed off slightly.

This occlusion occurs when the two top bones of the neck slip out of their normal juxtaposition, or relationship, with each other.

The upper cervical spine region has the greatest mobility of the entire skeletal system. This is because it has no interlocking joints that give other areas of the spine stability. This area of the spine is held together by ligaments, tendons and muscles.

Normally, the other areas of the spine can move only within their proper interlocking joints. The rest of the spine can lose their normal position with each other. But if it does, this is now deemed a dislocation or fracture and is outside the realm of the subluxation definition and the chiropractic scope of practice.

The upper cervical spine region is the only region of the spine that can slip out from its normal range of motion less than a dislocation or fracture.

A vertebral subluxation occurs when outside stresses or traumas overcome the body’s ability to adapt to them. At OHIO Specific Chiropractic, I have focused training and analysis in locating and correcting a vertebral subluxation.

- Dr. Jarek Esarco

Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby.