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There are few treatments surrounded by so much understatement, controversy and ordinary myths, and at the same time as dangerous as adjusting the spine. Although some people multiply the examples of other diseases that can be cured by adjusting the spine, it is actually a risky procedure that should not be performed without serious indications, let alone the presence of a qualified person. Now we dispel myths and popular opinions about spine positioning to help understand the essence of this procedure.
What is not adjusting the spine?
The common perception of spine positioning is to position, by default, in a straight line something that seems to have “crumbled” to the sides. It is facilitated by several factors present in the way of speaking and thinking about the structure of the spine. First, there is often talk of “disk loss”. This naturally makes us feel that we are dealing with a kind of stiff disc between the vertebrae that can slide out of its place and put pressure on the tissues. Unfortunately, this is a completely misconception. In fact, the intervertebral disc is a gelatinous structure held entirely by a sheath of collagen fibers. Its role is to allow the vertebrae to move relative to each other. This means if the drive was stiff, we couldn’t bend down! “Disc prolapse” is also a misnomer for a spinal hernia, that is, a situation in which the intervertebral disc tears and its gel-like filling spills over the adjacent tissues. It is therefore difficult to talk about “adjusting” something that is not only soft, but that causes pain when it has been torn apart.
Likewise, it is wrong to think about rebalancing the circles. They are connected with each other by very strong structures made of ligaments, joints and muscles, so they can be displaced only in special cases, such as a serious car accident or advanced degenerative process. Many people, however, imagine the vertebrae “jumping” into the right place due to the characteristic crackle we hear during the procedure. The exact cause of this is unknown, but it is known for certain that it is not the sound of bones aligning themselves in the correct position. It probably has more to do with the various gases that collect in the spaces between the joints than with the rearrangement of the vertebrae.
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So what is spine alignment really?
According to some doctors, however, there are situations in which there is a painful blockage of the joints between the vertebrae as a result of, for example, overload or posture defects resulting from an inappropriate lifestyle. However, this has little to do with pushing the “falling out” disc, but rather restoring the correct position of the joint, analogous to similar operations carried out on other joints in the human body. As you can see, this is very different from the theories conveyed by some “chiropractors” about the compression of nerves responsible in an undefined manner for organs distant from the spine, such as the kidneys and spleen.
Therefore, adjusting the spine should be understood as manual manipulation of the vertebrae in such a way as to restore their proper position in relation to each other and thus eliminate pain.
All this means that the spine adjustment procedure must be preceded by a detailed diagnosis using imaging methods, such as computed tomography or X-rays. Moreover, its safety is strictly dependent on the qualifications of the person performing the manipulation. Such a person can only be a physiotherapist with extensive experience in manual therapy, with a certificate of training in a reliable medical institution such as the Polish Society of Manual Therapy or the Polish Society of Physiotherapy.
It is completely excluded to allow manual therapy to be performed by persons such as chiropractors or chirotherapists. At best, they have unproven knowledge of all sorts of independent “alternative medicine” centers, and at worst they are no different from folk superstition healers. In any case, however, the use of this type of service means exposing yourself to a real risk of irreversible injuries. Confirmed anecdotally by, for example, friends, the effectiveness of such practices is not a guarantee of safety – one can never be sure that an unqualified person will not make a tragic mistake this time.
Possible complications after improperly performed spine adjustment
A poorly performed manual manipulation can cause irreversible damage to the nerves in the spine. The effects of such injuries may include:
- limb paresis,
- numbness and tingling
- dizziness, tinnitus,
- intensification of pain by healing of microtraumas after manipulation. Such tissue scarring can increase nerve pressure,
- paralysis,
- Extremely extensive damage to the nerve tissue can even lead to death.