 |
A Normal Spinal Position
Normal Spinal Alignment: It is Time To Accept the Evidence
We know what normal blood pressure should be. We know what an average resting pulse should be. We know what normal cholesterol looks like, and we know what your Vitamin D level should be. But what about your Spine?
What should the curve you your neck look like? How is it measured? What should you mid back curve be, how much is too ‘hunched’? Should your head line up on your hips or should it translate forward or backward?
What are the normal values for good spinal function, good postural and spinal alignment? Why aren’t they talked about when you see your health care professional? And what is being done to correct these structural alignment issues?
Or, perhaps your X-rays are dismissed as ‘we did not see anything’ despite the fact that no measurement is made.
How do you know what something wrong is – unless you know what is right? Is your spine normal, in correct alignment – or out of alignment in a pathological state?
It is often said; ‘you cannot improve what you don’t measure’ and never has this been more relevant that your musculoskeletal health.
Background
A long time ago, a number of Chiropractic Researchers, D E Harrison, D D Harrison, S J Troyanovich, and S Harmon provided a brilliant commentary to the prestigious Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) regarding published research calling for acceptance of normal spinal values.
Although this issue was raised more that 30 years ago, we sight it here because there is still much debate in the Chiropractic profession and in wider medical community about what a normal spine should look like. And what are the implications on health?
There almost seems a pathological desire to NOT accept that your spinal structure does indeed affect your function. The health of your spine does indeed affect your ability to live well.
We now reply that back pain is a multifactorial condition. The process of spinal degeneration and abnormal biomechanics’ causing mechanical distortions of the central nervous system (CNS) is better characterized as a degenerative disease process. Thus, symptoms appear after the disease process is well advanced (as is the case in heart disease, cancer, and hypertension). In such processes, the emphasis is placed on controlling risk factors. It is suggested that optimizing the spine’s position to resist the compressive force of gravity is a logical place at which to address an “optimal stress” risk factor. Of course, the entire oculovestibular, muscle spindle, and mechanoreceptor systems perform this function from moment to moment in upright stance. To imply that this is an unimportant subject regarding spinal mechanics is to ignore a major function of the CNS.
Haas et al7 believe that there is no compelling evidence to indicate that subluxation exists. However, subluxation has been precisely defined through use of deviations from normal upright posture and our normal spinal model.
he paradigm presented by Haas et al7-that abnormal posture has no effect on physiology-is quite puzzling. It is well documented that abnormal spinal loads (forces and moments) over time cause pathoses. This is taught in all chiropractic college physiology courses as Wolff’s law (bone remodels to stress) and Davis’ law (soft tissues remodel to stress).
The paradigm presented by Haas et al7-that abnormal posture has no effect on physiology-is quite puzzling. It is well documented that abnormal spinal loads (forces and moments) over time cause pathoses. This is taught in all chiropractic college physiology courses as Wolff’s law (bone remodels to stress) and Davis’ law (soft tissues remodel to stress).
Cervical kyphosis is not a normal variant
It is relevant that several studies have investigated and linked altered cervical curve configurations to the presence of chronic headache pain.79, 80, 81
Looking into the matter further, we note that when poor outcomes after surgery are considered, several studies have found a good cervical lordosis to be a significant factor in preventing neurologic deficit and/or compromise.82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93 For example, Goto and Kita82 state that “postoperative kyphotic malalignment or angulation are factors strongly affecting the outcome of surgery.”
The investigators found a lordosis of less than 10.0 degrees or cervical kyphosis correlated with the presence of postoperative spinal cord compression; this result was statistically significant.
Similarly, recent surgical studies have emphasized that operations that leave the patients’ cervical spines with less lordosis are associated with increased neck, upper thoracic, and shoulder pain and overall poorer health outcomes.94, 95, 96, 97
Full Text Reference: Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
The Spinal Centre – Neuro-Musculoskeletal SolutionsThe Spinal Centre provides the Best Natural Medicines, Health Products and Nutritional Solutions to Free You of Pain and Improve Your Spinal Health.The Spinal Centre is a leader in the management and treatment of spinal pain and disability including:
- Chronic Back and Neck Pain
- Cervical and Lumbar Disc Injuries with or without neruological changes
- All forms of arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and osteoarthritis
- Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease
- Neuromuscular problems such as chronic back pain, headaches, migraines, neck or spinal pains
- Myofascial pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, diffuse muscular or joint pains
- Austistic spectrum disorders including ADD, ADHD, learning difficulties and autism
- Fatigue, energy and mood disorders including chronic fatigue and depression
The Spinal Centre focuses on resolution with the development of individualised treatment programs using Conservative and Integrative Medicine; combining genetic, metabolic and nutritional testing with specific natural medicines to enhance your health and achieve your genetic potential.We have helped thousands – Why Not You?
