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What Causes Subluxations?
A simple principle: if an external force is strong enough to overcome the internal resistance of your muscles and ligaments, your vertebrae will misalign. That's a subluxation.
Think of it like a hammer tapping a nail into wood. Tap lightly, and nothing happens. Hit it firmly, and the nail moves. The forces that cause subluxations work the same way.
Three Types of Forces
1. Physical Forces
These are the easiest to understand. A car accident, a fall down the stairs, a sports injury, slipping on ice—these are obvious physical traumas.
But there are also less obvious physical forces:
- A mother holding her child on the same side, hip out to the side all day.
- A painter reaching overhead with one arm for hours
- A kayaker paddling on the same side season after season
- A dentist leaning and twisting toward the same patients all day
- A truck driver sitting with one foot heavier on the pedal
- A hairdresser holding their arms up and out, day after day
- A nurse bending and lifting from the same side
- A musician holding an instrument in the same position for years
- A cyclist leaning forward with rounded shoulders on long rides
- A child learning to walk—about 3,000 falls by age 3
- Sleeping on a bad mattress or in a poor position
And the very first physical force for most of us: birth itself. Even in a normal birth, an infant's neck can be stretched to almost twice its normal length. Forceps delivery can involve 90–120 pounds of pull. Vacuum extraction can cause skull trauma. Even C-sections place significant strain on the newborn's neck.
That's why I recommend newborns be checked as soon as possible.
2. Chemical Forces
Chemicals affect muscle tone. And muscle tone determines whether your spine stays aligned or shifts out of place.
- Lack of calcium can cause muscle spasms
- A buildup of lactic acid can cause cramps
- Drugs—prescription or otherwise—can affect muscle function
- Smoking, alcohol, and caffeine irritate the nervous system
- Processed foods and food allergies create chemical stress
- Pollution and environmental toxins strain your body's filtering systems
The average American is exposed to thousands of chemicals every day. Most of them weren't around 100 years ago. The body can filter some, but when the system is overwhelmed, subluxations can result.
3. Emotional / Mental Forces
This might be the biggest one—and the most overlooked.
Ever been in a tense situation and felt your neck and shoulders tighten up? That's your body responding to emotional stress. When that tension becomes chronic, it can pull vertebrae out of place.
- Worry about finances, family, or the future
- Job stress and pressure
- Relationship tension
- Anger, grief, fear
- Constant news and social media overload
These stresses are longer-lasting and fatigue the body. They don't go away easily, which makes them uniquely damaging to your spine.
Usually It's a Combination
Each force can cause subluxations on its own. But most of the time, it's a combination.
A minor physical stress that you'd normally handle becomes a subluxation because you're also carrying emotional tension. Or the normal stresses of life become too much when your body is full of chemical toxins.
That's why subluxations happen to everyone—from birth until death. You can do your best to minimize them with good habits, but they will still happen.
You can't avoid all stress. But you can make sure your spine is checked regularly so subluxations are caught and corrected before they cause problems you can't see.