We recognize three main reasons why someone might seek chiropractic care as they are the three most basic components of our health.
Physical stress
When any of these physical stressors occur, bones can be moved out of alignment from the impact, tension or physical force. Although physical stress is the most well-known stressor, it is the least common cause of misalignments.
Chemical stress
Chemistry in the body is what affects muscle tone. When muscles get tight or hypertonic, the tension can pull on the bones that they are attached to and cause misalignments. Some common causes of chemical imbalance or stress include nutrient deficiencies (calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc.), smoking, alcohol, caffeine, processed foods, and other toxins. Nutrients directly affect muscles by allowing them to relax. When we have a lack of nutrients, then we have an inability to allow the muscles to relax. The other chemical toxins (processed foods, smoke, alcohol, etc.) affect muscles by irritating the nerves that communicate with the muscles. For example, when eating processed foods, the body reacts to the food as it is a toxin. Therefore, the nerves innervating the stomach send signals to the brain which releasing stress hormones that causes a change in muscle tonicity. As a result, the food we eat, the products we put on our body, and the toxins we breathe in, directly affect the way our body aligns.
Emotional stress
Emotional stress is one of the most common causes of misalignments in the body. In today’s society, we have a lot of stress and tension every day. There is financial stress, job stress, political stress, and family stress to name a few. Not only do these stressors cause us to subconsciously tighten our muscles, raise our shoulders, be in a defensive high alert posture, but it also causes us to release cortisol. Cortisol is commonly referred to as the stress hormone. Cortisol increases the body’s sympathetic nervous system (the fight or flight reaction) which causes an increase in muscle tension and pulls on the bones.
Conclusion
As you can see, everyone is affected by all three of these stressors many times throughout the day. As a result, most misalignments are due to a combination of these three stressors. Unfortunately, most people don’t go to a chiropractor until they feel “pain”. Pain is the body’s last form of defense when it has no other way of correcting itself. However, Chiropractic care can help by preventing a person from reaching pain and needing more frequent treatments through routine wellness visits. Some signs that you could have a misalignment include loss of ROM, a pinching feeling, changes in body function, tight muscles, a decrease in body function, etc.
In conclusion, it is important to regularly get checked by the chiropractor to make sure these three stressors are kept in check and dealt with before you feel the early signs of misalignments, the same way you get your car checked or your teeth cleaned. If you have any questions about how these stressors can directly affect the way you are feeling, feel free to give us a call at 651-690-0031.