Bone Out of Place? No. Why this outdated terminology is wrong, and what is actually happening in the spine.
If you have ever been to the chiropractor you have more than likely been told “you have a subluxation” or “this bone is out of place” because of a car accident or fall as a child 15-20 years ago. Here’s why that’s mostly a load of crap. Your spine is hyper resilient and it’s bones do not pop out of place without a fracture or dislocation, that is not how the body works and thank heavens that is not the case! Here is an excerpt from “The Reality Check” by Heidi Haavik, a world renowned neuroscientist and chiropractor studying the effects of chiropractic and why it is effective.
“The term vertebral subluxation was used by early chiropractors because these dysfunctional areas felt “out of place” when they were palpated. It was therefore described as a “subluxation”, which actually means a “partial dislocation” or the old fashioned concept of a “bone out of place”. With modern science, we now know that at the bone is not partially dislocated. We know that a better explanation is that some of the small muscles that attach to individual vertebrae have become tight due to a variety of causes including injury, postural stress and overuse. The tight muscles twist the vertebrae so that certain parts of the vertebrae are more prominent and palpate as “misaligned” or “stuck”. They are usually tender to the touch and often cause pain when the person moves in certain directions, although they don’t always experience pain at rest.”
If you have been seeing a chiropractor, and I do know a few of these guys here in Amarillo, and they tell you that you have a subluxation, and they mean a bone out of place, run. These bad actors will manipulate you into thinking that your spine is weak and is essentially broken without their help. I’ve seen them tell patients that they need to be adjusted 3-5x per week in order to “fix the subluxation” and if you can’t get in to see them that often, well, its just your fault if you continue to have issues. Its unethical and actually just incorrect to how the body works. Fixations occur in the spine frequently for a multitude of reasons, but your bone is not out of place & is fully articulating the bone above and below it, it just may be slightly stuck & not moving in all directions like it should be.
If this is you or someone you know, come down to Ruach Chiropractic. We embody a more nuanced and educated perspective on the body and how we can partner together to improve your health. I focus on empowering patients through treatment, movement education and holistic changes to a patients lifestyle, and will always be up front and honest with you. No scare tactics necessary. I hope to see you all soon.
-with Love,
Dr. Chris
