Your spine is designed to move. Every day, your spine supports you through walking, bending, lifting, sitting, reaching, and countless other movements. It also surrounds and protects the spinal cord, an important part of the nervous system that communicates between your brain and the rest of your body.
When the normal movement and function of a spinal joint become altered, chiropractors refer to this as a subluxation.
A subluxation isn’t simply about a bone being “out of place.” It is about a joint not functioning as it should and the effect that altered movement can have on the surrounding muscles, joints, and nervous system.
What Can Happen When a Subluxation Occurs?
When a spinal joint isn’t moving properly, the muscles and surrounding joints may respond by changing how they work.
Your nervous system is constantly receiving information from your joints and muscles about movement, position, pressure, and balance. When the movement of a joint changes, the information being sent to the nervous system can change as well.
You may notice stiffness, tension, reduced mobility, or discomfort—or you may not notice anything at all.
The body is very good at adapting.
And that’s where compensation comes in.
Your Body Compensates
Your body wants to keep you moving.
If one area of the spine isn’t moving well, other areas may begin working differently to make up for it. Muscles may tighten or work harder. Nearby joints may move more than they normally would. Your posture or movement patterns may gradually change.
You may not even realize you’re compensating.
Think about limping when your foot hurts. You naturally shift your weight to the other side. While that may help you continue walking, you’re also changing the way the rest of your body moves.
The same basic concept can happen throughout the spine and musculoskeletal system.
Compensation is your body’s way of adapting—but staying in a compensated pattern for too long can place additional stress on other areas.
Why Does Compensation Matter?
The body is designed to distribute movement and load throughout the musculoskeletal system.
When one area isn’t functioning properly and another area continually has to pick up the slack, certain muscles and joints may experience additional stress.
Your body is designed to distribute movement and load throughout the musculoskeletal system. When one area isn’t functioning properly, another may begin to pick up the slack. Your body can compensate for a long time, allowing you to continue your daily activities even when something isn’t moving as well as it should.
But compensation can come at a cost. When muscles and joints continually work differently, it can contribute to:
- Increased muscle tension
- Joint stiffness
- Reduced range of motion
- Changes in posture
- Altered movement patterns
- Additional stress on surrounding joints and tissues
Addressing restricted movement and supporting proper function can help your body move more efficiently instead of continually relying on the same compensations. It’s not about chasing every little imperfection—it’s about helping your body move as well as it reasonably can.
This is why chiropractors look at how the spine is functioning, rather than simply asking where you hurt.
So, What Is the Purpose of Chiropractic Care?
The purpose of a chiropractic adjustment is to help improve the movement and function of restricted spinal joints.
A chiropractor uses a controlled force to influence the movement of the joint and the surrounding tissues. Improving spinal movement can help your body move more normally and may change the sensory information coming from that area to the nervous system.
But an adjustment is only one part of supporting healthy movement.
At Basler Chiropractic & Wellness, we may combine chiropractic adjustments with stretches, exercises, balance activities, posture education, and other active therapies based on your individual needs.
The goal is to help your body move well and give you tools to support that movement outside of the office.
Schedule a consultation with us today to learn how we can help address compensation patterns and support your body functioning in the way it was designed.