Imagine a situation in which you are hammering a nail into a board. You have the hammer in one hand while simultaneously supporting the nail in the other. You wind up and swing the hammer which misses the nail and strikes your finger. 100% of us will react in the same instinctual way (if you don't believe me, try it for yourself!). We will yell (perhaps uttering some words I will not document here) and shake your hand back and forth vigorously. Why do we all have this instinctual reaction? The answer lies in the amazingly beautiful physiology of our bodies.
Our bodies have a number of mechanisms in place to either create or inhibit the sensation of pain. One of these ways is through a mechanism called "segmental pain inhibition." In this form of pain inhibition, pain is decreased based on motion. This is why, in the above example, we respond to the pain by shaking our hand. The motion created in the joints of the hand is creating an inhibitory response to the pain. The reverse is also true. If a joint in our body is fixated and unable to move, the body cannot use this form of pain inhibition.
In chiropracTIC, we are identifying the vertebra in your spine that is fixated and misaligned. Often times, there is pain in this area. The reason is because that joint is fixated preventing segmental pain inhibition. Once the normal biomechanics of the joint is restored, the body is then able to utilize this form of pain inhibition. This is one of the reasons that a specific chiropracTIC adjustment can lead to a decrease in the feeling of pain.
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