What is Subluxation?

Today we want to discuss a topic with you that may be unfamiliar but can make a significant difference in your child’s health – we call it subluxation. As parents, understanding what subluxation is and how it impacts our children’s health is absolutely crucial. Once you understand what subluxation is, you will be all in trying to find a way to get rid of it.

Subluxation is stress on the nervous system, which can lead to a range of issues, including gut problems, sensory issues, emotional and behavioral challenges, and immune system issues. However, on the other side of subluxation is a healthy nervous system that regulates the gut, immune system, and motor system and gets everything in sync with your child’s brain or hard drive.

Subluxation is not something that you’ll typically hear about from a standard pediatrician or medical office. Unfortunately, the medical definition of subluxation is outdated and simplified, leading to a lack of understanding of its neurological component. This is where neurologically focused pediatric chiropractic comes in – this is our specialty.

As parents, you need to know the science and story behind subluxation. So let’s break it down visually. Subluxation is a significant issue that can be tackled by a trained neurologically focused pediatric chiropractor. By figuring out whether subluxation is the root cause of your child’s health problems, you can take steps to eliminate it and get your child’s health back on track.

We like to teach our patients that subluxation has three (3) main components:

Misalignment
Fixation & Tension
Neurological Interference & Imbalance

Subluxation is a three-part problem. The first part is a misalignment in the neuromotor system, which includes the musculoskeletal and neuro spinal systems. The spine, in particular, is the most influential motor system we have.

When there is a misalignment in the spine, it leads to fixation, which is better described as tension or altered tone. If you’ve taken your child to a pediatric therapist, you’ve probably heard about proprioception, tone, coordination, and other motor-based challenges. These are the first parts of subluxation, affecting much more than just the musculoskeletal system.

The third element of subluxation is where the real challenge comes in because it causes neurological imbalance within the brain and nervous system. This leads to interference and imbalance in the central or autonomic nervous system, which is called dysautonomia. When subluxation shifts the nervous system into sympathetic “fight or flight” dominance, it can negatively impact the thriving, growing, digesting, sleeping, resting, and immune function of your child. We need that gas pedal side of the nervous system for survival, but it is not where we thrive. It doesn’t help us grow, digest, sleep, or rest.

Breaking down that third element even further, we see that the neurological interference comes from the effect that the fixation and decreased range of motion has on the central nervous system. You may have heard the phrase “motion is life” before, and it’s absolutely true.

The #1 thing that keeps the brain and nervous system active, engaged, and functioning at a high level is stimulation from movement and physical activity. The term for this is proprioception, which is the perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body.

So when the spine and the neuro-spinal structural system are under too much stress, this results in a stressed-out nervous system. This system is our access point to the central autonomic nervous system.

The central nervous system, or autonomic nervous system, is protected by the skull and the spine, and it includes the brainstem and the vagus nerve. Subluxation alters the function of the nervous system, and it is our job as chiropractors to make safe, gentle, natural drug-free adjustments to clear out the subluxation and reduce stress.

Subluxation Impacts 3 Main Systems

Subluxation impacts three main systems in your child’s body: the gut, immune, and motor systems. When subluxation is present, it shuts down gut motility and gut function, which can result in reflux, colic, and constipation. It also impacts the immune system, making your child more susceptible to ear infections, respiratory challenges, and autoimmune disorders.

Finally, subluxation affects the motor system and developmental milestones, impacting your child’s ability to reach important milestones. If your child has tantrums, sensory or behavioral challenges, and is not sleeping or developing appropriately, this could be a sign of too much stress stuck on the nervous system.

If you want to address subluxation and improve your child’s health, please give us a call at (865) 415-2497. Our office will use INSiGHT scans to measure and find the stress on your child’s nervous system. We can measure and find exactly where that stress is located, how much there is, and how bad it is. This allows for creating a custom care plan that addresses the subluxation and reduces stress.

Getting rid of subluxation can lead to incredible natural, neurological healing, which improves the gut, immune, and motor systems. Your child will sleep better, regulate their emotions better, and overall function at a higher level.

Please share this and send it to a friend desperately trying to get their kid healthy. Subluxation may just be the answer they are searching for.