Spinal misalignment can cause a variety of problems – and some of them may be surprising. Knowing the symptoms and how to recognize them can help you determine when you’re being affected by a misaligned spine. Recognizing the symptoms can also ensure that you get help when you need it!
What Is Spinal Misalignment?
Under ideal conditions, your spine should maintain a straight line from your head down to your shoulders and back. Spinal misalignment is a problem that occurs when a part of your spine is out of position relative to the rest of the spine. This is a common problem that affects many people, often without their awareness.
Some people can maintain proper alignment by maintaining good posture, but there are many things that can cause spinal misalignment – and it’s not always within your control. Injuries and repetitive motions and even your favorite sleeping positions can affect spinal alignment.
How to Tell if Spine is Out of Alignment
Symptoms of spinal misalignment can be varied. That can make knowing how to tell if the spine is out of alignment kind of difficult. Some symptoms are not surprising – like back and neck pain. Other symptoms can be surprising. Chronic headaches, for example, occur because some neck injuries and spinal injuries can register as a headache.
People who suffer from spinal misalignment can also suffer from reduced immune function and frequent illnesses. This is because the spine protects the spinal cord, which is the body’s information highway. Misalignments can affect the way the brain sends signals to the body, which in turn can impact the immune system.
Other symptoms of spine misalignment include:
- Knee pain
- Tingling in hands and feet
- Hip pain
- Fatigue
Generally speaking, if you have a misaligned spine, you may experience chronic pain. The pain may come from your back, or other parts of your body that seem unrelated to your back. This happens because people who have spinal misalignment must assume compensatory postures throughout the day to make up for the discomfort or weakness coming from their misalignment.
Compensatory postures can wear down the body and cause inflammation, resulting in pain in areas like the feet, shoulders, knees, hips and more. Because this pain can be felt in various parts of the body not connected to the back, many patients won’t even realize that a spinal misalignment is the cause.
Why does spinal alignment cause fatigue?
Spinal misalignment causes the muscles to become tense. In addition, spinal misalignment forces other parts of the body to work much harder to keep the muscles moving throughout the day. This can lead to fatigue.
What Causes Spinal Misalignment?
Spinal misalignment is caused by a variety of problems, including:
Sleeping in the Wrong Position
Sleeping in the wrong position causes stress on the spine. Over time, this can cause a misalignment. The worst position for the spine is stomach-sleeping. Sleeping on your side throughout the night is much better for your back, especially if you can keep your legs and knees in alignment with your hips.
Repetitive Motion Injuries
Performing the same motion over and over again throughout the day can cause stress on the back. Everything from painting a ceiling to lifting a mattress can cause injury to the body, if it’s done enough times. Pay close attention to the movements you make throughout the day. What kind of stress is it causing on your back?
Emotional Stress
Emotional stress causes the muscles to become tight and stay that way. If your back muscles are tight because of sadness, stress, pressure or anxiety, you could be causing a subluxation (misalignment of the vertebrae) without even realizing it.
Diet
Highly processed foods typically offer little nutritional value. This can lead to weakness in the muscles and can increase the risk of a spinal misalignment. One of the ways you can protect your spine is by eating a diet rich in fresh vegetables, whole grains and fruit.
What Can You Do About Spinal Misalignment?
If you’re suffering from a spine misalignment, a Spine Aligner could be the solution to your trouble. This fast, effective tool can help you realign the bones in the spine and get the relief you need. The Spine Aligner comes with a muscle roller, pressure point device, massage device and an analysis of the cause of your low back pain.
Want to know more? Check out the videos on the front page of our website to see how the Spine Aligner works. Contact us to find out more about how the Spine Aligner can help you.
