FACTS: Impact of Spinal Misalignments on Overall Health
Vertebral subluxations, or misalignments in the spine, disrupt the function of the nervous system by impeding communication between the brain and body. These misalignments affect both the somatic nervous system—which controls muscle activity and voluntary movement—and the autonomic nervous system—which regulates involuntary functions like heart rate, digestion, and organ function.
Subluxations can lead to dysafferentation, causing distorted sensory input, dyskinesia, resulting in impaired movement, dysponesis, creating abnormal muscle activity, and dysautonomia, which disrupts autonomic processes such as blood vessel regulation and glandular function.
Chiropractic care focuses on correcting these subluxations to restore proper nervous system communication, improving both muscle function and autonomic regulation. Tools like surface electromyography (sEMG), skin temperature measurements, and heart rate variability (HRV) are often used to assess these nervous system changes and monitor the impact of chiropractic adjustments on patient health.
Assessment of Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System Changes Associated with Vertebral Subluxation
This is a commentary to explore the impact of vertebral subluxations on the somatic and autonomic nervous systems and provide a review of clinical tools for assessing these changes. This paper reviews the use of surface electromyography, skin temperature measurements, and heart rate variability as objective measures to assess neurological disruptions caused by vertebral subluxations. An operational model based on neurobiological mechanisms—dysafferentation, dyskinesia, dysponesis, and dysautonomia—is presented. Tools like sEMG, skin temperature analysis, and HRV offer valuable insights into how chiropractic adjustments can improve both somatic and autonomic nervous system function.
Reference: Assessment of Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System Changes Associated with Vertebral Subluxation: A Review and Commentary. Christopher Kent, DC, JD. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research ~ Volume, 2024.
