Have you ever wondered how you can close your eyes, and you still know where your body is in space? This is all thanks to a complex neurological process called proprioception. Let’s dive into this interesting concept and how exactly it relates to chiropractic adjustments.
What is proprioception you ask?
Proprioception is essentially your body’s internal GPS system. Picture yourself closing your eyes and raising two fingers, then three, then four. Despite not being able to see, you can still sense the position of your fingers in relation to your body. It may seem trivial and uncomplicated at first, but now consider another picture. It’s a sunny day and you’re running down a gravel trail encountering rocks and undulations with every step you take as you descend a hill. Thankfully, with each step, tiny sensors in your feet send messages to your brain about how to compensate for the changing terrain, keeping you from falling.
This remarkable ability is facilitated by proprioceptors – the tiny joint position sensors that live within each of our joints. These ‘sensors’ are actually just neurons with specialized receptors that sense movement and send real time feedback up to the brain about the position of the joint. The brain then takes in the information from all of your joints and effectively creates a map of the whole body to coordinate movement as well as balance.
Now, let’s consider the spine, which is comprised over over 50 little joints, each of which contributes to the body’s proprioceptive map. When certain joints in the spine become fixated or restricted, they disrupt the flow of information to the brain. The proprioceptors go ‘offline’, so to say. This disruption creates gaps in the proprioceptive map, similar to missing pieces in a puzzle.
These gaps can lead to a distorted perception of the body position and movement, which can cause the brain to send out faulty motor commands. As a result, muscles can become ‘tight’, trigger points may develop, and, eventually, pain often follows. It’s like trying to navigate a maze with sections of a map missing – you’re bound to run into obstacles on the way.
This is where chiropractic care comes in. Chiropractors are trained to identify and address these restricted joints through precise adjustments. The high-velocity low amplitude thrust activates the proprioceptors within the joint and brings the joint back “online” to the brain. In doing so chiropractors help restore the proper communication between the joints and the brain.
Imagine a skilled cartographer meticulously filling out the missing sections in a torn map. Similarly, chiropractors help reconnect the dots in the proprioceptive map, allowing the body to regain its proper understanding of spinal joint position and movement.
By restoring proper proprioceptive function, chiropractic care not only alleviates pain but also improves overall mobility, coordination, and balance. A chiropractic adjustment functions like a reset to the body’s internal GPS, ensuring smooth navigation of all the movements that life demands.
Restoring proprioceptive function is only one contributing component to how and why chiropractic adjustments work. Follow along, because next week we’re going to talk about how chiropractic facilitates pain relief and promotes overall wellness.
