How Did That Happen?

It seems like many times a week at the Walton Clinic of Chiropractic, when the doctors are going over x-rays with patients, we get asked the question "how did that happen?"  They usually ask that when their x-rays look horrible.  Now, the first assumption most people have is "shouldn't that patient know what happened to them?"  More often than not, patients tell us something like, "well, the pain just came on a few years ago and has been gradually more frequent/intense."  The answer to the "how did that happen" question is both easy and complex.

You see, degeneration on x-rays can occur usually one of two ways.  One, the person is in a traumatic accident.  We all know the story of Christopher Reeve who was famous for playing 'Superman' in the movies.  Several years ago he suffered an upper neck injury when he fell off a horse.   That trauma severely and quickly altered the function of his entire nervous system not allowing his muscles and organs to function properly from his neck down.  The other way most people's spines degenerate are from what we see most often in our office. We are seeing more and more patients who under go multiple 'minor' traumas over a period of years.  And, most people don't even know they are undergoing these traumas.  Poor posture, working at a computer for long hours, repeated smart phone use, talking on the phone, reading a book, poor sleeping positions, repetitive use activities, etc.  These are just a few examples.

Case in point, here's is a neck x-ray of a 15 year old in our office.  At 15 years old, he is already showing signs of degeneration by how straight his spine is from this view...with NO TRAUMA, and no pain in his neck for that matter.  Research shows that an x-ray like this will lead to issues like headaches, eye problems fatigue/thyroid problems, concentration difficulties, and asthma.

This is why we highly encourage everyone to take care of their posture, and get their spine checked regularly, even from a young age.  Think it's not happening to you?  How do you know?  It's time to put aside the belief that 'Chiropractic doesn't work,' or 'kids shouldn't get checked.'  Chiropractic itself has been around for over 100 years, and treatment of the spine through adjustments have been around for thousands of years.

For more information on Chiropractic, or to set up an appointment, give our office a call at (217) 544-4000 or go to www.WaltonClinic.com.