Spinal joints are subject to the same kinds of injuries as other joints in the body, but with an important added distinction. When spinal joints become misaligned they may pinch, impinge, or otherwise irritate one or more of the major spinal nerve trunks supplying vital nerve impulses (directly or indirectly) to about ninety-five percent of the body, including the skin, muscles, fascias, bones, ligaments, organs, and blood vessels. That "pinching" effect may alter the nerve supply and adversely affect the organs or body parts supplied by that nerve.
SPINE VULNERABLE TO INJURY
About half the entire body's joints are in the spines twenty-four vertebrae. Many of the vertebrae have as many as twelve articulations (joints) each, adding up to a total of nearly two hundred joints in the entire spine. And while those joints account for the spines amazing flexibility, they also contribute to the spines vulnerability to injury.
Obviously, due to the importance of normal nerve function, any alteration of that normal flow caused by spinal injury must be taken seriously from the very beginning - which is precisely what chiropractors are trained and educated to do.
