Why we recommend regular chiropractic care as a healthy lifestyle regimen.
This interesting research shows a host of amazing findings about wear-and-tear, nervous system decline, and pain/symptoms. The most interesting thing...if a joint is not moving properly, it will start wearing down WITHIN ONE WEEK! This is why Dr. Lee recommends a once-a-week adjusting care plan most of the time, once the corrections have been made early on. Here are a few takeaways from the study:
In animals, fixation of facet joints (where two spinal bones meet) for 4-8 weeks causes degenerative changes and bone spur formation of the joint surfaces, with joint degeneration beginning within less than 1 week.
Joint fixation results in adhesions in the joint space that progressed from “mild adhesions in 4 weeks” to “moderate adhesions in 8 weeks,” and “severe adhesions in 12 weeks.”
In humans, there is a period where the adhesions can form WITHOUT ANY SYMPTOMS. This would support recommended regular weekly or biweekly spinal adjustments, despite the presence of symptoms.
Four weeks of joint immobilization can cause a decrease in neurons (nervous system cells) that become progressively worse thereafter.
Loss of joint movement has also been shown to cause muscle weakness, breakdown, and fat infiltration which deposits into the muscle.
The chiropractic spinal adjustment opens the spinal joints and breaks up adhesions, preventing spinal fixation and degeneration.
It is possible to reverse of the nerve cell degeneration and muscular weakness via chiropractic adjustments and remobilization of the joint.
Due to the neurological and bio-mechanical improvements from adjusting the spine, it is both logical and scientifically accurate that regular chiropractic care can:
prevent the formation of adhesions
reduce and reverse joint degeneration
enhance neuronal changes
decrease muscular recruitment
improve muscular strength
Journal of Chiropractic Humanities. 2011 Dec; 18(1): 74–85.