Segmental Movement Dysfunction takes the same principals as MDS and relates them to the joints or segments of the body. Each and every one of your segments are designed to move throughout their full range of motion everyday in order to stay healthy. When these segments don’t move, become fixated, or distort the proper alignment, a toxic or negative sensation is sent to the brain beginning a decrease in the normal functions of your body, increasing your body’s stress response, increasing muscular tension, and leading to degeneration and disease.
Similar to that of the Movement Deficiency Syndrome (MDS), which we talked about a few weeks ago, we are living in an epidemic of Segmental Movement Dysfunction (SMD). SMD takes the same principals as MDS and relates them to the joints or segments of the body. Each and every one of your segments are designed to move throughout their full range of motion everyday in order to stay healthy. When these segments don’t move, become fixated, or distort the proper alignment, a toxic or negative sensation is sent to the brain beginning a decrease in the normal functions of your body, increasing your body’s stress response, increasing muscular tension, and leading to degeneration and disease. Your most important segments are located in your spine, protecting your central nervous system, and in particular your upper neck region where your brain-stem is located.
Why is this daily movement through a correct and full range of motion so important? Believe it or not, the only way joints receive nutrients in and push waste out is by moving. There are no blood vessels within joints, therefore your joints need to move fully each and every day to maintain themselves, or else they start to decay.
Seems simple enough right? But when joints become fixated or displaced from their proper alignment, it becomes more complicated. One of the major reasons we develop fixated, immobile or shifted segments and joints is due to physical traumas. Physical traumas come in two fashions. One is a sudden trauma, like a car accident, falling while learning to walk, or a difficult birth. The second is repetitive postural micro traumas, such as sitting and/or working for long periods of time in poor positions. This causes segments of the spine to distort, shift, lock, and create a cascade of dysfunction of the brain and immediate structures of the body.
Regular spinal hygiene in the form of chiropractic care is necessary for the maintenance of these segmental joints throughout a life time. Chiropractic at its most basic level is all about motion and how that motion creates homeostasis (balanced function of your physiology) in the body.
Some of the effects of SMD:*
Joints:
-
Shrinks joint capsule
-
Increases compressive loading
-
Leads to joint contractures (shortening and hardening)
Ligaments:
-
Lowers failure or yield point
-
Decreases thickness of collagen fibers
-
Changes Disc Bio-chemistry
-
Decreases oxygen
-
Decreases glucose
Bone:
-
Decreases bone density
-
Eburnation (bone degeneration)
-
Osteophyte formation (bone Spurs)
Muscle:
-
Decrease thickness of collagen fibers
-
Decreases oxidative potential
-
Decreases muscle mass
-
Decreases mitochondria
-
Increases connective tissue fibrosis
At Platinum Chiropractic our focus is to reduce the SMDs in your body through our Neuro-Structural Corrective care. This is exactly what we are doing when we check and adjust your body. We are restoring your body to normal movement, so that it can function as it was designed.
Welcome to Platinum Chiropractic we offer Services such as Complimentary Consultations and Neuro-Structural Corrective Chiropractic.
Read more of our blogs.