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Subluxated Vertebrae
My Experience with Subluxated VertebraeMy first chiropractor diagnosed me as suffering from multiple vertebral subluxations at the age of 16. I was also told that I had scoliosis and “muscle imbalance”, what ever that was supposed to mean. (I have learned an AWFUL LOT about back pain since that time and I still don’t know what “muscle imbalance” is…I wonder if the DC knew?) I remember vividly how the doctor described what this meant using a model of the spine. He explained that my vertebrae were “out of place” being that they had “shifted from their normal position”. This sounded HORRIBLE!!! he then took the model showing a normal spine and violently twisted 2 or 3 of the vertebrae to one side. He said this represented my spine…I almost fainted. The thought that my spine was all twisted up made me whince and the fear came on fast and furious. I immediately thought the worst and envisioned a future filled with pain and disability. He never mentioned that chiropractors consider vertebral subluxations a completely normal part of life. Instead he made me suffer from the first of many diagnostic nocebo effects I would receive in my life. I continued treating with chiropractors for 18 years while I battled my dire back pain condition. During that time, I learned that these subluxations were much more subtle than that first chiropractor led me to believe. In fact, they were never even visible on any of the dozens of imaging studies I had performed throughout the many years of my treatment. It never surprised me that every chiropractor seemed to find them in my spine. One time, just as an experiment, I received an adjustment from one doctor who corrected several vertebral subluxations. I hung around his office for some time, since he was a friend. 15 minutes later, I asked his colleague to check me and he too found several subluxations. I really started to wonder what good any of this manipulation did if it only lasted 15 minutes. It was not till much later that I doubted whether a chiropractic vertebral subluxation really did exist at all… Recommendation on Subluxated VertebraeDon’t let the name scare you. According to chiropractors, subluxated vertebrae are a normal condition found in the spines of almost everybody. Before going to the chiropractor, you didn’t even know they were there. After going, you are now worried about them. This is the start of chronic pain. You might have been better off if you never learned about subluxations at all…
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