Many of you will notice that I work on extremities sometimes. Hands down, the most important thing we can do is keep your spine in alignment and correct it when it gets subluxated. The spine is way more important neurologically speaking…however, your other joints matter, too! Typically, with extremity joints, (i.e. shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, ankles, feet) you will know it if something is off. Pain in extremities is telling you that something is not right. If you are experiencing something like that, let me know! We can always take a look at it and see if an adjustment may be appropriate.
Arthritis in extremities is a huge concern for many people. One of the best things you can do for an arthritic joint is to give it good motion. It actually overcomes the negative/painful signals sent to the brain (nociception) and overrides it with positive signals that decrease pain (proprioception). For example: when we adjust a vertebra in your spine that’s subluxated, we are literally stimulating your cerebellum with proprioception that helps your balance, coordination, memory, mood, digestion, and even handling stress – in addition to helping that joint “feel” better! The same “feel better” effect applies to your extremity joints when we adjust them. They get aligned, normal motion is restored, proprioception returns, and you feel better and more importantly begin to function better!
But, what if a joint has been severely injured? Obviously, an adjustment can’t fix a torn ligament. But, wouldn’t you rather an injured joint heal in-alignment rather than out of alignment? And if it’s an old injury, then it’s likely that scar tissue has formed, and getting it adjusted could really make a big difference!