Although deformities of the back are not very common these days, many people are prone to suffer from any deformity of the back or vertebral column due to poor posture, certain diseases or many other causes.
Anything related to your vertebral column or neck is serious and it has a great effect on your overall health. Your vertebral column must be stable and strong in order to provide enough support to the musculoskeletal part of the body, provide you an upright posture and provide protection to the central nervous system.
When the vertebral column is out of alignment, it results in the dysfunction of the central nervous system and can cause various health problems.
How to Know that Your Vertebral Column is Out of Alignment?
Usually, it is not like something which you can view with the naked eye, but rather you will feel it in some way. The common signs and symptoms that your spine is misaligned include:
Headache, Joint Pain or Back Pain
Additionally, spine misalignments may cause pain or stiffness in your wrist, neck, knee, hips and many other areas of the body.
The Heels of your Shoes Become Uneven
This problem emerges due to a misaligned pelvis. Due to the misalignment of the vertebral column, your hips are not adjusted in the correct position, which causes your feet to touch the ground in an uneven manner. You do not need to buy new shoes. What you need instead is to treat the underlying cause.
Your Neck, Back or Other Joints are Often Cracked
It is a common practice to hear from some people that they crack their own back all the time.
You are Unable to Turn your Hips or Head Easily
If you hear a crack in your neck all the time you turn your head or feel stiffness in your neck while turning your head and you cannot move your head without pain, it is an obvious sign that the cervical spine is out of alignment.
A similar thing is true regarding your hips. You may have a problem of subluxation, tight muscles, damaged connective tissues, tendon and ligament rupture at your hip joint.
You Often Feel Stiffness in You Joints, Neck, and Back
If you are having a stiff neck, it is imperative to investigate the underlying reason behind this, especially if it occurs often.
Poor General Health
If you have tried your best to improve your general health but have not been successful, it may be due to spinal misalignment.
Numbness and Tingling Sensations in the Hands and Feet
If you often feel weakness, numbness and tingling sensations in your hands and feet, it is likely to be caused by spinal misalignment. This happens due to deformities the of vertebral column that exert pressure to the nerve roots present in the affected region.
Causes of Misalignment of the Vertebral Column
There are many causes of vertebral column misalignment some of which are discussed as follows:
Scoliosis
It is a condition in which an abnormal sideways curvature is present in the spinal column.
Kyphosis
It is also termed as hunchback or round back. It isa condition in which the vertebral column has an excessive curvature in the upper part of the back. It occurs in the thoracic spine.
Ankylosing spondylitis
This is a type of arthritis which typically affects your spinal column. In this condition, inflammation of the vertebrae occurs, which leads to chronic pain and deformity of the spinal column. It tends to start in the lumbar spine and cause lower back pain.
Fractures
A broken bone is termed as a fracture. If a fracture of the vertebral column is not corrected early, it leads to deformity of the spinal column.
Rickets
It is a disorder that can happen due to deficiency of calcium, phosphate or vitamin D. It is common in children with dietary deficiency or children living in areas without adequate sun exposure.
Hypercalcemia
It is a state in which you have greater than normal amount of calcium in your body. Although calcium is important for normal health of bones, if deposited excessively, it leads to deformity of bones.
Achondroplasia
It is the most common cause of dwarfism (short stature) in which the shape of the vertebral column may also be distorted.
Muscular Dystrophies
These include Duchenne or Backer Muscular Dystrophies. Both of these are genetic conditions that damage muscles with the passage of time and cause tissue loss. The shape of the back is also distorted in muscular dystrophies.
Other causes of a misaligned spine include spondylolisthesis.
How to manage spinal misalignment
Although it may not be possible to fix the misalignment of the spinal column, one can manage the symptoms it causes. Some options include:
- Working with physical therapists to restore spinal mobility in order to regain the range of motion of your spine
- Practice good posture, spinal adjustment and proper spinal alignment to fix any alignment issues. This includes correcting any imbalances in the hips such as an anterior or posterior pelvic tilt. Proper alignment can help alleviate pain and other symptoms
- Get the help of chiropractors for chiropractic care. A chiropractor apply chiropractic adjustment on your spine
- Use anti-inflammatory medication to temporarily lessen the pain caused by the misalignment
Alternatively, you can use a spinal decompression device (such as the Backrack):
Fix Your Body Posture Naturally!
Author: Spinal Backrack
