Misaligned Spine: Symptoms and How to Fix It

Spinal alignment is about much more than maintaining an erect posture. That's because the human body, in its natural state, keeps itself mostly straight from heels up to the knees, through the hips, up the back, past the shoulders, and all the way to the top of the head.

People who prioritize proper spinal posture gain a lot from doing so. For starters, they usually don't have to worry about suffering from long-term discomfort and pain, nor do they regularly face range-of-motion and lack of mobility issues that can significantly impact the regular enjoyment of life.

The good news is that the body is adept at sending out signals when things are not right with the spine. For example, if you have a poorly aligned spine, you might notice joint pain in one or more places. What can sufferers do when they notice these symptoms?

Step one is visiting a licensed chiropractic physician. Chiropractors are health care professionals who specialize in spine-related medical issues, including alignment problems.

A chiropractor can assess the level of misalignment, perform adjustments, prescribe targeted exercises, explain various stretches that can help you recover, and suggest multiple changes to diet and other daily-living routines.

How do people know when they might have problems related to spinal alignment? There are dozens of signs and symptoms, but chiropractors often point to six that are the most common.

Understanding the 6 Signs of Spinal Misalignment

• One: Recurrent Illness: For many sufferers of spine misalignment, the connection with recurrent illnesses like colds and flu is not so obvious. However, it's important to remember that the body's CNS (central nervous system) controls the immune response.
  
  When the spine is not aligned as it should be, the CNS can't do its job of fending off seasonal conditions like sinus infections, influenza, and the common cold.
  
• Two: Numbness/Tingling: Irritated or compressed nerves, due to an out-of-line spine, can often lead to a tingling or numb sensation in your feet or back. Sometimes, the condition gets worse with time and is typically an indication that the spine is misaligned.
  
• Three: Headaches: In addition to headaches of all kinds, including migraines, poor spinal alignment can also cause joint pain and back pain. All three problems are closely associated, and many people experience them together, which can be especially hard to handle.
  
• Four: Constant Fatigue: Back and neck pain that results from spine misalignment can not only keep you awake at night but can drain your normal store of energy during the day.
  
  One of the most frequent complaints that chiropractors hear is related to an inability to sleep the whole night through or to being tired "all the time." Frequently, these conditions are a direct result of a spine that is not aligned well.
  
• Five: Obvious Visual Signs: In certain cases, you don't even need a healthcare professional to diagnose a misaligned spine because you can see it for yourself in the mirror. Try standing sideways in front of a full-length mirror, resisting the urge to "stand up straight."
  
  Instead, stand as you normally do, without changing your regular posture. Look to see whether your spine appears to be in an upright position, with head and hips in general alignment. Next, face the mirror directly and make note of whether our shoulders appear "even."
  
  Likewise, check your hips and see if they are horizontal, not crooked. When you can see for yourself that the back, hips, or shoulders don't look right, consult a licensed chiropractor and find out what is causing the misalignment.
  
• Six: Head/Hips are Painful When Turning: Have you ever noticed that there's slight pain when trying to turn your head from side-to-side, or when attempting to turn your entire torso to the left or right? If so, your spine's alignment could be the root cause of the issue.
  
  Many people suffer from damaged tissues like tendons after an accident. Additionally, others simply have very tight muscles in the hip area that prevent them from turning without pain. But spine-related problems are also a frequent contributor to these kinds of pain and restricted mobility. Only a competent healthcare practitioner, like a chiropractor, can say for sure.

What are Some of the Risks?

Whether you have one, some, or all the major symptoms of a poorly aligned spine, it's essential to know the common risk factors of the condition. Unfortunately, some folks think that the whole downside is related to bad posture and not appearing "straight up-and-down" when they walk.

But, in addition to how you look, there are some very serious risks associated with spinal alignment problems. And some of the more chronic conditions are well beyond the level of simple physical discomfort and mild pain.

That's because if you suffer from a spine that is not correctly aligned, you're actually at risk for a host of maladies like the following:

• Sciatica: This disorder affects one of the body's two sciatic nerves, both of which are very long and extend downward from the pelvis, through the knees and leg, and into the feet. Sufferers often experience pain, tingling, numbness, or immobility in their lower limbs.
  
• Stiff Joints: Joint stiffness can occur just about anywhere in the body as a result of poor spine alignment, but usually occurs in places like ankles, knees, hips, the back, and the shoulders.
  
• Respiratory Problems: When the human body is not held in a basic upright position while standing, the lungs can take the brunt of the problem by becoming prevented from their full range of function.
  
• Limited Range-of-Motion: It often happens that when spinal alignment is out of order, people experience less range-of-motion in legs, arms, and the torso.
  
• Broken Spinal Bones: Long-term alignment problems in the spine can eventually lead to broken bones in numerous locations, even in the spine itself.
  
• Various Deformation of Bones and Joints: The body tries its best to compensate for a badly aligned spine by contorting itself in various ways. Often, these compensatory adaptations work for a while but later turn into permanently deformations of joints and bones.
  
• Restricted Mobility: If you've ever suffered from even a mild case of spinal misalignment, then you know about the associated mobility restrictions. When the body is not able to remain upright while walking, for example, its entire scale of mobility is limited.
  
• Pain in Any Position: If poor spinal alignment continues for a long period of time, it's possible for sufferers to experience pain in every position, whether standing, lying down in bed, or sitting in a comfortable chair.

Getting Help as Soon as Possible

Spinal alignment problems reveal themselves in many ways. Sometimes they appear slowly over a number of years. In other cases, the condition can develop rather rapidly and start affecting your health in a very negative way.

The smart approach is to contact a licensed chiropractor as soon as you suspect that your spine might be out of alignment. At Delaware Integrative Healthcare, our patients get the most thorough examinations and treatments available. Plus, there's never any kind of obligation for folks who call and book a consultation with the doctor.

Preventing long-term or advanced spinal alignment problems is much wiser than letting them get out of control before treating them. Call any of our offices today and find out how to set your spinal problems straight. Don't let the problem get worse when you can get help now and prevent a minor issue from becoming a major one.