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Neuro-physiology of spinal subluxation
and correction

Part 4 in a series...

The first three columns in this series documented the premise that the position of the head relative to gravity takes precedence over the position of the lower spine. They also explained that the lower spine cannot be corrected and/or remain corrected until the head's position is first stabilized front to back and side to side.

Incorporating shoulder and hip weighting without first changing, balancing and strengthening the muscles that hold the head erect has little long-term corrective effects on the lower spine. The weighting forces are established with four or more pounds of lateral weight on the high shoulder side of the head plus an additional 10 plus pounds of shoulder weight on the patient's low shoulder.

These combined loads produces a powerful side-to-side co-planar effect which changes, corrects and strengthens the bilateral spinal muscles which affect the position and function of the skull, cervical spine, thoracic and lumbar spine down to L3.

Pettibon Cervical Lordosis Restoration Procedures produce correction within one to six weeks. The building of muscle strength and the endurance necessary to maintain the correction often takes an additional 90 days of corrective-rehabilitation care.

Complete correction of the cervical lordosis is achieved when "Jackson's Stress Lines" measure 43-45 degrees at their intersection.

This optimum lordotic curve produces a perpendicular distance from the apex of the curve back to the cervical muscles connecting the skull and upper thoracic spine. This perpendicular distance is necessary for the leverage of spinal muscles. Normal coupled motion of the skull-cervical and cervical-thoracic spine is possible only if there is a cervical lordosis. Therefore, shoulder weighting to correct the A-P spine is most effective after the cervical lordotic curvature has been completely corrected.

Examination procedures

The following are the examination procedures that determine which shoulder to weigh, as well as the amount of weight necessary to produce A-P spinal rehabilitation and correction:

1) With the same 14x17 or full spine A-P X-ray that was used for determining lateral head weighting procedures, determine if the spine is compensated, non-compensated or un-compensated.

2) If the spine is compensated, place the patient's head weight on the high shoulder side of the head and then place eight or more pounds of weight (up to 50 pounds) on the top outside of the low shoulder and re-take the A-P X-ray.

3) The patient's righting reflexes should have lifted the low posterior rotated shoulder as high or higher than the opposite shoulder and also rotated it forward, that is, flexion and rotation (normal coupled motion).

This change in posture causes the upper thoracic spine and thoracic cage down to T7 to rotate and laterally flex with the low shoulder as it elevates and rotates. The lower thoracic cage below T7 and upper lumbar spine down to L3 rotates and flexes in the opposite direction.

If the proper amount of weight is used, the result will be a further straightening of the A-P spine over and above that which was achieved by the lateral head weighting.

4) In addition to the straightening of the spinal units described in #3 above, the global spine will shift and further align with the gravity line projected from the skull.

5) In some instances, weighting of the low shoulder causes the thoracic and lumbar spine to misalign further. This is an indicator of a torn ligament and/or ligament instability in the area of further misalignment.

6) To verify the findings in #5 above, place the same weight on the opposite shoulder. Re-take and repeat the X-ray evaluation. This second X-ray evaluation usually demonstrates that the spinal units and the global spine have at least partially corrected. The weighted shoulder that produces correction is the one in need of weighting.

7) The evaluation procedure allows the clinician to make rational decisions regarding muscle and ligament rehabilitation and the adjusting needs of the patient.

Hip weighting examination that determines which hip to weight plus the amount of weight needed to correct the lower lumbar spine and pelvic girdle

Note: Hip weighting and evaluation has no value unless it is performed in addition to the head and shoulder weighting.

1) Place a pre-determined amount of head and shoulder weight on the patient. Next, place the weight on the front and side of the hip that appears to be rotated forward and closer to the gravity line projected from the skull and upper A-P spine. This is usually the acute angle side of the lumbo-sacral angle measured on X-ray.

2) Utilize 8-10 pounds initially for hip weighting. More weight is added as needed. (Up to 60 pounds may be required).

3) The weight should cause the pelvic girdle to rotate and align under the skull and upper spine, if the proper side and amount of weight has been accurately determined.

4) If the weight appears to cause the hip and pelvic girdle to worsen, place the weight on the opposite side and re-evaluate.

5) Once the proper weight and placement has been determined, an aligned X-ray of the lower spine is retaken.

6) X-ray evaluation takes precedent over visual evaluation.

Proper function, coupled motion of the A-P lumbo-sacral spine, is dependent on the lumbar lordotic curve. The weighting procedures described above coupled with Pettibon's #2 sacral-lumbar adjusting and other rehabilitation procedures corrects the lumbar lordotic curve after the cervical lordotic curve has first been corrected.

Often, severe low back and leg symptoms have minimal lumbo-sacral spine and pelvic girdle misalignment involvement. However, in these cases, the pelvic girdle is usually globally misaligned. That is, it is out of alignment with the gravitational line projecting from the skull.

Self-centering headclamps are used to ensure accuracy of skull position and the lower spines' subluxated position (the position that the patient presents with).

The patient had a 30 degree Cobb's angle between T10 and L3 and global spine misalignment relative to the skull gravitational line and was weighted with eight pounds on the right side of the head (high shoulder side of the head).

Seventeen pounds of weight was placed on the left shoulder, the low shoulder, and 17 pounds of weight was placed on the side and front of the left hip.

After the weights were in place, the patient was instructed to stand and walk normally for 10 minutes. The upright full spine X-ray was repeated with the weights.

In comparing the non-weighted X-ray with the head, shoulder and hip weighted X-ray, we notice that the global spine, sacrum and pelvic girdle have almost completely realigned under the gravitational line projected from the skull. The 30-degree Cobbs angle had reduced to 15 degrees (50%). In addition, the skull atlas lateral displacement of right 4 degrees had reduced to 1 degree (75%).

No other adjusting procedures or external mechanical forces other than the weighting described above were introduced to cause the innate organizing energy to correct the spine. From these examination procedures a treatment plan was devised that completely rehabilitated and corrected the patient's spine.

The last column documented that phasic muscle fibers are changed to postural fibers on the convex side of all spinal subluxation complexes by innate organizing energy. This is a protective, stabilizing procedure that protects the spine from further permanent change either subluxated and/or corrected (1,2). It even protects the spine from chiropractors armed only with good intentions.

Corrections and rehabilitative procedures that remain are those in which the phasic muscle fibers have been changed to postural fibers and then changed back to phasic fibers.

Muscle fiber changes are time dependent. The Pettibon Spinal Weighting Procedures are revolutionary and have proven to be the necessary first step for recruiting the patient's innate organizing energy as a partner in permanent spinal correction.

This new partner is the energy that changed the phasic muscle to postural and the only energy that can change them back to phasic. The involved muscles and the organizing are infinitely stronger than the clinician.

Therefore, to attempt to correct the spine without first reprogramming the innate organizing energy so that the spine is also rehabilitated is an affront to innate intelligence. It can also be interpreted as an admission by the offending clinicians that they have little understanding of neuro-physiology, neuro-anatomy, spinal biomechanics and the dynamics of real chiropractic philosophy.

References

1) Davis, G.J., A Compendium of Isokinetics in Clinical Usage. LaCross, S&S Publishing, 1984.