Definition: In a painfree spine, the 24 vertebrae plus the sacrum and coccyx bone normally stack on top of one another in a centered alignment. Life experiences of all kinds impose forces of movement that often move one or more vertebrae away from this ideal, centered alignment. This misalignment of one vertebrae in relation to the next is called a subluxation. A subluxation can cause pain, because when the bones move they press on nerves that exit out holes provided by the interface between two adjacent vertebrae.
So, a subluxation is the condition of adjacent spinal bones being out of alignment with respect to one another. Because nerves exit the spaces created between two adjacent vertebrae, a subluxation may cause a pinched nerve, and pain.
In more technical terms, a subluxation is "a motion segment, in which alignment, movement integrity, and/or physiological function are altered, although contact between joint surfaces remains intact".1
Bibliography
1 Dr. James Lehman, emailed notes from the ACA's Task Force on Primary Care, January 4, 2006.
So, a subluxation is the condition of adjacent spinal bones being out of alignment with respect to one another. Because nerves exit the spaces created between two adjacent vertebrae, a subluxation may cause a pinched nerve, and pain.
In more technical terms, a subluxation is "a motion segment, in which alignment, movement integrity, and/or physiological function are altered, although contact between joint surfaces remains intact".1
Bibliography
1 Dr. James Lehman, emailed notes from the ACA's Task Force on Primary Care, January 4, 2006.
