By: Dr. Terry Weyman
I know, you are looking for an insight on something new and out of the box from a small European Island that only Professionals and Olympians know about. Well, that isn’t that far off. In my 21 years of practice I have been labeled “a miracle worker”, “our secret weapon” and “our secret edge”. I am none of these, however, what these kind remarks tell me is that the athlete that uttered these phrases “gets it”. He or she understands the first big “tip” in increasing ones health and increasing ones performance. If you drove your car for 40,000 miles without a tune up then decided one day, “I am going to tune up my car for the first time.” You might notice that your car performs better. You might have attributed the failing gas mileage to the car getting older, or the sluggish performance as a result of driving too much, when in reality, all it needed was a “tune up” to restore its balance and performance. Want to lower your health cost, start with taking care of the structure that your muscles attach to!
The Scientific explanation is as follows:
Specific Chiropractic Manipulation within the vertebral column, known as the “adjustment”, serves to improve biomechanical and Neurological function. Mechanical nerves become stimulated, which serve to:
1) inhibit pain
2) relax tight muscles
3) improve coordination
This occurs only when the vertebral joints allow proper movement of the whole spinal column. Relaxation of tight muscles, by moving their attachment points and changing joint fixations, occurs by influencing inhibitory internuerons in the anterior horn, which are alpha and gamma motor neurons.
Improved coordination from mechanical nerve stimulation helps the brain to control and coordinate movement, maintain proper balance, and control muscle tone. This occurs via the dorsal/posterior columns and the dorsal and ventral spinocerebellar tracts.
Quantifiable changes during pre and post manipulation were documented in a recent, February 2007 study published in the Clinical Journal of Neurophysiology.
This is part of the series, “Treat your self like a Pro Athlete” If you want to receive the series go to the CSI website, www.gotcsi.com and sign up for our newsletter in the left hand column.