Question
My sister has for some time let her husband "adjust " her spine, by laying on the floor with arms above her head, he presses gently down and upward , and her back makes a pop sound , and she says she feels better.  But tonight, after it "popped", she could not move her right arm without severe pain, she had pain up her neck on right side, and her shoulder , up high. She is in excruciating pain. We are taking her in the morning for ex-rays at my chiropractor, but I wondered if you have heard of this?  We tried ice and heat, and a tens unit, with no help. Thanks for any help!

Answer
Gail,

Without the X-rays, I'll tell you what happened:

nerve impingement

Your sister now has muscles in spasm and bones out of alignment.  The impingement is the result.

The order of causality is this:

The "adjustment" forcibly stretched muscles during the bone displacement and triggered a protective postural reflex in the muscles.

A corrective adjustment may help in the short term -- but it overlooks the question of why your sister needed adjustments to feel good, to begin with.

The answer is muscular tension, causing discomfort.  This tension results from conditioned postural reflexes, a combination of long-term stress, movement patterns, and possibly injuries.

The long-term answer is to undergo brain-muscle training to change this postural set.  Then, the impingement will come off and no further adjustments will be necessary.

You may read my comments on adjustments at somatics.com/page3.htm and articles on pain at somatics.com/page4b.htm.

The articles lead to self-help resources and contact information for practitioners.


with regard,
Lawrence Gold