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VSC (Vertebral Subluxation Complex) Leads To Muscle Atrophy, Imbalance

The January 1997 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
reported that researchers discovered that vertebral subluxations in the upper part of the neck lead to muscle atrophy (shrinkage and weakness), chronic neck pain and disturbances in standing balance.

A disturbance in muscle function, also known as somatic dysfunction, is one of the components of the Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC) that results when a subluxation of the spine occurs.

The researchers compared seven people with chronic neck pain with seven people who had no neck problems. The people with chronic neck pain had almost twice the amount of muscle dysfunction indicating subluxation as those without neck pain. Using an MRI machine, the researchers were able to see that the muscles in the upper part of the spine of the chronic neck pain people had atrophied (shrunk) and been infiltrated with fatty tissue. Both of which are signs of disuse and degeneration.

Standing balance was measured by having the patients stand on a force platform, which measures how the patient carries their body weight over both legs and each foot. Again, the chronic neck pain patients carried their body weight unequally. This is another indicator that vertebral subluxation has caused a change in body structure.

Neck pain is a good indicator of the presence of vertebral subluxation and the resulting muscle weakness and imbalance. Neck pain of any duration should immediately be checked by a chiropractor. Neck pain is like tooth pain, ignoring or simply dulling it with drugs only serves to let degeneration continue to get worse.

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