When it comes to the spine no body is immune from moving. One of the reasons we have a body is to be able to move.
Back in 2007 a study (1) was done to look at the neurone density relative to vertebral motion. They immobilised three motion segments in a rat’s spine and then looked to see if there was a change in the neurone density within the spine.
Neurones are used to send messages of movement between muscles and joints. The larger the neurone pool the healthier. In this study it was shown for the first time that reduced movement to the spine reduced the size of the neurone pool within the spine.
Just like a delivery centre reducing the number of delivery vans reduces the potential number of packages that can be delivered.
With less movement, comes a smaller neurone pool which is one side of the see saw that balances pain sensitivity. As the neurone pool for movement gets smaller, low level pain signals get through to the brain. These low level signals could be said to annoy the brain. What the brain does to quieten the annoying signals is to reduce movement. Here we get in a downward spiral where pain is trying to be countered with stiffness.
Keeping your spine moving is important and Chiropractic adjustments of the spine keep it moving (2). When you are too busy in life to do it all yourself, visit your Chiropractor.
Maintain your spine today, book here…
References
- Bekkum BW et al (2007) Preliminary Morphological Evidence That Vertebral Hypomobility Induces Synaptic Plasticity in the Spinal Cord. JMPT 30 (5) 336
- Anderst WJ et al (2018) Intervertebral kinematics of the cervical spine before, during and after high velocity low amplitude manipulation. Spine 1-10