Phase 1 degeneration
Loss of curvature. Abnormal alignment puts pressure on the the spinal cord and nerves and disrupts messages to various areas of the body. The neck curve is called the "arc of life" because it is such a vital area to the rest of the body. All the messages from the brain first have to travel through the neck. So if there are misalignments of the vertebra in the neck it can distort any of the messages trying to get to the rest of the body. This loss of curvature also puts abnormal pressure on the disc spaces and the bones themselves causing them to wear away abnormally, which lead to phase 2 degeneration.
Phase 2 degeneration
Decreased disc spaces, bone spur development and even more pressure on the nervous system. Because of the abnormal pressure on these structures the body tries to adapt. And so it lays down extra bone which shows up as bone spur development. The body is trying to spread out the stress in that area by laying down extra bone. But if these bone spurs continue to grow they will fuse (phase 3) to the bone above it or below it. And this will spread up and down the spine.
Phase 3 degeneration
Vertebral bodies have fused together. At this point that area of fusion can not be corrected. Whatever pressure is on that nerve, and whatever symptoms are occurring will be there for a lifetime.
The important thing to realize is that only 10% of the nervous system perceives pain. Meaning 90% could be affected without us even knowing it or feeling it. That 90% that doesn't feel pain is designed to control the functions of the body.
Right now your kidneys are functioning because of the nerves, you don't feel your kidneys working, but obviously they are. If those nerves going to the kidney are pinched by the misaligned vertebra, it lowers the functioning of the kidneys. It may not be something we feel or notice right away but if left long enough the function decreases more and more until it gets to the point where you do notice it.
At that point it usually has become a medical problem and needs medical attention, either drugs or surgery. However, if we had detected the misaligned vertebra early on and corrected it early on we could have gotten the pressure off that nerve and allowed the kidney to function normally.
This can happen to any area or any organ of the body. That is why it is so important to get a regular spinal check-up. Just like we get regular check-ups for our teeth to prevent cavities we should do the same for the spine to prevent spinal degeneration. If we lose our teeth we can get dentures but we can't replace our spines. If you would like to make an appointment to get your spinal check up click on the following link.
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