Don't Let Your Spine Get Spooked!

Your spine is the backbone of your health, and it does a lot more than simply keep you standing upright, it houses the most vital part of the human body, our nervous system. When loss of motion and subluxation occurs, not only does this affect our ability to move, but also how our nervous system functions. With all of the stress your body experiences every day, taking care of your spine is a treat for your body and keeps it functioning properly.

Work, exercise, poor posture, injuries, repetitive movements, and everyday wear and tear can all place stress on the spine. These areas of the spine become fixated and stop moving properly. This creates compensation in the body by changing how it moves and functions. In chiropractic, these areas of dysfunction are referred to as subluxation. Left unaddressed, these subluxations can begin to manifest as significant levels of bodily malfunctions, aches, pains, and radiating symptoms. A true fright!

The good news is that keeping the spine moving properly can help reduce that stress. By reducing fixation and improper motion, chiropractic adjustments help restore movement where it is needed and give the body less reason to rely on compensatory patterns. The goal is to keep the body moving the way it was designed to move and keep subluxation to a minimum. Happy spine, happy body. No tricks required!

Regular chiropractic adjustments can be a cornerstone of maintaining good spinal health. Rather than waiting until your body is screaming for attention, consistent care focuses on maintaining proper motion and function so your spine can continue doing its job. This fall, don't let poor spinal function become your body's horror story. Keep your spine well adjusted and enjoy all the spooks and haunts this Halloween!

In Good Health,

Drs. Mark, Matt & Tami
(www.mifflintownchiro.com)

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PSS:  If you would like an email reminder of your appointments please stop by at the front desk and talk to Sharon. 

Newsletter Articles
September 2026

• Chiropractic Care and Recovery After a Whiplash Injury
• Birth Stress, Feeding Difficulties and the Infant Spine
• Chiropractic Care Linked to Increased Disc Height in the Neck
• Chiropractic Care May Help Improve the Neck's "Internal GPS"

Chiropractic Care and Recovery After a Whiplash Injury

A motor vehicle collision can place tremendous stress on the neck, sometimes leaving problems that continue long after the crash itself. A case report published in Cureus on August 26, 2026, followed a 27-year-old man who developed neck pain, low back pain, daily headaches, lightheadedness, nausea, difficulty sleeping, brain fog, and other symptoms after being struck from behind at approximately 40 miles per hour. His symptoms began within about 30 minutes of the collision and continued during the weeks that followed.

When he was evaluated about a month after the accident, he was experiencing constant neck and low back pain along with daily headaches. Standard disability questionnaires showed moderate disability related to his neck, headaches, and low back. Examination also revealed restricted and painful neck movement, muscle tightness, weakness in several movements, and significant postural changes. X-rays showed that his head was positioned nearly 60 millimeters forward of its ideal position and that the normal forward curve of his neck had been almost completely lost.

The patient then began a course of chiropractic care aimed at improving spinal alignment, posture, and function. After 24 visits over approximately three and three-quarter months, his low back pain had improved by 80 percent, while his neck pain and headaches had improved by about 20 percent. His disability scores also improved substantially, and follow-up X-rays showed early improvement in both his forward head position and the curve of his neck.

Care continued for a total of 48 visits over six and a half months. By that point, the patient reported that his low back pain had completely resolved and that his neck pain and headaches had improved by about 90 percent. Difficulty sleeping had resolved, while brain fog, lightheadedness, nausea, shortness of breath, and several other complaints had also improved dramatically. His neck and low-back disability scores had fallen to almost zero, and his range of motion and neurological testing had largely returned to normal.

The changes were not limited to how the patient felt. Follow-up x-rays documented substantial structural improvement in the neck. His forward head position decreased from 59.9 millimeters to 25.6 millimeters after six and a half months and improved further to 21.9 millimeters at the 17-month follow-up. The curve of his neck also improved considerably. Importantly, these structural changes were still present 17 months later, while his neck and low back pain remained at zero and his headache disability remained very low.

This case is encouraging because improvements in pain, disability, posture, and spinal structure occurred together and were maintained well beyond the initial period of chiropractic care. It provides another example of how addressing spinal alignment, function, and subluxation following a whiplash-type injury may be an important part of helping patients achieve lasting recovery.

Birth Stress, Feeding Difficulties and the Infant Spine

The birth process can place considerable physical stress on a newborn's developing body, particularly the neck, head and jaw. Research published in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health - Chiropractic on July 1, 2026, examined the records of 145 infants from birth through 12 months of age who were brought to a chiropractic office for care. The researchers looked for patterns involving pregnancy and delivery, the babies' health concerns, and findings during their chiropractic examinations.

The babies were quite young, averaging just over two months old, and many were brought to the chiropractor for more than one concern. Breastfeeding difficulty was by far the most common problem, affecting nearly 78% of the infants. Other frequent concerns included torticollis, or a persistent turning or tilting of the head, in about 57%; a diagnosis of posterior tongue-tie in about 54%; gassiness in 37%; flattening or asymmetry of the head in 28%; and colic in 26%. Reflux, difficulty with tummy time and bowel problems were also reported.

When researchers examined the babies' birth histories, they found that many had experienced potentially stressful labor and delivery circumstances. About 72% of the mothers reported prolonged labor, and roughly two-thirds pushed for more than 45 minutes. More than half reported receiving Pitocin for either induction or augmentation of labor, and more than half received an epidural. Abnormal positioning of the baby before or during delivery was also common, while some deliveries involved Cesarean section, vacuum extraction or forceps.

The physical examinations revealed another striking pattern. Every infant was found to have increased muscle tension in the cervical spine, while nearly 99% had swelling around cervical joints and about 89% demonstrated a head tilt or rotation. Nearly 79% showed facial wincing during spinal examination, approximately two-thirds had restriction involving muscles important for swallowing and jaw movement, and more than half showed dysfunction involving the jaw joint. Cranial asymmetry was also identified in nearly 45% of the infants.

These findings are important because successful breastfeeding requires remarkable coordination between the baby's neck, jaw, tongue, swallowing muscles and nervous system. The researchers discussed how stress or subluxation involving the upper neck, skull and jaw could potentially interfere with an infant's ability to comfortably turn the head, open the mouth, latch effectively and coordinate sucking and swallowing. The same types of physical restrictions may also help explain why breastfeeding difficulties were frequently seen alongside torticollis and head asymmetry in this group of babies.

This research was a review of infants already brought for chiropractic care and did not include a comparison group. What it does show is a strong pattern connecting birth-related stresses, common infant complaints and physical findings involving the neck, head and jaw. The researchers concluded that chiropractors caring for infants should carefully evaluate this entire area for subluxation and functional restrictions, especially when parents are struggling with breastfeeding, torticollis, head asymmetry or other early infant challenges.

Chiropractic Care Linked to Increased Disc Height in the Neck

The discs between the bones of your neck play an important role in keeping your spine flexible, absorbing stress, and maintaining enough space for nerves to leave the spinal column. When those discs lose height, the spaces around the spinal nerves can become smaller and the way forces are distributed through the neck can change. A study published August 5, 2026, in the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research examined whether measurable changes in these spinal structures occurred in people receiving chiropractic care over a one-year period.

Researchers reviewed the records and neck X-rays of 45 chiropractic patients, 25 women and 20 men, with an average age of about 52. Thirty-eight of the patients had complete X-ray measurements available throughout the study. Their most common complaints involved the neck, followed by the shoulders, lower back, arms, and mid-back. X-rays were taken when the patients first began care and again after approximately three months, six months, and twelve months.

One of the main measurements was the height of the intervertebral discs between the vertebrae from C2 through C7 in the neck. These discs act somewhat like cushions between the spinal bones. They help distribute pressure, allow movement, and maintain openings through which spinal nerves travel. Over the twelve months of chiropractic care, disc height increased significantly at every level of the neck that was measured. This was an objective change that could be seen and measured on the patients' follow-up x-rays.

The researchers also looked at two other measurements: how far forward the head was positioned in relation to the lower neck and the natural curve of the cervical spine. Although these measurements changed somewhat during the year, the changes were not statistically significant. What was particularly interesting was that, as care continued, the relationships between disc height, spinal curvature, and head position became more closely connected. The researchers suggested that this may indicate that the neck was functioning as a more coordinated mechanical system rather than depending on one area to compensate for another.

Why could greater disc height be important? Maintaining adequate space between the vertebrae helps preserve the openings for spinal nerves and contributes to normal movement and stability of the spine. Loss of disc height is commonly associated with spinal degeneration and can place additional stress on joints and surrounding tissues. The findings therefore raise an intriguing possibility that chiropractic care directed toward improving spinal function and correcting vertebral subluxation may be associated with favorable structural changes within the cervical spine, not simply changes in how a patient feels.

This study is particularly noteworthy because the improvements were not based solely on patients reporting less pain or greater mobilit, they were measured on x-rays over an entire year. The finding of significant increases throughout multiple levels of the cervical spine provides interesting objective evidence that the spine may be capable of measurable structural change during a course of chiropractic care.

Chiropractic Care May Help Improve the Neck's "Internal GPS"

Most of us rarely think about how we know exactly where our head is positioned, even when our eyes are closed. This ability is called proprioception, and it is part of the nervous system's built-in awareness of where the body is in space. Proprioception helps with balance, posture, coordination, and smooth movement. Research published in the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research on August 21, 2026, examined whether chiropractic care could immediately influence this important neurological function.

The randomized clinical trial included 72 adults who were seeking chiropractic care for neck pain. Researchers divided them into two groups: 51 people received a single upper cervical chiropractic adjustment, while 21 served as a comparison group before receiving their adjustment. The researchers were interested in much more than whether the participants felt better. They wanted to objectively measure how accurately the brain and nervous system could sense the position of the head and neck.

To test this, participants sat upright, closed their eyes, moved their heads forward, backward, and to each side, and then attempted to return to their original starting position. A computerized measuring system recorded how far off they were each time. In other words, the test measured how accurately the nervous system could guide the head back to where it started without relying on vision. The smaller the error, the better the person's cervical proprioception.

The results following just one chiropractic adjustment were impressive. Head-positioning error decreased by approximately 52% when bending the head forward, 54% when extending backward, 42% when turning to the left, and 53% when turning to the right. These improvements were statistically significant in every direction tested. The comparison group did not demonstrate the same pattern of improvement before receiving chiropractic care. This suggests that the change was more than simply becoming familiar with the test.

Why might the upper neck have such an influence? The muscles and joints of the upper cervical spine contain a large number of specialized sensory receptors that continually send information to the brain about movement and position. When joint dysfunction or vertebral subluxation interferes with this sensory information, the brain may receive less accurate feedback about what the neck is doing. The researchers suggest that improving joint function through chiropractic care may help normalize this flow of information between the neck and the nervous system.

This study is especially interesting because the researchers measured an immediate, objective change in nervous system function, rather than relying only on reports of pain relief. The study did not determine how long the improvement lasted, so those results should not be interpreted as proof of a permanent change. Still, seeing substantial improvements in head-position awareness immediately following chiropractic care adds to the growing evidence that chiropractic may influence much more than how the spine feels, it may also affect how effectively the spine and nervous system communicate.