Our brains require movement from our joints, called proprioception, for optimal function. The smart phones that we carry in our pockets are having a dramatic impact on how our brains function.
Nerve input into your brain is created when you move around throughout the day. This input is so important to brain health that problems with proprioception have been linked to autism spectrum disorders.
A deficiency of healthy nerve input to your brain can happen a number of ways. The most common being c-section births involving a lot of pulling on the infants neck, or severe repeated falls that change the spines shape throughout childhood.
A new issue that is arising with alarming frequency is what we call “text neck.” The largest amounts of proprioception in our body comes from the joints in your neck, called facet joints. When you have a healthy cervical arc in your neck you help ensure proper proprioception from your spine up into your brain. When you lose the arc in your neck due to falls, accidents, or by sitting with your head down in your phone for hours on end each day, your brain pays a price.
This is the genius behind the chiropractic adjustment. Nothing stimulates proprioception as efficiently as an adjustment. Every adjustment stimulates the nerve endings in your spinal facet joints to help simulate and fire off proprioception up into your brain.
Chiropractic adjustments help ensure your brain is getting proper proprioception. Chiropractic also helps to restore the healthy arc that is supposed to be in your neck so that your brain is receiving the proper input throughout your day.
This is why you see so many children around our offices at Health Quest. Better proprioception means better developing children. This is also why we utilize the most cutting edge NASA certified technology in our offices to asses proprioception and alignment in your spinal joints and central nervous system.