archpain

The balance of the human body is based on the proper alignment of the head, spine and feet. NUCCA chiropractic uses precision X-rays and postural analysis to evaluate head to spine balance. A chiropractic examination of the foot and lower leg alignment is a necessary part in evaluating a patient's body to foot balance. You could say "we look at balance from the top down and from the bottom up."

The foot's foundation is similar to the footings in a building. The more stable the foot foundation the stronger and more stable the spine. A small misalignment in one of the 26 bones of the foot will signal a message to the brain. The brain will then send a signal to the muscles of the spine to compensate by contracting certain back muscles.

Over the years I have observed such a compensating pattern. When an injury occurs to the ankle ( commonly referred as 'rolled ankle') the muscles of the upper neck and lower hip contract to help prevent the body from leaning to one side. These compensations result in chronic muscle spasms and chronic pain. This is a good example of how our Integrative approach can detect and correct chronic back pain.

Following an injury, the soft tissue heals but the alignment of the ankle joint remains in a improper position and will continue for months even years. Unfortunately, this back pain will continue even after numerous chiropractic and physical therapy treatments. I am pleased to report that after just one specific adjustment the patient can experience immediate relief.

There is another common condition called excessive foot pronation (flat feet) that can cause chronic hip and spinal pain. This is a diagnosis is inherited from either their mother or father. This problem cannot be corrected with a foot adjustment, but rather a specific orthotic device placed in the shoe. This supports and corrects the arch deficiency. At San Diego Integrative Spine Center we can fit you with either a standard or custom orthotic device to relieve your pain.