IS MY PROBLEM MUSCULAR?
What’s a muscle without nerve supply? Essentially, it’s a piece of steak.
The entire human body is controlled by the nervous system – the brain, spinal cord and an intricate web of nerves running to every cell, tissue and organ. This system is so vital to life and function that it’s encased in bone, the brain within the skull and the spinal cord within the structure of the spine.
Hormones, nutrients, immune cells – all that’s in your blood – it was put there by the nervous system. The way the heart beats and the lungs breathe, the constant change and adaptation based on your activity or stress level - it’s controlled and regulated by the nervous system.
Today we’re talking about muscles, most of us want them, I don’t have enough of them (insert laughter here) but at the root of it all is the way the muscles contract and relax, the force they generate and the speed it all happens - you got it…it’s all down to the constant monitoring and control of the nervous system.
Here’s what we know. It’s impossible to separate the structure and function of your spine from the structure and function of your nervous system. What that means is that dysfunctional joints in your spine (joints that don’t move in the way they should, also known as subluxations) will interfere with the function of your nervous system and result in compromised function of your body. The chiropractic adjustment addresses this relationship to restore your function.
There are a growing number of studies that show enhanced muscle function following chiropractic care, and in some cases after a single chiropractic adjustment. These changes even occur in people who appear healthy and are free of symptoms.
A recent study describes an increase in drive from the brain to the muscles resulting in a 16% increase in force; this is comparable to three weeks of strength training (wouldn’t it be cool if this was increased by getting adjusted and training at the same time). You can check these out here and here. If improved strength wasn’t enough, preventing fatigue was also an outcome of the same study.
It’s no wonder so many world-class athletes are up to date with current science and are getting adjusted to get that drug-free edge in competition.
When we look at these outcomes the benefits go far beyond increasing athletic performance. If the brain is more effectively controlling the muscles that are supporting your body, and if these muscles are less susceptible to fatigue, don’t you think this would play a role in injury prevention?
In my opinion health and optimal function are usually made more complicated than they need to be. First and foremost, support the system that controls everything – the nervous system. In doing so all of the time, effort and resources you are already investing in your health will be put to better use.
They say knowledge is power, I believe it's potential power. Get out there and put it to use.
What are you waiting for?
