In the simplest of terms, a subluxation (a.k.a. Vertebral Subluxation) is when one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) move out of position and create pressure on, or irritate spinal nerves. Spinal nerves are the nerves that come out from between each of the bones in your spine. This pressure or irritation on the nerves then causes those nerves to malfunction and interfere with the signals traveling over those nerves. Good health depends, in part, on the normal alignment of the body's parts, and this subluxation or misalignment can be a major factor in illness.
How does this affect you? Proper alignment of the spine is critically important because of its central role in nervous system's function. Your nervous system controls and coordinates all the functions of your body. If you interfere with the signals traveling over nerves, parts of your body will not get the proper nerve messages and will not be able to function at 100% of their innate abilities. In other words, some part of your body will not be working properly.
Chiropractic treatment often consists of locating subluxations, and reducing or correcting them. This is done through a series of chiropractic adjustments specifically designed to correct the vertebral subluxations in your spine. Chiropractors are the only professionals who undergo years of training to be the experts at correcting subluxations. Scientific research published in multiple peer reviewed medical journals have shown that chiropractic adjustments can relieve pain and structural disorders in the joints and muscles and ease lower back pain, as well as other ailments.