Let's first look at some anatomy...

Your spine consists of 24 movable vertebrae, with a sacrum below those and a coccyx at the very bottom. A major function of your spinal column is to house and protect your spinal cord. Your spinal cord is responsible for transmitting information from your brain to every organ, muscle and tissue of your body and vice versa.

A spinal nerve exits from the spinal column between each vertebra. These nerves are responsible for carrying and receiving information to and from specific parts of your body. As long as your spine is in correct alignment, this information is passed accurately in free flowing loop of information. However, if any part of your spinal column becomes misaligned, the vertebrae may interfere with the information passed along this loop. The surrounding tissues or structures may also become abnormal and interrupt the flow.

Ultimately this interference may manifest itself as local pain or restriction at the level of the vertebra, or symptoms anywhere along the course of that particular loop, which may include internal organs.

How do misalignments come about?

Misalignments of bones and vertebrae can occur as a result of poor posture, accidents, stress, falls, incorrect lifting, childbirth, drugs or surgery, to name but a few.