BS2.10 – Introduction

This class will cover the latest scientific understanding of the function of the spine and how the brain controls movement. It will also cover why gut health is important in the latest understanding of chronic pain. There are now strong links between the gut, the microbiome, stress, inflammation and pain.

We then cover the importance of healthy spinal movement for proper brain function. The way the brain controls spinal movement can be altered by spinal injury, and this can continue to change over time. Such changes to spinal movement patterns are known to play a vital role in how spinal pain becomes a chronic problem. This is why chiropractic care can be so important. This class will focus on the mechanisms of an adjustment, based on the latest relevant scientific research studies, and how this is likely altering the way a person’s brain is ‘feeling’ pain, and how the brain controls spinal movement patterns.

We used to think we were ‘fixing’ problems locally in the spine, when it now turns out we are more likely to be ‘fixing’ problems in the brain, and turning down or switching off the sensation of pain in the brain itself, in addition to improving the way the brain controls spinal movement patterns (improving spinal function).

Learning Outcomes

  • Understanding the basics of motor control and its likely role in development and maintenance of pain
  • Explain chiropractic-relevant basic science neurophysiology research in relation to improving motor control
  • Explain at least one way we know that adjusting chiropractic subluxations impacts the central nervous system
  • Understanding the implications of the latest neuroscience understanding about chronic pain and the mechanisms of adjusting the spine

The new basic science research tells a story that is similar to the old historic theories about the subluxation and mechanisms of chiropractic care, but with a subtle – and very important – twist to it.