What Is the Safety Pin Cycle and How Does It Relate to Chiropractic?
The Spine and Neurological Protection
Your spine consists of 24 spinal joints that house and protect the spinal cord and nerve roots.
Chiropractic is concerned with the integrity of those spinal joints so the housing and protection of the vital neurological communication can take place.
Neurological mental impulses travel from the brain tissue to the body and back again to the brain, all this communication takes place through the spinal cord.
Understanding the Safety Pin Cycle
This cycle of communication is similar to a safety pin that’s connected. The safety pin cycle is an illustrative model to show you what the neurological communication looks like within our body, whether there is normal function in the communication or if there is dysfunctional communication.
When dysfunction is located within the spine due to vertebral subluxation, the communication is less than optimal between brain and body. This can be visualized as a disconnected safety pin—there is interference in the communication process or pathway from brain cell to tissue cell or vice versa, from tissue cell to brain cell.
What Happens When Communication Is Disconnected?
Interference in the neurological or mental impulse creates less than optimal function or less than optimal information transmission between the intelligence of the body and the physical tissues that are neurologically influenced. This is interference in the neurological system is what chiropractors term “Vertebral Subluxation.”
When vertebral subluxation is left uncorrected, it can disrupt normal function within the body as it relates to the nerve system.
When subluxation is located and a chiropractic adjustment has been facilitated; proper alignment, motion and protection of the delicate neurological system is accomplished. A specific chiropractic adjustment can help restore proper relationship within the joint and surrounding tissue—reconnecting the safety pin.
The Power of the Chiropractic Adjustment
By definition, an adjustment is an alteration or movement made towards a desired potential or result for the process of adapting or becoming more used to a new situation. There are many positive words within the definition of adjustment, but one of them is “adaptation.”
The process of adapting is what makes the chiropractic adjustment a positive opportunity for your overall well-being.
Physiological adaptation within your body is when your cells, tissues and organs are responding to external stimuli or stress in order to become more used to a new situation or bring your overall state back to a better balance.
Structure and Function: A Fundamental Relationship
Spinal bones protect the nerves, but if spinal integrity is less than optimal, neurological interference can result and create negative stress on the body’s recuperative power or potential to adapt to external stimuli, putting your biochemistry in a state of disharmony.
When structure of the spinal bones are optimal, then function of the neurological system is optimal.
A Simple Analogy
For example, when your basketball is fully inflated (structure) it has the potential to fully function (bounce). If your basketball is deflated (structure) it loses its potential to function to its capability (bounce). When the ball is not in its ideal structure, it loses its ability to function as well as adapt. When you throw it down against the floor, the external stimuli wins over the inner potential of the ball to bounce.
Why Chiropractic Adjustments Are Positive in Nature
Positive in nature means the features or qualities are there, or in regards to your well-being, it means the functionality of your structure is there. Function is the effect from structure, and structure is formed from the body’s recuperative power to heal and create new structure.
The chiropractic adjustment is positive in nature because spinal joints can positively influence the innate recuperative power of the body to function in its optimal state when your spinal integrity’s current condition is altered or moved towards a desired potential that has better fit or alignment.
Reconnecting the Safety Pin
The chiropractic adjustment closes or reconnects the disconnected safety pin cycle which can enhance the innate recuperative power of the body to properly heal itself. This is due to the emphasis on the relationship between structure and function that is coordinated by the neurological system, allowing for the complete transmission of information between the inner intelligence of the body and the physical tissues.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trent Scheidecker, DC | ChiroWay® of Woodbury | Owner & Chiropractor
Trent Scheidecker, DC frequently visited his chiropractor when he was in high school and knew the benefits he experienced were worth the time and investment to become a chiropractor. He wanted to help his community experience a higher quality of life through regular chiropractic care. In 2010 Trent founded ChiroWay® in Woodbury and since that time has served over 3,000 clients. He has been named “Best of Woodbury” in Woodbury Magazine seven times. Trent has also mentored colleagues in practice and franchised ChiroWay® in 2012. Today, there are 8 ChiroWay® locations throughout Minnesota.
