Are you balanced or just compensated? While we all try to live our life and more balance and harmony, the majority of the time our body is in a state of more compensation than balance.

Over the last 29 years in chiropractic practice, I have discovered that our bodies when stressed, had a serious injury, poor spinal posture mechanics or just decondition due to lack of exercise will start to compensate and get out of homeostasis or balance. Through the use of diagnostic technology whether it is an Spinal X-ray that shows how the body is in alignment or weighted balance stand, surface Electromyography (SEMG), thermal heat scanning device or just a simple muscle strength test,  you are able to see how your body is either compensated or balanced.

When a diagnostic spinal x-ray is taken there can be a spinal curve, rotation or even scoliosis in the mid to lower back regions. The curvature will show rotation of the delicate spinal region and the compensation of the muscular attachments that can irritate spinal nerves. Your side view of your spine should a series of c-curves  on your X-ray. A reduced lordotic posture curve will add more stress or pressure on the disc and nerve regions which can cause pain and stiffness. X-rays can also show that one side of your hip or pelvis can be higher/lower than the other making/pulling the leg short on one side. This typically does create an imbalance in the leg length which the body will start to compensate with this one leg being shorter. The other side of the body creating more muscle spasm to try to balance this leg difference out. This leg shortness overtime creates wear and tear/stress on the knee, hip and lower back regions. While the pain and stiffness may not start immediately, this shift or compensation will lead to an in balance that will eventually cause pain, reduce flexibility, joint stiffness and nerve irritation.

As a chiropractor, a through spinal examination and diagnostic x-rays will show where are your body may be unbalanced, and your spine has compensated.  Through series of chiropractic specific spinal adjustments and maybe even a small lift in your shoe to balance out a what I call a congenital defect (just the way you were born) will create proper balance in your foundation. Image your tires of your car being out of alignment for 5,000 plus miles and the long-term effect on the tread of the tire and the car frame. Foundational balance will take the stress off your knee, hip and back and allow your body to operate a more harmonious and balanced state. While most of us live our life and some level of compensation, whether you are right hand dominant person, always sleep on one side, sit with right leg crossed, or always do the same motion of shifting on your right hip when stand, this can lead to as we said compensation or unbalanced state causing additional stress and wear on your system. It's always better to try to be ambidextrous where you try to use both sides more often least a little less than half, because this will continually try to balance out that only the musculature but also keep your spinal and muscular systems in a more equal state.

So, are you living in a compensated or balanced state? The only way to know that is to have complete chiropractic examination to discover what level your body is functioning at it compensated our balance level.  As we all try to live in a more balanced life, why not start from the foundation up through your spine to see where and what level your body is working.  Thanks for reading, Dr. Joe.