“How do you know if your body is out of alignment?”

Personally, I know when I'm out of alignment when I take a deep breath and I can hear popping in my back or my neck feels stiff and I feel like I need to "move it." Also, if walking is no longer comfortable to me, I know I need to see a colleague. Patients will describe a feeling of being "off" or not efficient with simple tasks like walking or crouching down. Also, I'll hear from patients subtle complaints of not sleeping well, not being comfortable sitting or a feeling of needing to "crack" their backs or get movement into them. A few patients have mentioned they look rotated when looking into a full length mirror or their clothes no longer sit on them correctly.
I hope this is helpful information.

When the body is out of alignment, more specifically, when the spine is out of alignment, it can cause a variety of symptoms such as pain, loss of range of motion, headaches and digestive problems just to name a few. Those types of symptoms would be a good indicator to have your spine checked by a chiropractor. A chiropractor can palpate or "feel" the spine to determine the location of subluxations (misalignments), but xrays are needed to determine if there are any complicating issues associated with the subluxations such as arthritic or degenerative changes to the spine.

Subjectively, if you feel stiff and achy for more than a few days in a row and stretching is not helping. Also, if you have experience being adjusted by your chiropractor you know the benefits before and after.
Objectively, some examples that may infer the body is out of alignment may be, if you notice one side of your pelvis is higher than the other, if you have a spasm in a joint that is affecting it's function and mobility that could be in your spine or an extremity, or having a tension headache that is lasting.
Best to be assessed by your chiropractor if you are feeling any of these issues.

Hello,

Spinal joints are like any joint in the body when it comes to alignment. If you have never received a chiropractic manipulation, i.e., adjustment, then you would probably benefit from them. Physical, chemical and emotional stressors start from birth. If your spine doesn’t have the normal 3 anatomical curves in the neck, middle back and low back, you would most benefit from adjustments.
I hope this helped.

Sincerely,

Dr. Duchon

Check posture first.

The hallmark signs of a joint being out of alignment are pain, stiffness, swelling, and heat around the involved joints.