How Stress Affects the Nervous System

By: Dr. Allison Markee

Over the weekend of February 6th and 7th I went to an MC2 chiropractic seminar with the intention of sharpening my analysis of the nervous system.

While most chiropractors do check the position of the bones, especially along the spine, as well as the tone and symmetry of the body’s musculature, we understand that the nervous system is what runs the show. When I’m using the MC2 analysis of the nervous system, you’ll notice that I’m checking leg lengths at the foot of the table often and making small swiping motions along the spine. What I’m looking for after each swipe along the spine is a balancing of the leg lengths. This is a way for me to ask the patient’s body “If I move this bone in this direction does it bring more balance and coherence to the nervous system and body or not?” If the legs balance or even out, this indicates a yes from the body. If the leg lengths remain unbalanced or the leg length imbalance worsens, this is a no.

This method is just one of many, but it allows for a depth of specificity in knowing exactly where to adjust and in which direction to have the best impact on the nervous system. This type of adjusting is known as tonal adjusting. There are three main approaches to adjusting that chiropractors use; I’ve included definitions below.

Segmental or skeletal system centered chiropractic techniques adjust vertebrae that are not in their optimum position back to a more normal position and, in so doing, affect the nervous system first and then the muscle system next.

Postural or muscle system centered chiropractic techniques first involve putting tension or relaxation within the muscle system in order to allow an easier structural adjustment to take place.  In so doing, this approach involves the muscle system first which then affects the skeletal system and then, finally, the nervous system.

Tonal or nervous system centered chiropractic techniques are not muscle or bone based but rather focus on the nervous system and the related changes in a person’s physiology.  As such, tonal chiropractic techniques look at the nervous system first and the doctor’s input into the nervous system then affects the muscle system which, in turn, affects the skeletal system.

As you can see from the diagram, stress is first processed by the nervous system. If the nervous system doesn’t have the bandwidth or processing power to deal with the incoming stress, it will move out to the muscles and connective tissues. This can create imbalances in the musculature and tight muscles which will in turn pull on the bones. As the bones are moved slightly by the muscles, they can become “subluxated” and thus put further pressure on the nerves and nervous system. More processing power in the nervous system means less shunting of stress out into the muscles and less dysfunctional placement of bones/the spine. This is why there should be more focus on optimizing the health of the nervous system.