The Chiropractic Theory
The major chiropractic theory that the study under review focused on was the intervertebral subluxation hypothesis. This theory views subluxations as frequently common in the general population and are caused by acute trauma or poisons. The paper assumes many people today are subluxated and it looks for a connection between the viscerosomatic pathways function and the subluxation level. According to the theory, subluxations at specific levels of the spine can be correlated with visceosomatic dysfunction in the body. The study I am reviewing, Sympathetic Segmental Disturbances, is looking for the direct correlation as stated above by the means of dissection of cadavers.
Evidence from Results and Discussion
This study examined 50 cadavers from the University of Pennsylvania by means of dissection to the spinal region. All of the cadavers examined were marked for having abnormal spinal curvatures, then the areas that were considered abnormal were inspected looking for a tie between the abnormal area and the sympathetic organ innervation which was associated with each specific segment. The findings found that the areas which had the highest correlation with visceral dysfunction were the areas of the spine which possessed minor compensatory curves. Areas of grossly abnormal segmental locations were actually found to not be connected with diseased organs. Of the 50 cadavers examined, there were 139 organs considered to be diseased, where a curved vertebrae was found in conjunction with the sympathetic nerve, there was a correlation of 128 of the 139 organs. With ten of the other eleven diseased organs, abnormal curvatures or subluxations were found at either the segment above or below the area of dysfunction.