Dr Nick Hodgson
Chiropractor
Teacher & Coach

3dEnergy Gun

A new model and modality for the management of spinal subluxation

Percussion massage guns are used by athletes, fitness enthusiasts, coaches and trainers and a variety of health professionals with the goals of decreasing pain, reducing soreness, relieving discomfort, increasing flexibility and range of motion, hastening post exercise recovery, assisting with warm-up regimes, perhaps augmenting performance, and for relaxation. There is sufficient evidence to support the strength of each of these outcomes.

One of Chiropractic’s unique propositions is in regards to the spinal subluxation. A significant portion of the Chiropractic profession sees its primary focus to differentially diagnose the site, biomechanical nature, and neurological manifestations of each person’s subluxation pattern/s. The therapeutic goal is to remove/improve the signs of subluxation in order to improve local function and varying degrees of quality of life and holistic wellbeing.

In addition, many Chiropractors also see it as their role to improve neuromusculoskeletal health, and often integrate multiple therapeutic modalities in order to assist their patients with different dimensions of functional impairment.

The author of this paper and co-developer of the 3dEnergy gun (an evolution in the design of a professional quality percussion massage gun) proposes that the modifications made to this particular percussion instrument, bridge the gap between the use of this machine to treat myofascial soft tissues alone, through to an ideal tool to assist with the correction of the manifestations of spinal subluxation.

The perceived upgrades that were identified for this purpose were:

• To modify and customise the gun head tip composition to allow the delivery of localized specific impulses into hard contacts (cranial bones, vertebral spinous and transverse/lamina processes, pelvic and other joint margins). An airbag configuration was determined to be the only effective design. The shape, density and dimensions were refined to achieve the goal of being able to stimulate specific neurological segments.

• To invent an add-on rotating head component, which would allow the chiropractor to deliver the 3d components of a vertebral subluxation listing (rotation with superiority or inferiority, or in other words the coupled movements that exist in spinal motion patterns). A number of models were developed and tested to finally produce an add-on head component which could develop sufficient torque while maintaining machine balance and smooth harmonics.

• To redesign the internal engineering of the gun to be able to deliver power and controls to the rotating head component, and offer the user a variety of settings for optimal therapeutic choices.

A two-year design and development phase has now been completed.

This means that the 3dEnergy gun can be used as:

• A conventional percussion massage gun.

• The rotating head can be added to increase therapeutic impact on myofascial tissues.

• Or, as hoped, it can additionally be used to deliver the required correctional vectors to help with subluxation management.

Working hypotheses:

1. That percussive therapy is an ideal choice for the management of subluxation, based on its potential to impact each of the five components of subluxation: Impulse force delivered into a correctional vector and vibration to positively impact kinesiopathology; Energetic biodynamic transmission to positively impact neuropathophysiology; Percussion to positively impact myopathology; Hyperaemic response to positively impact histopathology; and a combination of all of the above to positively impact pathophysiology.

2. That the appropriate delivery of percussive impulses to selected neural levels of the spinal system will act to clear dysfunctional ascending neural gateways, leading to improved central and peripheral neural function and the positive wellbeing outcomes associated with this.

3. That percussive therapy is suited to delivering therapeutic mobilisation to the tensegrity components of the neuromusculoskeletal system.

4. That percussive therapy is a suitable mechanical and energetic intervention to impact the effects of subluxation on the cranio-spinal-functional-meningeal-unit (CSFMU) via spinal to meningeal fibrous attachments.

5. That the energetics of percussive therapy is suited to intervening positively into the piezoelectric properties of the fascial, spinal and central nervous systems.

   • All of the above can be encapsulated by one term – MECHANOTRANSDUCTION – the mechanisms by which cells convert mechanical stimuli into electrochemical activity.

The 6 ‘Ys’ of health and quality of life

1. Adaptability

   • The quality of being able to adjust to new conditions.

   • In university we are taught all about homeostasis and how it is the maintenance of a stable internal physiological environment which keeps us alive in a continuously and at times dramatically changeable environment.

   • So, here’s the paradox – to maintain homeostasis requires massive potential for adaptability from every physiological system. There is no homeostasis without constant change!

   • This necessity exists in every single functional capacity.

   • In terms of the neuromusculoskeletal system examples of adaptability are:

     1. Maintaining balance against the effects of gravity.

     2. Maintaining ideal posture.

     3. Balance and coordination of movement patterns.

2. Flexibility

   • The ability to move through an unrestricted range of motion.

   • There is a range of motion in every capacity to adapt, and that range can be diminished or increased in varying states of health.

   • Eg. There is capacity to how hot or how cold an environment we can survive in. But the end points of these extremes can vary between individuals depending on their own ability to adapt to the extremes.

   • In terms of the neuromusculoskeletal system examples of flexibility are:

     1. Range of motion of specific joints.

     2. Range of motion of regions – eg spinal column.

     3. Range of motion of muscles and muscle groups.

3. Pliability

   • Supple enough to bend or stretch freely or repeatedly without breaking.

   • Pliability is different to flexibility – it’s more like elasticity – the ability of human tissue to stretch under load.

   • As we age our skin and connective tissues generally lose elasticity. This will correlate with, but will be an extra dimension of loss of flexibility.

   • In terms of the neuromusculoskeletal system examples of pliability are:

     1. Pliability of connective tissue components.

     2. Pliability of muscle tissue.

4. Tensegrity

   • Structural stability in tensegrities depends entirely on tensional integrity or ‘continuous tension / discontinuous compression’. The stability of tensegrity structures is due to the way in which their compressive and tensile load-bearing components interact.

   • Many human connective tissue structures follow principles of tensegrity.

   • In terms of the neuromusculoskeletal system examples of tensegrity are:

     1. Most joint complexes are designed demonstrating tensegrity principles.

     2. Intervertebral disc collagen arrangements.

     3. Fascial planes which create the 3d integrity of the human body.

5. Piezoelectricity

   • Electric polarization in a substance resulting from the application of mechanical stress.

   • Tensegrity and Piezoelectricity are principles that go well together – one helps to explain the other.

   • Many human connective tissue structures are examples of piezoelectric tissues.

   • In terms of the neuromusculoskeletal system examples of piezoelectricity are:

     1. Bony lattices which follow piezoelectric stimuli for the organization and reorganization of their configuration.

     2. Connective tissues which generate piezoelectric currents under stress and strain, to assist with biofeedback, communication and proprioception.

6. Renitency

   • Was a term used by DD Palmer which has received little attention since.

   • Was used to refer to the abilities of tissues to withstand stress and strain. Perhaps similar to resilience. Also related to the idea of ‘limitations of matter’.

   • Probably interlinks with adaptability, flexibility and pliability but offers a component of its own in terms of the intrinsic strength of tissues to not break down under load.

   • In terms of the neuromusculoskeletal system examples of renitency are:

     1. The knife-edge between function and failure most soft and hard tissues are challenged with throughout a day and lifetime of daily activity.

5 Components of Subluxation

1. Kinesiopathology

   • One component of the subluxation is biomechanical in nature. This could be manifested in a number of ways:

     • Facet joint malfunction.

     • Altered intervertebral disc dynamics.

     • Postural abnormalities.

     • Spinal misalignment.

     • Range of motion deficiencies.

2. Neuropathophysiology

   • One component of the subluxation is neurological in nature. This could be manifested in a number of ways:

     • Nerve root impingement.

     • Nociceptive sensitization and altered ascending neural gateway sensitivity.

     • Referred pain possibilities.

     • Disafferentation.

     • Interference with neuropeptide and neural reward cascade pathways.

3. Myopathology

   • One component of the subluxation is myofascial in nature. This could be manifested in a number of ways:

     • Hypertonicity.

     • Hypotonicity.

     • Trigger point development.

     • Sprain / strain.

     • Fibrosity.

4. Histopathology

   • One component of the subluxation is biochemical in nature. This could be manifested in a number of ways:

     • Acute inflammatory response.

     • Chronic inflammatory response.

     • Neuropeptide cascade and deficiency syndrome perpetuation.

     • Interference with neurotransmitter pathways.

     • Impact on cerebrospinal fluid dynamics and nutrition.

5. Pathophysiology

   • One component of the subluxation is pathological in nature. This could be manifested in a number of ways:

     • Somatopsychic effects.

     • Somato-autonomic effects.

     • Target organ changes distant to neurological compromise.

     • Chronic compensatory tissue changes in interconnected spinal structures.

     • Degenerative changes in spinal structures subjected to chronic strain.

Melzack’s gate theory and subsequent neuromatrix model of the neural image

• The gate control theory explains ascending pathways of pain.

  • Explains how a modality like chiropractic can have a central input in pain management and normalization of ascending spinal gateways.

  • Explains the prioritization of painful syndromes and selective perception of dysfunction.

• The neuromatrix model better explains the descending pathways of pain.

  • Explains how higher neural function – attention, emotion, psyche, arousal – can inhibit and modify sensory experience.

The connection between the Chiropractic concept of the subluxation, and the gate control model of pain is best described by one term: Dysafferentation…

• The dysafferentation model of subluxation proposes that a vertebral subluxation causes abnormal sensory input to the central nervous system (CNS). This altered input, called dysafferentation, involves changes in the signals from mechanoreceptors and nociceptors, which can lead to compromised motor responses and other neurological dysfunctions. This model suggests that correcting the subluxation restores normal sensory processing and improves overall function.

The author proposes that the gate theory helps to explain the prioritization of normal and noxious sensory ascending signals, and that spinal subluxations have two possible pathways to interfere with these processes:

• By being a significant source of noxious afferent information.

• By interfering with the gateway processes disturbing ascending afferent information transmission and thus producing dysafferentation.

Further, it is proposed that a prioritization of the degrees of disturbance could exist, and so the concept of ‘dominant neurological layers’ of subluxation is suggested.

Let’s try to illustrate this concept: The ascending sensory pathways and higher centres are being bombarded with immense amounts of incoming signals, some normal biofeedback, some noxious messages. Based on central processing, motor changes must be activated to maintain homeostasis and to produce normal function. We only perceive a small percentage of this process – a ‘need to know’ triage must occur: This is the job of the gateway systems and the neural matrix. As mentioned, subluxations play a part in this process, as sources of noxious input, and as interference to afferent pathways. And, similarly at any given time there will be variation in the degree of negative impact being made by each subluxation: This leads to the concept of the ‘dominant neurological layer’ as being the subluxation producing the most interference at any given time. The logical inference from this is that this ‘dominant neurological layer’ is the spinal level most requiring corrective input. And so, the differential diagnosis and order of corrective impulse is centred on this decision.

Further to this it is proposed that the combination of the optimum mechanotransduction potential supplied by the 3dEnergy gun, combined with a differential diagnosis of the ‘dominant neurological layer’ should provide an ideal therapeutic intervention. In other words, delivery of percussive forces into the spinal level of subluxation causing significant interference to the neural gateways will be an idealistic attempt for correction.

The role of dural attachments in subluxation:

There is now an extensive evidence trail describing the connective tissue attachments between the spinal column and the dura. The importance of these attachments include:

• To maintain the spinal cord in a relatively central alignment within the spinal canal

• To prevent collision and impingement between the spinal cord neural tissue and the boundaries of the spinal column

• To maintain a stable degree of tension in the CSFMU in order to protect against adverse mechanical cord tension

• To maintain a stable degree of tension in the CSFMU as a positive state of functional tensegrity and optimal piezoelectricity

Adverse mechanical spinal cord tension (AMCT) is excessive elongation or strain of the spinal meninges, a concept introduced by Alf Breig. This author proposes that spinal subluxation can have a negative impact on the preferred state of the CSFMU by creating a state of ‘adverse biomechanical spinal cord interference’.

The author proposes that the management of localized spinal subluxations will have a global positive impact on the CSFMU by reducing the impact of ‘adverse biomechanical spinal cord interference’.

 

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