New Research Sheds Light on Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System Function

Recent research reported in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research explores how spinal misalignments, known as vertebral subluxations, affect the nervous system. It explains how chiropractic care can address these issues by using tools like muscle activity measurements, skin temperature, and heart rate variability to improve overall health and function.

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The research includes a comprehensive review of the literature supporting the role of vertebral subluxation associated with somatic and autonomic nervous system changes. It also introduces operational models for the clinical assessment of these changes.

Research has shown not only that normal structural alignment and joint movement is crucial, but that complex neurochemical communication and pathways involved in helping humans to develop normally are tied into spinal biomechanics and their related neurological pathways.

According to McCoy, “This review underscores the importance of utilizing objective measures like sEMG, skin temperature differentials, and HRV in chiropractic care to assess nervous system health. The study emphasizes the role of vertebral subluxations in affecting both somatic and autonomic functions and provides a framework for clinicians to better understand and measure these effects.”

This is a commentary to explore the impact of vertebral subluxations on the somatic and autonomic nervous systems and provide a review of clinical tools for assessing these changes. This paper reviews the use of surface electromyography, skin temperature measurements, and heart rate variability as objective measures to assess neurological disruptions caused by vertebral subluxations. An operational model based on neurobiological mechanisms—dysafferentation, dyskinesia, dysponesis, and dysautonomia—is presented. Tools like sEMG, skin temperature analysis, and HRV offer valuable insights into how chiropractic adjustments can improve both somatic and autonomic nervous system function. More research is needed to fully understand these relationships.

Matthew McCoy, DC, MPH
Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research
Website: [www.vertebralsubluxationresearch.com]
Email: drmatthewmccoy@gmail.com
Phone: 404.247.2550