Feeling out of sorts happens to everyone once in while — full-time work, kids, taking care of a household — all of these daily responsibilities can take a toll on anyone’s health, leading to feelings of fatigue, stress, headaches, back pain, but after some downtime will usually start to lessen.

But what if these symptoms don’t go away? Believe it or not, a trip to the Chiropractor may be what you need.  Chiropractic is based on the scientific fact that your nervous system controls the function of virtually every cell, tissue, organ, and system of your body. Nervous system dysfunction, also called Subluxation, is caused by the misaligned bones of the spine, which causes an interference to the tiny nerve fibers that travel through the spinal column. This interference can cause symptoms of ill health.

Subluxation is easy to overlook because the basic signs include:

Joint pain in the arms: Everyone gets sore arms once in awhile — especially if they garden, lift weights, or play sports. But sore muscles are different than pain that’s deep in the joints, and if that pain isn’t going away, it may be time to talk to a chiropractor.

Joint pain in the legs: Just like joint pain in your arms, pain in the legs is sometimes overlooked or mistaken for muscle pain, especially if you run, walk, hike, or spend a lot of time on your feet at work. But if you’ve taken days off to rest and still find that you have pain in your legs — especially your knees, ankles, and feet — it may be time to try a different approach. Chiropractors can adjust your knees,ankles and feet, especially for common conditions such as plantar fasciitis and achilles tendonitis.

Headaches:  Headaches are common, but don’t mistake them for normal. Aspirin is not the answer and it will only temporarily fix the deeper problem. Headaches are commonly caused by subluxation. When the vertebrae in your neck are misaligned and/or aren’t able to move properly, it irritates or puts pressure on the nerves. A chiropractor can gently adjust the vertebrae, and these headaches will disappear.

Neck pain: Subluxations are most common in the neck and can be due to any number of factors, including trauma, poor posture, and arthritis. Arthritis is on this list because it leads to joint destruction, which invariably causes mis-alignments and dysfunction.

Middle back pain: Also known as thoracic spine pain, the nerves contained within the thoracic spine control healing and the sympathetic nervous system; when they aren’t functioning they prevent normal healing and can lead to some hard-to-ignore pain. Middle back pain is most common after trauma, such as a car accident, but can also be caused by less obvious factors like posture or sleeping position.

Lower back pain: This pain is located in the lumbar region of the spine, usually at the transition between the lower spine and the sacrum. Subluxations originating here can lead to debilitating lower back pain, as well as sciatica, and should definitely get taken care of as soon as possible.

Besides these symptoms, Subluxation can cause pain, numbness or tingling in the extremities, headaches, fatigue, and dizziness or balance problems. If these symptoms persist, it may be time to see a Chiropractor. A skilled chiropractor uses an adjustment to correct subluxations. An adjustment is the use of a specific force in a precise direction that helps normalize spinal function.  Adjustments help return the bones to a more normal position; restoring the body’s natural healing.If you’ve been feeling under the weather, now may be the time to visit Chiropractor Kathy O’Connor. She offers a “No Obligation Exam” which consists of a unique, low dosage x-ray spinal motion analysis, thermographic and computerized spinal motion testing and a detailed report of the findings. This exam is at no-charge, and will help identify if Subluxation may be what’s been keeping you from feeling your absolute best.