Advanced BioStructural Correction™, known as ABC™ for short, is a revolutionary technique which corrects spinal structure and function, as well as removes tension on the nervous system, through the use of specific spinal, pelvic and extremity manipulations, a.k.a. adjustments, in combination with specialized soft tissue stretches known as meningeal releases. The results are tremendous improvements in posture as well as the relief of painful symptoms and conditions.
Advanced BioStructural Correction™, corrects spinal misalignments, or “subluxations”, in which the joint has slipped forward, or anterior. The body is unable to self-correct these “anteriorities” because there is no muscle attached to the posterior (back) aspect of the vertebra which can pull straight backwards along the horizontal axis and restore proper joint alignment and biomechanics. Because the body cannot fix these anterior subluxations, it must instead compensate by purposefully putting joints out of alignment above or below the joint which is stuck anterior. These “compensations” help the body cope with the problem it cannot self-correct. With ABC™, only the anterior subluxations are corrected, thereby fixing the problem the body could not self-correct, and thus allowing the body to remove the corresponding compensations itself.
Advanced BioStructural Correction™ also helps relieve pain and improve nervous system function by breaking up scar tissue and adhesions of the connective tissue deep inside the spinal canal, known as the meninges. The meninges protect and cover the brain and spinal cord, and these tissues can become stuck to the inside of the spinal canal in response to traumas and repetitive injuries to the spine which we are exposed to throughout our lives. The more adhesions and scar tissue in the meninges, the greater the tension on the brain and spinal cord. Through the use of specialized stretches called meningeal releases, the ABC™ practitioner is able to break up and remove this tissue tension which adversely affects the nervous system.
ABC™ is very different to many other chiropractic and manipulative techniques, and the results are far more effective and predictable as a result. The technique follows a specific protocol in which the body is tested to determine which meningeal releases are required and where adjustments should be made on that particular visit. Through a back-and-forth process of the correction of anteriorities by the practitioner, and the body’s release of compensations in response to the corrections, the body literally “unwinds” through built of layers of problems (anterior subluxations) and compensations during a patient’s course of care. This process is called the “unwinding process” and it is part of the healing experience which all ABC™ patients will go through as their body restores proper posture, structure, and function.
WHAT IS A MENINGEAL RELEASE?
A meningeal release is the term for the specialized soft tissue stretch which is performed by ABC™ practitioners as part of the Advanced BioStructural Correction™ treatment protocol. The meningeal release is designed to break up scar tissue and adhesion of the meninges – the protective connective tissue covering the brain and spinal cord – deep within the spine. These releases help to remove tension on the brain and spinal cord which can be a source of pain and dysfunction in neck, back, pelvis and elsewhere in the body.
There are three different positions in which a meningeal release may be performed. The first is designed to stretch the front, or anterior, portion of the meninges. The second is designed to stretch the back, or posterior, portion of the meninges. The third is designed to stretch the side, or lateral, portion of the meninges.
When receiving an ABC™ treatment, your body will be tested to determine which meningeal releases, if any, your body requires at that moment in time. Treatment typically includes at least one meningeal release, but on any given visit you could receive the release in all three positions, or not at all, or anything in between. Your body will be constantly moving and changing during treatment, and as a result, some aspects of the treatment will vary from one visit to the next. The body is always being tested to determine what is required at the time, and treatments will be applied accordingly.
Many people find the act of the meningeal release a bit awkward at first, but with a bit of practice and knowing what to expect, it becomes easier over time. This is perfectly normal, as it is not a stretch that you could do yourself, that’s why it takes a professional ABC™ practitioner to perform a meningeal release. Just remember, the more you relax, the better the stretch, and the better the effects.
WHAT IS THE UNWINDING PROCESS?
The “unwinding process” is the process which your body must go through to untwist through all the ways it has been structurally and biomechanically misaligned. You can think of it as working backwards through all the layers of subluxations and compensations (the spinal misalignments) which your body has acquired over your lifetime.
The unwinding process is your body’s response to treatment with ABC™ technique. As you progress through your course of care with ABC™ you will go through what are termed as “forward” and “backward” phases of unwinding as your body corrects through each layer of problem and associated compensations. During a “forward unwind” the body returns to a previous injury position which it has had to compensate for in the past. When your body revisits this forward injury position, you may experience a return, increase or change in your symptoms. Some people even report onset of symptoms that “feel exactly like” some specific injury they’ve had in the past (like a car accident or a sports injury). But with further ABC™ treatment your body will be able to untwist or unwind through the forward injury position, and subsequently let go of the associated compensations it has put in place to cope with that particular injury or subluxation. As your body comes out of the forward unwind, the posture comes more upright. As the body moves back and away from the forward injury position, symptoms improve or disappear. This is what is referred to as the “backward phase” of unwinding.
The unwinding process is sometimes an uncomfortable process, but it is a necessary process if you want to truly correct the postural changes which result from the inevitable biostructural breakdown of the spine and body. Though for some people it may feel as though things get worse before they get better, most patients who have experienced it would tell you that the results they achieve for going through the unwinding process are more than worth any discomfort they endured along the way. And for many people, their forward unwinds are of little to no nuisance at all.
The results are always the same though. The unwinding process restores proper structure and function to the spine and body, allowing for better health and wellness through better posture.
