Stress has been a watchword of the last several decades, and it has even been referred to by some as an epidemic. It seems an increase of technology aimed at making life more convenient has, in fact, made it more stressful. Everyone has experienced stress at some point in their lives, and we all know the effects: heart palpitations, nervous stomach, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite or increased appetite, and on and on. But did you know that stress can go much deeper, affecting your musculoskeletal system and ultimately the alignment of your spine?

To understand this, think about what stress does to the structure of the body. When stressed, many people walk around with their shoulders hunched, as if they were balancing the weight of the world. If stress continues for long periods of time, this action begins to actually change the alignment of the body, wherein hunching of the shoulders leads to chronically tight trapezius and pectoral muscles, and overstretched back muscles.

Now take a look beneath the muscles to the bones. The alignment of your bones relies heavily on the length and tensity of the muscles. If chronic stress is causing your shoulders to hunch and your pectoral muscles to tighten, this will cause the spine to curve forward, instead of maintaining its natural alignment. You can see this in people whose heads jut forward. A protruding head is a sure sign of spinal misalignment.

Take a minute to do a self check. First, assess your stress level on a scale from 1 to 10. One being "life is a breeze", and 10 being "life is hell". Really give this some good thought and come up with the most honest answer. Now stand in front of a mirror and turn your body to the side. Observe your shoulders. Do they round in towards the chest? Does it take a lot of effort to stand up nice and tall? Now stand in a relaxed position with your hands loose at your side. In which direction do your thumbs point? They should point straight ahead, but for most people that doesn't happen. Now, with the arms still relaxed by your side, pull your shoulders back so that your posture is perfectly upright. What happens to your thumbs? They face forward.

Another, and potentially more serious, way in which stress and spinal misalignment manifests itself is in chronic back pain and headaches. If you experience either of these and have not found any other medical reason for them, it may be because your spine is out of alignment. And, if you took the stress test and rated anything above a four, there's a good chance that it could be stress-related. Even if you don't feel very stressed, there are plenty of environmental and societal reasons for spinal misalignment--sitting at a desk all day in a hunched position, carrying heavy loads, like groceries, when our bodies are not conditioned for such work, or fitness training that is performed inconsistently and without proper form. All of these things can lead to spinal misalignment.

If you are experiencing chronic pain in the neck, back, or shoulders, you should consult a chiropractor to determine whether spinal alignment is to blame. If it is, your chiropractor will work with you over a period of time to discover the cause, resolve the problem and ultimately put an end, if not to your stress, at least to your pain.

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