How do your Tires Wear?
Posted on September 19, 2017 in Dr. Rachel Family Chiropractic
When was the last time you had your tires replaced? Last week was my turn, as time would tell that the tread on my two front tires was getting low. The most logical explanation for replacing tires is that the rubber meets the road… in other words, friction! Taken care of properly, tires get their due use, but if certain aspects of tire and car maintenance are not taken care of your tires certainly don’t tread well (no pun intended!), and inevitably need replacement.
Tire replacement is an expected part of owning and operating a vehicle, bike or piece of equipment. How long tires last are the result of many factors.
We often consider how our tires are doing when we notice the air pressure is running low. Too much air or too little air will wear the tires at areas they were never meant to take such stress, and can quickly ruin a tire and risk a blowout. And so, with care we fill the tire to its designated pressure.
Alignment is Key
Proper air pressure is important, but one of the most important of tire factors is the alignment of the car. For example, what if in removing an old set of tires your mechanic noticed the tires wore differently? Wonder how this may look? See the pictures below! Would they replace your tires without investigating why? They certainly wouldn’t be doing their job, leaving you and your family at risk for an accident and injury.
Picture from jimfalkmotors.com
Replacing tires on a car with poor alignment may be necessary, but is this the whole solution? I had this conversation with a patient the other day. We discussed how the body is affected by the alignment of the spine. It’s quite true that an observant mechanic can take a glance at your car and tell you what may be out of good alignment. Once this is discovered, hopefully the issue may be corrected before the wear of your tires and other aspects of your car begins to take place. You would be saving a lot of money and resources.
Much the same it’s quite true that an observant chiropractor can take a glance at the way an individual stands in their posture and the way they walk in their gait to know a whole lot about what may be out of good spinal alignment. Joints, muscles, ligaments, organ function…all these are affected by spinal alignment in the same way that a car’s tires and other parts are affected by the alignment of that car’s inner frame.
Everything is connected, and the body is an amazing work of engineering. For the tires, the solution is to correct the alignment and possibly replace the tires. But for the human body, we shouldn’t expect to replace parts! Have you ever wondered why some children and adults walk with their toes pointed in? Or out? How are they supposed to point? Is it really a problem with their toes? And what about their posture? And what happens if this isn’t addressed for 20 years?
People watching with Purpose
Chiropractors look for these signs and many other indicators in all people. How do your shoes wear on the bottom? Do your arms swing equally when you walk? Does your child run with ease? Take a look at how people walk the next time you are in a store, or at a fair. You may begin to notice that most people have a difference in shoulder height!
What seems glaringly obvious for a mechanic often seems subtle to you and I, and we so rely on trusting a good mechanic’s expertise. Subtle aspects of body alignment and indicators in how one stands, one’s posture, and how one walks are glaringly obvious too for a chiropractor. In fact, chiropractors are trained to people watch this way!
Our passion can often be found when the body’s functional alignment is restored because it only makes sense that better function, better performance, better life will result. Why wait until the tires are worn? It’s really a beautiful thing when the body works and functions as it was designed to do. Curious for yourself or a loved one whom you wish to share your chiropractic experience with? Call us today to see how your body’s spinal alignment affects your life expression!
Dr. Rachel V. Leskosky DC
570-359-3888