Sacral Vertebrae

  An occasional variant in the anatomy of the lower spine is the failure to fuze of the 1st sacral vertebra with its neighbor below.

This results in an additional vertebra inferior to L5, where normally the sacrum is one bone consisting of several fuzed, no longer separate, vertebrae.

In some patients with this anatomical variant, it presents no problems, whereas in others the anomaly creates a vulnerability to low back stresses. 

These patients may need more frequent intermittent spinal balancing to maintain comfort and normal function. 

Is It the Meniscus??

  Pain in the knee may be due to any one or more of various possible misalignments or articular aberrances. 

The knee is a hinge joint, and as such it is not meant to move in other than an approximate sagittal plane.

However, slight rotation of the tibia at the joint with the femur, posteriority or anteriority of the proximal tibia, misalignment of the fibula, medial or lateral tibial-femoral joint compression, etc., can occur. These aberrances, even to the slight extent of millimeter(s), can cause discomfort or affect the knee’s range of motion.

If pain persists after all the “usual suspects” of misalignments / aberrances are screened & corrected, an Activator chiropractor looks to the medial and / or lateral meniscus. Often a carefully-vectored Activator adjustment on the inside or outside of the knee solves the problem and stops the pain.