Harrison Spinal Model : Chiropractic Biophysics Patient Resources

The Spinal Model

Your body and spine is an incredible marvel of engineering, being able to withstand large forces and yet maintaining great flexibility.

The model spine at rest consumes practically no energy to support upright standing posture. If it were to be maintained properly, the spine could easily last 120-150 years with minimal degeneration or arthritis.

The Harrison Spinal Model, developed by Don Harrison, D.C., PhD, M.S.E., is our goal of care for correction. Just like blood pressure, there are normal ranges for spinal alignment. When you fall outside of these normal ranges, the spine will degenerate faster than it should and wear like a car tire that is not properly balanced. These normal ranges for the Harrison Spinal Model have been published and are supported in the world's best medical journals such as Spine, Journal of Spinal Disorders, Journal of Orthopedic Research, and Clinical Biomechanics.

The human spine should be straight from the front and have 3 curves when viewed from the side

The ideal shape of the spine is an amazing balance of natural forces that are constantly challenging us. These include such loads as compression, tension and shear. How efficient our spines are to resisting these detrimental forces is directly related to health.

It is quite obvious why our spines need to be as straight as possible from the front, but those without an engineering background may fail to see the need for curves when viewed from the side. Let's take the neck for example.

The arc in the neck provided leverage for muscles which move the head, while also distributing the forces of gravity through the correct portions of the vertebral column.


Normal neck x-ray "C" curve -Green line is normal	Abnormal Neck Curve x-ray "S" curve, Green line is normal and the red line is the patient's abnormal position. This is a common abnormal shape following a trauma such as a rear impact motor vehicle crash.