What is an AI sacrum?

AI stands for anterior and inferior, describing a sacrum that has rotated forward and down on one side. The sacrum is the base the spine sits on, so when it is twisted the lumbar spine above it compensates. It is an AP lumbar film finding, and correcting it levels the pelvis.

Does chiropractic still work if you miss appointments?

Frequency matters, and a plan is built around a recommended frequency for a reason. This patient was recommended six months and her post films came at nearly ten because life circumstances got in the way. Her AI sacrum still corrected, her lordosis still improved and her L5 disc still healed. It took longer than it needed to.

Can hospitality or restaurant work cause spinal subluxation?

Any work that keeps you on your feet for long shifts, with repeated lifting and carrying, loads the spine and the pelvis in a repetitive pattern. That pattern does not create subluxation on its own, but it stresses a structure that is already subluxated and makes compensation harder to hold.

How does correcting the pelvis affect a lumbar disc?

A twisted pelvis puts the lumbar spine above it into a compensating position, and the discs at the bottom carry uneven load as a result. Leveling the pelvis removes that uneven load. In this case correcting the AI sacrum is what allowed the L5 disc to heal.

What does 'increased lumbar lordosis' mean?

The low back has a normal forward curve measured in degrees. Increased lordosis means that curve has gone beyond its normal range, which changes how weight passes through the joints at the back of the spine. It is measured on the lateral (side view) film and compared against a normal value.

AI Sacrum Subluxation and L5 Disc Degeneration in the Low Back

How She Arrived

In this month's Spinal Correction Spotlight I am featuring the comparison X-rays of a 49-year-old woman. She came to us after we started adjusting her husband. She saw how well he was responding to care and decided she wanted improvement as well, and I appreciate the confidence that takes.

She works in the hospitality industry, which produces a very unique set of physical stressors — long hours on her feet, lifting and carrying through a shift, and very little control over when any of it stops. She was recommended a 6-month corrective care plan, but because of life circumstances she was unable to keep her frequency, and here we see the post X-rays at nearly 10 months.

What Her Films Showed

Her initial films, taken April 18, 2022, showed an increase of the lumbar curvature (lordosis). Her L5 disc was degenerated. Her A/P view (front to back) showed an AI sacrum — the sacrum sitting anterior and inferior, a twisted foundation under the spine — with a significant subluxation deformity at L1.

These subluxations, when combined, create significant stress to the nervous system, resulting in systemic malfunction, as the nerve flow between brain and body gets further reduced.

Clinical Findings — Initial Examination

Patient: 49-year-old female, hospitality industry, came in after her husband began care

Presenting concern: Physical stressors of hospitality work; sought the improvement she saw in her husband

X-ray type: AP lumbar and lateral lumbar

Initial X-ray: April 18, 2022 — increased lumbar lordosis, degenerated L5 disc, AI sacrum with significant subluxation deformity at L1

Re-evaluation X-ray: February 20, 2023 — lumbar lordosis improved, L1/L2 subluxation reduced, AI sacrum corrected and pelvis leveled, L5 disc allowed to heal

Care span: 6-month plan recommended; post films taken at nearly 10 months due to reduced frequency

Outcome: Able to handle the physical stresses of hospitality work without fear of failure

Lumbar AP — Before & After

April 18, 2022 initial AP lumbar X-ray showing an AI sacrum and significant subluxation deformity at L1 in a 49-year-old female, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

Before — Apr 18, 2022 Initial X-Ray

February 20, 2023 re-evaluation AP lumbar X-ray showing the AI sacrum corrected and the pelvis leveled, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

After — Feb 20, 2023 Re-Evaluation

Lumbar Lateral — Before & After

April 18, 2022 initial lateral lumbar X-ray showing increased lumbar curvature and a degenerated L5 disc, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

Before — Apr 18, 2022 Initial X-Ray

February 20, 2023 re-evaluation lateral lumbar X-ray showing improved lumbar lordosis and a reduced L1 L2 subluxation, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

After — Feb 20, 2023 Re-Evaluation

What the Post Films Showed

Her re-evaluation films on February 20, 2023 showed her lumbar lordosis improved, with the subluxation at L1/L2 reduced as well. Correcting the AI sacrum leveled her pelvis and allowed her L5 disc to heal.

Spinal changes are only significant if they accompany physiological improvement. Her ability to deal with the stresses of hospitality work, without fear of failure, is a clear example of improved resistance to stress and neuro-structural integrity.

Life happens and she took longer than we recommended. The correction still came, over a longer road than the one we planned.

What This Case Shows

The sacrum is the foundation the whole spine is built on. When it is twisted, everything stacked above it compensates, and the discs at the bottom of the lumbar spine carry the cost of that compensation.

I am not the healer. I move the bone; God does the healing. You are a self-healing organism, and when you are subluxation free, not only does your spine heal, but your body expresses life the way you were created to.

Your Foundation Decides What Everything Above It Has to Do

If your work loads your spine every shift, a structural evaluation shows what that load has already done. Come in for an X-ray analysis and find out what your own films show.

Have Your Spine Checked for Subluxation

Or call us at (561) 795-3156