Why does an area of the spine lose movement causing stiffness or tightness?

It varies. Our bodies are constantly attempting to adopt to our environment and stresses.

We discussed chiropractic adjustments here.

It can be due to repetitive stress or the soft tissues (in essense) shrinking to accomodate certain postures over a period of time thereby limiting what would be considered normal movement.

It can be due to a sudden trauma, like a car accident, that damages many local soft tissues and results in muscle spasms locally in an attempt to brace the injured area as your body initiates a healing response.

The muscle spasms limit normal motion and this has other consequences.

In the case of trauma that has damaged ligaments and other local soft tissue, the body begins a process of healing that starts with inflammation then continues by laying down scar tissue in an effort to repair the injured tissue.

Initially, movement helps get the supplies required for healing into the injured area while helping getting the waste out.

Ultimately, the scar tissue is improved through movement to more closely being to function like the normal tissue… although it never completely returns to normal.

What effect does the Chiropractic Adjustment have on this process of soft tissue healing?