The axial system is the sensory-motor system that keep the body upright. It includes the pelvis, spine, cranium and associated soft tissue. Axial stability is the effectiveness by which the core of the body manages the challenges of gravity.  At all times we are either defying or complying with gravity and our ability to do so is the difference between injury and safety.  Axial stability is essential for safe and efficient bipedal movement.

Information about where the body is in space is monitored by several primary reference points. Of particular interest to the ASM^® practitioner is the triad of equilibrium (the sensory integration of vestibulo-proprioceptive-visual information) and the stability of the pelvis, the body’s own center of gravity. The information coming from these two reference points must be coherent and synchronized for safe and efficient movement. Because this is so key, the ASM chiropractor, regardless of the patient’s presenting complaint, always assesses this system first.