Where does your stress settle? Neck? Upper back? Head? Low back? Would you like
some assistance in relaxing? Chiropractic spinal manipulation may
well produce relaxing effects especially when directed
to the cervical and thoracic spine areas. Aaron Chiropractic Clinic sees
stress daily. Aaron Chiropractic Clinic hears our Fort Wayne
chiropractic patients request more spine treatment once they feel
how good it is! Astute chiropractic patients!
MEASURING RESPONSES TO SPINAL MANIPULATION: STRESS
Initially, how do we react to
stress? Sweaty palms. Rapid pulse and heart rate. We can feel these responses.
Researchers want to quantify these responses. Measuring
heart rate variability, blood pressure,
heart rate, and numeric pain scale after treating upper and lower cervical
spine segments of healthy and neck pain patients, researchers discovered
that upper cervical manipulation improved
parasympathetic (calming) system and lower cervical manipulation enhanced
sympathetic (fight or flight) activity. Interestingly, neck
pain patients’ parasympathetic activity was boosted by
both upper and lower cervical manipulation. (1) Aaron Chiropractic Clinic notes
that the effect of touch alone is influential.
EFFECTS OF MANIPULATION ON STRESS RESPONSES
The body responds to all sorts of stimuli.
Researchers do their best to see how. One
group did a meta-analysis of multiple studies regarding
the effect of spinal manipulation and mobilization on cardiovascular responses.
Variations in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure
and heart rate were documented. They concluded
that spinal manipulation and mobilization may result in a
significant decrease of systolic as well as diastolic blood
pressure. (2) An analysis of articles about the effect of spinal manipulation
on heart rate variability reported that a greater
parasympathetic response was seen when cervical and lumbar spine
areas were treated while a greater sympathetic response was seen
when the thoracic spine was treated. (3) Another study correlated
pain response to resting blood pressure pre- and post-cervical spine non-thrust
manipulation. Non-chronic neck pain patients who underwent such manipulation experienced
reduced short-term pain and reduced systolic blood
pressure. (4) There’s
something to manipulation beyond pain relief, and Aaron Chiropractic Clinic is pleased
to present the research as it comes available.
SPINAL MANIPULATION TREATMENT
Aaron Chiropractic Clinic utilizes gentle spinal manipulation
applied to the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine areas to reduce
pain. Spinal manipulation of the thoracic spine efficiently manages
painful mechanical thoracic spine pain better than placebo treatment. (5) Effects
of thoracic manipulation transcend the thoracic spine. Advantages
of manipulation of the thoracic spine reach the cervical spine
for patients with bilateral chronic mechanical neck pain. Thoracic thrust manipulation
and non-thrust mobilization deliver similar changes in patients’
pressure pain thresholds and decrease neck pain intensity. (6) These
are benefits of Fort Wayne chiropractic care Aaron Chiropractic Clinic is well-trained
to provide.
CONTACT Aaron Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
explains how chiropractic and The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management may well attune parasympathetic
and sympathetic as well as pain responses in the body.
Make your next Fort Wayne
chiropractic appointment now. Your neck and shoulders and upper
back will be grateful for the attention as will your decreased
pain and heart rate and blood pressure after a gentle Fort Wayne spinal
manipulation session.