Where does your stress settle? Neck? Upper back? Head? Low back? Do you want
some assistance in relaxing? Chiropractic spinal manipulation offers relaxing effects especially when applied
to the cervical and thoracic spine regions. Wilson Family Chiropractic sees
stress daily. Wilson Family Chiropractic hears our Millville
chiropractic patients ask for more spine treatment once they feel
how good it is! Astute chiropractic patients!
MEASURING RESPONSES TO SPINAL MANIPULATION: STRESS
First, how do we respond 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 enhanced
parasympathetic (calming) system and lower cervical manipulation improved
sympathetic (fight or flight) activity. Interestingly, neck
pain patients’ parasympathetic activity was boosted by
both upper and lower cervical manipulation. (1) Wilson Family Chiropractic notes
that just the effect of touch is influential.
EFFECTS OF MANIPULATION ON STRESS RESPONSES
The body responds to all sorts of stimuli.
Researchers strive to document how. One
group did a meta-analysis of multiple studies regarding
the effect of spinal manipulation and mobilization on cardiovascular responses.
Changes in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure
and heart rate were documented. They determined
that spinal manipulation and mobilization may bring about a
significant decrease of systolic together with diastolic blood
pressure. (2) An analysis of articles about the effect of spinal manipulation
on heart rate variability reported that a larger
parasympathetic response was noted when cervical and lumbar spine
areas were treated while a larger sympathetic response was seen
when the thoracic spine was treated. (3) Another study tied
pain response to resting blood pressure pre- and post-cervical spine non-thrust
manipulation. Non-chronic neck pain patients who underwent such manipulation had
reduced short-term pain and decreased systolic blood
pressure. (4) There is
something to manipulation beyond pain relief, and Wilson Family Chiropractic is thrilled
to share the research as it is made available.
SPINAL MANIPULATION TREATMENT
Wilson Family Chiropractic utilizes gentle spinal manipulation
applied to the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine areas to reduce
pain. Spinal manipulation of the thoracic spine effectively influences
painful mechanical thoracic spine pain better than placebo treatment. (5) Effects
of thoracic manipulation go beyond 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 Millville chiropractic care Wilson Family Chiropractic is well-trained
to deliver.
CONTACT Wilson Family Chiropractic
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 address parasympathetic
and sympathetic as well as pain responses in the body.
Make your next Millville
chiropractic appointment today. 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 Millville spinal
manipulation session.