Where do you feel
your stress? Neck? Upper back? Head? Low back? Do you want
some help relaxing? Chiropractic spinal manipulation offers relaxing effects particularly when applied
to the cervical and thoracic spine regions. Minster Chiropractic Center sees
stress daily. Minster Chiropractic Center hears our Minster
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 strive to measure these responses. Measuring
blood pressure, heart rate variability,
heart rate, and numeric pain scale after treating upper and lower cervical
spine segments of healthy and neck pain patients, researchers found
that upper cervical manipulation improved
parasympathetic (calming) system and lower cervical manipulation improved
sympathetic (fight or flight) activity. Curiously, neck
pain patients’ parasympathetic activity was boosted by
both upper and lower cervical manipulation. (1) Minster Chiropractic Center notes
that just the effect of touch is influential.
EFFECTS OF MANIPULATION ON STRESS RESPONSES
The body responds to all types of stimuli.
Researchers do their best to document how. One
group did a meta-analysis of multiple studies about
the effect of spinal manipulation and mobilization on cardiovascular responses.
Changes in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure
and heart rate were charted. They determined
that spinal manipulation and mobilization may bring about 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 stated that a larger
parasympathetic response was noted when cervical and lumbar spine
areas were treated while a greater sympathetic response was noticed
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 had
reduced short-term pain and decreased systolic blood
pressure. (4) There is
something to manipulation beyond pain relief, and Minster Chiropractic Center is thrilled
to present the research as it comes available.
SPINAL MANIPULATION TREATMENT
Minster Chiropractic Center uses gentle spinal manipulation
applied to the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine areas to reduce
pain. Spinal manipulation of the thoracic spine effectively manages
painful mechanical thoracic spine pain better than placebo treatment. (5) Effects
of thoracic manipulation transcend the thoracic spine. Benefits
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 reduce neck pain intensity. (6) These
are benefits of Minster chiropractic care Minster Chiropractic Center is well-trained
to deliver.
CONTACT Minster Chiropractic Center
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 Minster
chiropractic appointment soon. Your neck and shoulders and upper
back will appreciate the attention as will your decreased
pain and heart rate and blood pressure after a gentle Minster spinal
manipulation session.