Where do you carry
your stress? Neck? Upper back? Head? Low back? Would you like
some help relaxing? Chiropractic spinal manipulation offers relaxing effects especially when directed
to the cervical and thoracic spine regions. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic observes
stress every day. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic hears our Fernandina Beach
chiropractic patients ask for more spine treatment once they feel
it! 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 quantify 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 discovered
that upper cervical manipulation enhanced
parasympathetic (calming) system and lower cervical manipulation boosted
sympathetic (fight or flight) activity. Curiously, neck
pain patients’ parasympathetic activity was enhanced by
both upper and lower cervical manipulation. (1) Amelia Chiropractic Clinic notes
that just the effect of touch is influential.
EFFECTS OF MANIPULATION ON STRESS RESPONSES
The body responds to all sorts of stimuli.
Researchers do their best to document how. One
group performed 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 together with diastolic blood
pressure. (2) An analysis of articles about the effect of spinal manipulation
on heart rate variability stated 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 tied
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 is
something to manipulation beyond pain relief, and Amelia Chiropractic Clinic is happy
to present the research as it is made available.
SPINAL MANIPULATION TREATMENT
Amelia Chiropractic Clinic 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 extend to the cervical spine
for patients with bilateral chronic mechanical neck pain. Thoracic thrust manipulation
and non-thrust mobilization produce similar changes in patients’
pressure pain thresholds and decrease neck pain intensity. (6) These
are benefits of Fernandina Beach chiropractic care Amelia Chiropractic Clinic is well-trained
to deliver.
CONTACT Amelia Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates how chiropractic and The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management may well address parasympathetic
and sympathetic and pain responses in the body.
Schedule your next Fernandina Beach
chiropractic appointment today. 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 Fernandina Beach spinal
manipulation session.