Where does your stress settle? Neck? Upper back? Head? Low back? Would you like
some assistance in relaxing? Chiropractic spinal manipulation offers relaxing effects especially when directed
to the cervical and thoracic spine regions. Hollstrom & Associates Inc observes
stress daily. Hollstrom & Associates Inc hears our Largo
chiropractic patients request more spine treatment once they feel
it! Wise chiropractic patients!
MEASURING RESPONSES TO SPINAL MANIPULATION: STRESS
First, how do we react to
stress? Sweaty palms. Rapid pulse and heart rate. We can feel these responses.
Researchers want 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 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) Hollstrom & Associates Inc notices
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 see how. One
group performed 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 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 greater
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 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 decreased systolic blood
pressure. (4) There is
something to manipulation beyond pain relief, and Hollstrom & Associates Inc is happy
to present the research as it comes available.
SPINAL MANIPULATION TREATMENT
Hollstrom & Associates Inc uses 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. 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 produce similar changes in patients’
pressure pain thresholds and decrease neck pain intensity. (6) These
are benefits of Largo chiropractic care Hollstrom & Associates Inc is well-trained
to deliver.
CONTACT Hollstrom & Associates Inc
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes how chiropractic and The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management may well address parasympathetic
and sympathetic and pain responses in the body.
Make your next Largo
chiropractic appointment now. Your neck and shoulders and upper
back will be grateful for the attention as will your reduced
pain and heart rate and blood pressure after a gentle Largo spinal
manipulation session.