Where does your stress go? Neck? Upper back? Head? Low back? Do you want
some assistance in relaxing? Chiropractic spinal manipulation offers relaxing effects particularly when directed
to the cervical and thoracic spine areas. Back And Neck Care Center observes
stress every day. Back And Neck Care Center hears our Severna Park
chiropractic patients ask for more spine treatment once they experience
how good it is! Wise chiropractic patients!
MEASURING RESPONSES TO SPINAL MANIPULATION: STRESS
Initially, how do we respond 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 boosted
sympathetic (fight or flight) activity. Curiously, neck
pain patients’ parasympathetic activity was improved by
both upper and lower cervical manipulation. (1) Back And Neck Care Center notices
that the effect of touch alone is powerful.
EFFECTS OF MANIPULATION ON STRESS RESPONSES
The body responds to all sorts of stimuli.
Researchers attempt to see how. One
group did a meta-analysis of multiple studies about
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 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 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 had
reduced short-term pain and decreased systolic blood
pressure. (4) There’s
something to manipulation beyond pain relief, and Back And Neck Care Center is thrilled
to present the research as it is made available.
SPINAL MANIPULATION TREATMENT
Back And Neck Care Center uses gentle spinal manipulation
applied to the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine areas to decrease
pain. Spinal manipulation of the thoracic spine effectively manages
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 produce similar changes in patients’
pressure pain thresholds and decrease neck pain intensity. (6) These
are benefits of Severna Park chiropractic care Back And Neck Care Center is well-equipped
to provide.
CONTACT Back And Neck Care Center
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 as well as pain responses in the body.
Schedule your next Severna Park
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 Severna Park spinal
manipulation session.