Blood pressure. Hypertension.
It’s a topic among friends and family members and
patient/physician interactions even in yoga classes and via meditation apps.
Our uptight world has us all stressed out, back pain
and neck pain makes us worry, chronic pain anywhere stresses our
bodies, nudging blood pressure higher. Spine & Sports Rehab Center shares
recent studies that demonstrate some potential promise of chiropractic and spinal
manipulation’s being able to positively alter
blood pressure.
SPINAL MANIPULATION AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Spinal manipulation’s effect on the nervous system, specifically
its sympathetic (“fight or flight” reactionary part) and parasympathetic (“rest
and digest” calm part) parts of the autonomic nervous system,
is gaining awareness in the clinical
setting with normal clients and in the sport setting with athletes.
A study of delivering spinal manipulation versus a sham
treatment with recreational athletes reported that spinal
manipulation before exercise elicited a shift
toward intensified parasympathetic system function giving
rise to diminished performance. (1) That’s
not all bad in the clinical setting! Spine & Sports Rehab Center knows it’s all
about when to apply
what type of care to get the optimal outcomes. Parasympathetic
dominance to help reduce pain is good for athletes
who may suffer with back pain after their events.
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, HYPERTENSION, AND MANIPULATION
Manual therapies like Baton Rouge spinal manipulation
and mobilization at Spine & Sports Rehab Center are recognized for their
ability to treat, ease, and manage spinal pain related
conditions. As a side benefit, changes
to the cardiovascular system have been noted. With hypertension
being the global health concern (and even reason for death) that
it is, such changes are possibly quite important.
Blood pressure control is complex, relying on the
autonomic nervous system for its regulation while genetics and physiology may
also play a role. Quite a few patients - 20-30%
of them - with blood pressure issues do not respond to traditional
medications. Therefore, alternatives are being studied
like chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy. A review of the
published literature found promising outcomes that
encourage more study. (2) A recent study found that
spinal manipulation and mobilization made a statistically
significant reduction in systolic blood pressure as well as diastolic
blood pressure and heart rate variability though these were statistically
non-significant in this study. (3) More research is most definitely called for. Systolic blood pressure reveals
the force on the blood vessels when the heart beats (top number) while
diastolic reveals the pressure in the arteries when the heart
rests between beats (bottom number). Doctors most often pay
more attention to the top, systolic number, so spinal manipulation’s effect would be welcome if more studies continue to record such effect. Spine & Sports Rehab Center offers gentle spinal manipulation treatment via the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management. Its is research-documented and efficacious for reducing back and neck pain.
CONTACT Spine & Sports Rehab Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates how the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain
Management may assist the autonomic system.
Schedule your next Baton Rouge
chiropractic appointment with Spine & Sports Rehab Center soon.
Hypertension may well meet its match - or at least back down a bit - with chiropractic
spinal manipulation! Let us figure it out together.
"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the
DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by
Dr. James M. Cox I."