Hypertension. Blood Pressure.
It’s a topic among friends and family members and
patient/physician interactions even in yoga classes and via meditation apps.
Our tense world has us all wound up, back pain
and neck pain creates worry, chronic pain anywhere stresses our
bodies, pushing blood pressure higher. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic shares
new studies that demonstrate some potential promise of chiropractic and spinal
manipulation’s being able to beneficially change
blood pressure.
SPINAL MANIPULATION AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Spinal manipulation’s effect on the nervous system, particularly
its sympathetic (“fight or flight” reactionary part) and parasympathetic (“rest
and digest” calm part) functions 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 found that spinal
manipulation before exercise elicited a shift
toward enhanced parasympathetic system function resulting in impaired performance. (1) That is
not all bad in the clinical setting! Amelia Chiropractic Clinic knows it is all
about when to apply
what type of care to get the best results. Parasympathetic
dominance to help reduce pain is good for athletes
suffering with back pain after their events.
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, HYPERTENSION, AND MANIPULATION
Manual therapies like Fernandina Beach spinal manipulation
and mobilization at Amelia Chiropractic Clinic are recognized for their
ability to treat, ease, and manage spinal pain related
conditions. As an additional benefit, alterations
to the cardiovascular system have been documented. 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 influence it. Some patients - 20-30%
of them - with blood pressure issues don’t respond to usual
medications. Therefore, alternatives are being considered
like chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy. An evaluation of the
published literature found promising outcomes that
inspire more study. (2) A newer study found that
spinal manipulation and mobilization made a statistically
significant decrease in systolic blood pressure as well as diastolic
blood pressure and heart rate variability though these were statistically
non-significant in this setting. (3) More research is certainly needed. Systolic blood pressure reflects
the force on the blood vessels when the heart beats (top number) while
diastolic reflects the pressure in the arteries when the heart
rests between beats (bottom number). Doctors usually pay
more attention to the top, systolic number, so spinal manipulation’s effect would be welcome if more studies continue to show such effect. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic offers gentle spinal manipulation treatment via the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management. It’s research-documented and effective for reducing back and neck pain.
CONTACT Amelia Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes how the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain
Management may assist the autonomic system.
Schedule your next Fernandina Beach
chiropractic appointment with Amelia Chiropractic Clinic now.
Hypertension may well meet its match - or at least back down a bit - with chiropractic
spinal manipulation! Let’s 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."