Possible Williamson Chiropractic Benefits for Hypertension
Blood pressure. Hypertension. It is 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 wound up, back pain and neck pain makes us worry, chronic pain anywhere stresses our bodies, pushing blood pressure higher. Apple Country Chiropractic describes recent studies that show 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, specifically its sympathetic (“fight or flight” reactionary part) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest” calm part) functions of the autonomic nervous system, is garnering notice in the clinical setting with normal clients as well as 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 prompted a shift toward heightened parasympathetic system function giving rise to diminished performance. (1) That’s not all bad in the clinical setting! Apple Country Chiropractic knows it’s all about delivering the right type of treatment at the right time to get the optimal outcomes. Parasympathetic dominance to help reduce pain is good for athletes who experience back pain after their events.
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, HYPERTENSION, AND MANIPULATION
Manual therapies like Williamson spinal manipulation and mobilization at Apple Country Chiropractic are recognized for their ability to treat, ease, and manage spinal pain related conditions. As a bonus 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 play a role. Some patients - 20-30% of them - with blood pressure issues don’t respond to traditional medications. Consequently, alternatives are being studied like chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy. A review of the published literature discovered promising results that encourage more study. (2) A newer study found that spinal manipulation and mobilization effected 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 study. (3) More research is certainly 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 commonly pay more attention to the top, systolic number, so spinal manipulation’s effect would be appreciated if more studies continue to record such effect. Apple Country Chiropractic 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 Apple Country Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains how the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management may assist the autonomic system.
Schedule your next Williamson chiropractic appointment with Apple Country Chiropractic today. Hypertension may well meet its match - or at least back down a bit - with chiropractic spinal manipulation! Let’s find out together.
