Possible Vancouver 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. Vancouver Disc Centers describes new studies that demonstrate some potential promise of chiropractic and spinal manipulation’s ability to positively 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 attention in the clinical setting with normal clients as well as in the sport setting with athletes. A study of utilizing spinal manipulation versus a sham treatment with recreational athletes revealed that spinal manipulation before exercise prompted a shift toward heightened parasympathetic system function resulting in diminished performance. (1) That’s not all bad in the clinical setting! Vancouver Disc Centers knows it is all about when to apply what type of care to get the optimal results. Parasympathetic dominance to help reduce pain is good for athletes suffering with back pain after their exercise.
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, HYPERTENSION, AND MANIPULATION
Manual therapies like Vancouver spinal manipulation and mobilization at Vancouver Disc Centers 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 noted. With hypertension being the global health concern (and even reason for death) that it is, such changes are possibly quite critical. Blood pressure control is complex, depending 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 common medications. Consequently, alternatives are being studied like chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy. A review of the published literature found promising results that encourage more study. (2) A recent 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 setting. (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 focus on the top, systolic number, so spinal manipulation’s effect would be appreciated if more studies continue to show such effect. Vancouver Disc Centers 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 Vancouver Disc Centers
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.
Make your next Vancouver chiropractic appointment with Vancouver Disc Centers soon. Hypertension may well meet its match - or at least back down a bit - with chiropractic spinal manipulation! Let’s figure it out together.
