Possible Williamson Chiropractic Benefits for Hypertension

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 tense world has us all stressed out, back pain and neck pain makes us worry, chronic pain anywhere stresses our bodies, nudging blood pressure higher. Apple Country Chiropractic shares recent studies that show some potential promise of chiropractic and spinal manipulation’s being able 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) parts 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 delivering spinal manipulation versus a sham treatment with recreational athletes found that spinal manipulation before exercise triggered a shift toward intensified parasympathetic system function giving rise to impaired performance. (1) That’s not all bad in the clinical setting! Apple Country Chiropractic knows it’s all about when to apply what type of care to get the optimal results. Parasympathetic dominance to enhance pain reduction is good for athletes who may suffer with 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 side 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, counting 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 usual medications. Therefore, alternatives are being considered like chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy. An evaluation of the published literature found promising results that encourage more study. (2) A recent study found that spinal manipulation and mobilization produced 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 reflects the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats (bottom number). Doctors commonly focus on the top, systolic number, so spinal manipulation’s effect would be welcome if more studies continue to show such effect.   Apple Country Chiropractic 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 Apple Country Chiropractic

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 Williamson chiropractic appointment with Apple Country Chiropractic now. Hypertension may well meet its match - or at least back down a bit - with chiropractic spinal manipulation! Let us figure it out together.