Possible Oxford Chiropractic Benefits for Hypertension
Blood pressure. Hypertension. It is a subject 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. Satterwhite Chiropractic shares recent studies that demonstrate 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) 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 using spinal manipulation versus a sham treatment with recreational athletes reported that spinal manipulation before exercise sparked a shift toward intensified parasympathetic system function giving rise to diminished performance. (1) That is not all bad in the clinical setting! Satterwhite Chiropractic knows it’s all about when to apply what type of care to get the best 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 Oxford spinal manipulation and mobilization at Satterwhite Chiropractic are known for their ability to treat, ease, and manage spinal pain related conditions. As a side benefit, alterations to the cardiovascular system have been noted. With hypertension being the global health concern (and even cause of death) that it is, such changes are potentially quite important. Blood pressure control is complex, counting on the autonomic nervous system for its regulation while genetics and physiology may also influence it. Quite a few patients - 20-30% of them - with blood pressure issues don’t respond to common medications. Consequently, 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 study. (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 record such effect. Satterwhite 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 Satterwhite 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 Oxford chiropractic appointment with Satterwhite Chiropractic now. Hypertension may well meet its match - or at least back down a bit - with chiropractic spinal manipulation! Let’s figure it out together.
