Possible Oxford 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 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 new studies that show 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, particularly 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 and 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 elicited a shift toward heightened parasympathetic system function resulting in diminished performance. (1) That is not all bad in the clinical setting! Satterwhite Chiropractic knows it is 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 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 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 influence it. Some patients - 20-30% of them - with blood pressure issues do not respond to usual medications. Therefore, alternatives are being considered like chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy. An evaluation of the published literature discovered promising outcomes that encourage more study. (2) A newer 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 certainly called for. Systolic blood pressure reflects 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 focus on the top, systolic number, so spinal manipulation’s effect would be welcome if more studies continue to confirm such effect.   Satterwhite Chiropractic offers gentle spinal manipulation treatment via the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.  Its is research-documented and effective 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 illustrates how the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management may assist the autonomic system.

Schedule your next Oxford chiropractic appointment with Satterwhite Chiropractic today. Hypertension may well meet its match - or at least back down a bit - with chiropractic spinal manipulation! Let us figure it out together.