Possible Manahawkin Chiropractic Benefits for Hypertension

Hypertension. Blood Pressure. 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. Manahawkin Chiropractic Center describes recent studies that demonstrate some potential promise of chiropractic and spinal manipulation’s ability to positively affect 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 attention 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 found that spinal manipulation before exercise triggered a shift toward heightened parasympathetic system function resulting in diminished performance. (1) That’s not all bad in the clinical setting! Manahawkin Chiropractic Center knows it’s all about delivering the right type of treatment at the right time to get the best results. Parasympathetic dominance to enhance pain reduction is good for athletes who may suffer with back pain after their exercise.  

CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, HYPERTENSION, AND MANIPULATION

Manual therapies like Manahawkin spinal manipulation and mobilization at Manahawkin Chiropractic Center are recognized for their ability to treat, reduce, and handle spinal pain related conditions. As a side benefit, changes 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 critical. Blood pressure control is complex, counting on the autonomic nervous system for its regulation while genetics and physiology may also play a role. Quite a few patients - 20-30% of them - with blood pressure issues do not respond to common medications. Therefore, alternatives are being studied like chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy. An evaluation of the published literature discovered promising outcomes that encourage more study. (2) A recent 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 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 most often pay more attention to the top, systolic number, so spinal manipulation’s effect would be appreciated if more studies continue to show such effect.   Manahawkin Chiropractic Center 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 Manahawkin Chiropractic Center

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes how the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management may assist the autonomic system.

Schedule your next Manahawkin chiropractic appointment with Manahawkin Chiropractic Center now. Hypertension may well meet its match - or at least back down a bit - with chiropractic spinal manipulation! Let us find out together.