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 creates worry, chronic pain anywhere stresses our
bodies, nudging blood pressure higher. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC describes
new studies that demonstrate some potential promise of chiropractic and spinal
manipulation’s being able to beneficially 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) parts of the autonomic nervous system,
is garnering notice 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 is
not all bad in the clinical setting! Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC knows it’s all
about when to apply
what type of care to get the optimal outcomes. Parasympathetic
dominance to enhance pain reduction is good for athletes
suffering with back pain after their events.
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, HYPERTENSION, AND MANIPULATION
Manual therapies like La Grande spinal manipulation
and mobilization at Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC are known for their
ability to treat, reduce, and handle spinal pain related
conditions. As an additional 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 possibly quite critical.
Blood pressure control is complex, relying 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. Consequently, alternatives are being considered
like chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy. A review of the
published literature found promising outcomes that
inspire 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 setting. (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 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 welcome if more studies continue to show such effect. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC 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 Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
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 La Grande
chiropractic appointment with Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC soon.
Hypertension may well meet its match - or at least back down a bit - with chiropractic
spinal manipulation! Let’s figure it out together.