Long-Term Benefits of Chiropractic Care

A group of chiropractic researchers wanted to ascertain the answers to the question whether the benefits of chiropractic are sustained even after the treatment is over.

In order to do this, the researchers designed a questionnaire which asked parents of colicky babies as to whether their children encountered any behavioral or sleep related problems in the years following the treatment.

To carry out their research, the researchers decided to survey 200 parents, half with colicky children who were treated for their problem and the other half with children who did not receive any treatment.

The results that came out showed that the children who did not receive any treatment were twice as more likely to experience disturbed behavior and insomnia in comparison to those who were given treatment, thus proving that Chiropractic treatment does not only have short-term benefits, but long term benefits as well.

Can Headaches cause Neck Subluxations?

Chiropractor specialist Dr. Sue Weber Hellstenius conducted a study in 2009 to ascertain the percentage of pre-adolescent children who reported to suffer from recurring neck pain and headaches. Moreover, the study was also conducted to determine if the children who suffered from these problems had a history of neck subluxations as well.

To conduct her study, Dr Sue chose a sample of 131 students aged from 10 to 13. The children selected from the sample were divided into two groups: a pain group which included children suffering from recurring pain and headaches, and a non-pain group which comprised of children with no such health problems.

After the children had been split up into the two groups, a physical test designed to determine posture, neck motion, muscle definition, function and motion of the neck vertebrae was carried out.

The results of the test conducted show that an estimated 40% of the children reported experiencing recurring neck pain as well as headaches.

Amongst the children with symptoms, only one stimulus from the physical test could be directly related to the students’ pain and that was neck subluxations.

Thus, the study proves that even from an early age, neck subluxations can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life.

Is Back Pain Cause By A Psychological Factor?

In a study carried out recently, a group of researchers analyzed a survey handed out to college students to determine the commonness of back pain in that demographic.

According to the survey, about 38% of the students reported suffering from major back pain in the previous year. Of those with back pain, researchers discovered that statistically, only one factor remained constant in terms of being related with the symptoms and that is psychological.

From the psychological factors, the survey showed that that chronic fatigue due to excessive workload and emotional stress caused by poor relationships were the ones that were the most significantly associated with back pain.

Therefore, Chiropractors realize that stress can prove to be a major cause of muscle tension and neck subluxations and for this reason, Chiropractic treatment is designed to help ease tension in the body and decrease the levels of fatigue that are caused by it.

Does hearing a “pop” make any difference?

Researchers wanted to determine if the pop heard by patients while receiving chiropractic treatment actually made some sort of difference to the amount of perceived pain relief when compared to a situation where no noise was heard during the treatment.

In order to first create baseline values for the patients’ thermal sensitivity on their legs and lower backs, the researchers made a list of 40 asymptomatic patients and carried out a test on them. After that, the patients were subjected to a lumbar adjustment.

While some patients were able to hear the pop linked with the movement, others were not able to hear it. The researchers then proceeded to re-testing all patients for thermal sensitivity.

The results of the research showed that the lumbar adjustment managed to significantly reduce the pain regardless of the whether the patients heard a pop or not during the adjustment.

Thus, contrary to what was believed before, hearing the pop does not make any kind of difference to the amount of perceived pain relief while receiving a chiropractic treatment.