Can Chiropractic Care Help with Neurological Conditions?
Do you need help managing migraines or Parkinson's disease, or wish your recovery from a concussion or stroke was a little easier? Chiropractic care can help with the symptoms caused by these and other neurological conditions and disorders.
The Benefits of Chiropractic Care
In addition to improving range of motion in your joints and relieving joint and soft tissue pain, chiropractic treatment can boost nervous system function. The nervous system consists of two parts: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The brain and spinal cord are part of the central part of the nervous system. A network of nerves forms the peripheral nervous system. Signals from the brain travel to the spinal cord and reach all areas of the body via nerves that branch out from the spinal cord.
The nervous system has many important functions, including helping you move, breathe, and feel pain and other sensations. Nerves also send signals to the organs and immune system and help them operate normally. If nerve signals can't travel freely through the nervous system, symptoms ranging from tingling and numbness to muscle weakness and paralysis can occur.
If you have a neurological disorder, condition, or injury, your nerves may be damaged or the transmission of nerve signals may be disrupted. Chiropractic care focuses on helping your nerves work optimally, which can relieve the symptoms of a variety of neurological issues, including:
- Concussions. Concussions are brain injuries that happen when the brain suddenly moves back and forth inside the head or hits the side of the skull. After a concussion, you may feel dizzy, and develop headaches, sensitivity to light, seizures, or neck pain. Symptoms don't always happen immediately after a concussion, but may take a few days or weeks to become noticeable. In some cases, your symptoms may linger if the blow to your head changed the position of the vertebrae in your neck. Realigning the vertebrae with spinal manipulation, a chiropractic treatment that adjusts your spine, eases pressure on nerves and improves blood circulation, helping you heal faster.
- Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's disease causes a variety of uncomfortable symptoms, including tremors, muscle stiffness, slow movements, poor posture, and difficulty walking. In a case study published in the Journal of Medicine and Life in 2022, researchers discovered that nine months of chiropractic treatment improved hand deformity, joint motion, pain, and postural stability, and alignment in a 68-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease.
- Migraines. Painful migraines seem to last forever and don't always improve with over-the-counter or prescription medication. Several chiropractic treatments could help you ease migraine pain and reduce the number of migraines you get. Spinal manipulation decreases pressure on the nerves in the neck and head and decreases pain and inflammation. Massage loosens tight painful muscles and increases production of endorphins and serotonin, nature's painkillers. Trigger point therapy breaks down hard knots in muscles that can trigger migraines.
- Cerebral Palsy. Floppy or stiff limbs make movements difficult if you have cerebral palsy. Spinal manipulation treatment can reduce spasticity (rigid muscles), according to a case series published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine in 2016. Twenty-nine patients received chiropractic treatments, in addition to massage, physical therapy, reflexotherapy and other treatments, during the series. Spasticity decreased substantially after one spinal manipulation treatment in all patients, and improvements continued after the second treatment.
- Neuropathy. Neuropathy occurs due to damage or pressure on nerves and can cause pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness. Spinal manipulation, massage, and other treatments relieve pressure on nerves by realigning vertebrae and loosening tight tissues that press on nerves.
- Bell's Palsy. Chiropractic care can also be used to treat Bell's palsy, a condition that damages a nerve in the face and causes muscles to weaken or become paralyzed. A 40-year-old patient with Bell's Palsy noticed a 70 - 80% improvement in facial movement after chiropractic manipulation and low-level laser therapy, according to a 2013 Journal of Chiropractic Medicine Case Study.
- Other Conditions. Chiropractic care may also be helpful for trigeminal neuralgia, vertigo, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, stroke, dystonia, radiculopathy, learning disabilities, restless leg syndrome, and other neurological conditions.
Ready to find out if chiropractic care could improve your neurological symptoms? Contact our office to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
Journal of Chiropractic Medicine: Chiropractic Management of Bell Palsy with Low Level Laser and Manipulation: A Case Report, 12/2013
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3838725/
Journal of Medicine and Life: Chiropractic Care of Parkinson’s Disease and Deformity, 5/2022
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35815091/
NCBI: Journal of Chiropractic Medicine: Changes in Muscle Spasticity in Patients with Cerebral Palsy after Spinal Manipulation: Case Series, 12/2016
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27857638/
Canadian Chiropractic Association: 6 Ways Chiropractic Care Can Help Manage Headaches, 6/1/2022
https://chiropractic.ca/6-ways-chiropractic-care-can-help-manage-headaches/