Chiropractic care has long been established as an effective method for restoring proper spinal joint motion and reducing back pain and neck stiffness. So what about the impact a chiropractic adjustment can have on hypertension?
Making a claim that chiropractic care could have a positive impact on a person’s blood pressure may sound a little crazy. Quite frankly, we would not make that claim at Express Chiropractic in Keller.
However, there is research out there supporting that it does just that.
In a study by McNight and DeBoer published in JMPT, it was noted that in 75 individuals receiving chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine (i.e. the neck) there was a significant decrease in overall blood pressure. There were no significant changes in the control group not receiving the specific adjustments (1).
Another study showed adjustments to the mid back of 21 patients with high blood pressure resulted in significant improvement. Again, the control group saw no positive changes (2).
It’s important to note that other studies have shown similar findings with patients experiencing hypotension (low blood pressure) whereas the blood pressure was raised to normal levels after chiropractic care.
The take away from these studies is that by improving joint motion in the spine and reducing nerve flow interference, blood pressure may be impacted as a positive side effect.
Does this mean that you should see your chiropractor rather than your medical doctor for hypertension treatment? Absolutely not! It means getting your spine checked could be a viable part of your overall regimen to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.
1. McNight ME, DeBoer KF, Preliminary study of blood pressure changes in normotensive subjects undergoing chiropractic care. JMPT, 1998; 11;261-266.
2. Yates RG, Lamping DL, Agbram NL, Wright C: Effects of Chiropractic treatments on Blood Pressure and Anxiety: A randomized controlled trial. JMPT 1988; 11 (6):484.
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