Harvard Study Points to Chiropractic Care for Pain Relief

Harvard Study Points to Chiropractic Care for Pain Relief

By

Noah Herbert, D.C., CCSP® William J Owens Jr, DC, DAAMLP, CPC Mark E Studin, DC FASBE©, DAAPM, DAAMLP

A recent article released by Harvard Health Publications at Harvard Medical School points to chiropractic care as a form of pain relief. There are currently many Americans that seek out chiropractors, but many people don’t realize the wide variety of treatments that a chiropractor can provide for pain relief. The article states “While the mainstay of chiropractic is spinal manipulation, chiropractic care now includes a wide variety of other treatments, including manual or manipulative therapies, postural and exercise education, ergonomic training (how to walk, sit, and stand to limit back strain), nutritional consultation, and even ultrasound and laser therapies. In addition, chiropractors today often work in conjunction with primary care doctors, pain experts, and surgeons to treat patients with pain.”

While this is nothing new for the chiropractic community, it may serve to further educate the public as to the many tools a chiropractor possesses to help patients. While the majority of research on chiropractic has focused on spinal manipulation, or adjustment of the spine, for pain relief, there have been studies done on the effectiveness of chiropractic for treating musculoskeletal pain, headaches, asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome and fibromyalgia. The author goes on to state “A recent review concluded that chiropractic spinal manipulation may be helpful for back pain, migraine, neck pain and whiplash.”

The authors also state “There have been reports of serious complications, including stroke, following spinal manipulation of the neck although this is very rare and some studies suggest this may not be directly caused by the treatment.”

Spinal manipulation, or adjustment of the spine, is a term used to describe providing a high velocity, low amplitude thrust to the vertebra. Chiropractors use this technique to correct the body’s spinal alignment to relieve pain and improve function and to allow the body to heal itself. Treatment usually takes between 10 to 20 minutes and most patients are scheduled 2-3 times per week initially. Patients generally see improvement of their symptoms in the first two to three weeks however a customized treatment plan can be provided by your doctor of chiropractic. For more information on a highly qualified chiropractor near you, please use the search option on the directory using your zip code.

References:

1. Harvard Health Publications. (2015). Chiropractic Care for Pain Relief. Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/chiropractic-care-for-pain-relief