Manipulative Chiropractic Helps Treat Anxiety

 

Anxiety is a mental health problem and should be treated as such. However, it’s also a physical disorder that manifests in ways like headache, muscle tension and stress, heart palpitations and more. Most anxiety treatment consists of behavior modifications and prescription psychiatric medications. These are effective but come with a host of side effects like memory problems, drowsiness and even depression in some cases. Fortunately, there are other options, including chiropractic manipulation. A study published in the ACA Journal of Chiropractic found that spinal manipulation can help alleviate anxiety.

An underlying cause of anxiety is often an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system. Spinal manipulation has been shown to improve autonomic balance and has homeostatic effects by helping the body regulate itself. The reason this works is that the adjustment reduces joint motion and corrects a subluxation. A subluxation is when a bone in the spine becomes misaligned, causing interference with the nerves and affecting various organs and tissues. This can lead to pain, inflammation and disease. In addition, the agitation of a subluxation can trigger the body’s fight or flight response.

The good news is that a chiropractor is trained to detect and correct these vertebral subluxations, thus reducing the stress on the nervous system. This reduction of stress can have a domino effect, lowering anxiety levels as well.

In order to make a diagnosis, a chiropractor will first take a patient’s history and do a thorough examination. During the exam, the chiropractor will check the patient’s posture, palpitate the joints and muscle groups and look at their range of motion. He or she will also do neurological tests to determine if there is any nerve interference and if the muscles and ligaments are tight or loose. This information will help him or her to formulate a treatment plan.

Generally, 整体　カイロプラクティック　横浜　パニック障害 adjustments are done by applying force to the neck or back, with the aim of creating a popping sound. This is known as high-velocity manipulation. The technique is generally used on the lumbar and cervical segments of the spine, though it can be performed on other parts of the body. There is a risk of over manipulation, which is when the practitioner applies too much force or twists the neck and spine in ways that could cause ligament laxity and instability. Over-manipulation syndrome is a medical condition that has been linked to headache, muscle spasm and other symptoms.

There are other techniques that can be used by a chiropractor, such as low-velocity manipulation or self-manipulation. Low-velocity manipulation has been shown to have similar results to high-velocity manipulation and is safe for the patient. Low-velocity manipulation may even be more beneficial as it is less traumatic to the body and produces a similar healing response. It is recommended that patients seek a licensed chiropractor for any type of manipulation to avoid the risk of over-manipulation syndrome and other complications.