One adjustment can do what???

In February 2019 a really exciting, one could even say ground breaking, chiropractic research study was published that I had to share with you.  Researchers conducted a study on chronic stroke patients who had suffered lower leg weakness’ as a result of their prior strokes.  The study measured muscle strength in the lower limb, to see if ONE SINGLE chiropractic session would have an impact on chronic stroke patients.  The study showed that after one full spine adjustment the patients had an average improvement of 65%! Yes, you read that right, 65%!!!  That’s huge!  

Another great thing that the study uncovered was how the adjustment was improving the patient’s strength.  The researchers included parameters in the study that could identify if the increase in strength was coming from the spinal cord or the brain. The results suggested that the strength changes were due to changes in the way the patient’s brain was communicating with the muscles as opposed to changes in spinal cord excitability. These findings are revolutionary for the chiropractic profession because they suggest that chiropractic care may be of benefit to patients with a brain injury! 

This research study is great for so many reasons.  One it shows how powerful chiropractic can be on changing the way our brains function.  A lot of people utilize chiropractic care simply for pain relief.  They go visit a chiropractor if they have low back pain, neck pain or some other painful process.  This study opens the door for more research on the far-reaching effects an adjustment has on the whole body, the brain included.  Another reason why this research is something to talk about is because there has been a lot of negative talk about chiropractic in our local media.  Several articles have been written in the last couple of months questioning the safety of a chiropractic adjustment, particularly when adjusting children.  This study highlights the benefits that just one adjustment can have on improving strength in a population that is considered “high risk” and who have permanent nerve damage.  Imagine the possibilities for those that commit to regular chiropractic care…..

Reference: Holt K, Niazi IK, Nedergaar RW, Duehr J, Amjad I, Shafique M, Anwar MN, Ndetan H, Turker KS and Haavik H (2019), “The effects of a single session of chiropractic care on strength, cortical drive, and spinal excitability in stroke patients,” Scientific Reports, 9, Article Numbers: 2673(2019), https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-39577-5retrieved 26 February 2019