Chiropractic Adjustment Cause Strokes? What does the Research say?
How often have you heard that, ‘chiropractic adjustments cause strokes’? As a chiropractor for nearly 30 years, I have not seen this occur in any of the practices I have worked in or with any of my chiropractic colleagues.
But what does the literature say?
Is there any research to support this? Not one bit. There is no causation between chiropractic adjustments and strokes. Chiropractors do not cause strokes.
We undertake an intensive degree that spans over 5 years. We are primary contact practitioners, hence we are referred to as ‘Doctor’ of chiropractic. Our training is intense around when not to adjust people, more than when to adjust people. We understand that a spine of a young fit person is different to an older person that has a lifetime of stressors placed on it.
In this video, Dr. Lisa, chiropractor, goes through a research paper that show chiropractic may have a positive part to play in the rehabilitation of stroke victims.
Strokes are the number one cause of death and disability in the world. It causes prolonged stress physically, emotionally, socially and financially on the individual, his/her family and the community.
More and more people are having strokes and more people are surviving. The burden on society is getting greater. But what quality of life are these stroke victims experiencing?
In this randomised control cross over study, 12 stroke victims were included. They all had a week ankle, in particular the plantar muscles were weak on one side. This meant that pointing the foot down was difficult because the plantar muscles were weak. The results showed a significant increase in muscle strength after only one chiropractic adjustment. The control group did not experience any increase in muscle strength. The researchers also discovered that the changes did not occur at the spinal level, but at the cortical, or brain level. The high speed, low amplitude ‘adjustment’ applied to the subluxated (stiff) spinal joints stimulated the nerves in the brain that controlled the muscles in the foot.
More research need to occur around this area, however, it would be interesting to see chiropractic care included in the rehabilitation protocol of stroke victims. I feel chiropractic may have a positive impact on the improvement of their weakness.
Our job as chiropractors and Chiropractic BioPhysics doctors at Errol street, is to improve the relationship between the spine and the nervous system. We do that by improving the movement of the spinal joints and by improving spinal posture. A healthier spine helps to restore nervous system integrity and allows the body to self-regulate, adapt, heal and repair better. The nervous system controls and co-ordinates all the cells, tissues and systems in the body. The spine needs to move and protect the delicate nerves all at the same time.
A healthy functioning spine is vital for a healthy body.
Reference:
Holt,K. Et al “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)
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