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Non-musculoskeletal Disorders

General

“…whatever the patient’s condition, chiropractors fundamentally see themselves as diagnosing and treating the underlying joint and soft tissue dysfunction. This will have reflex effects in the nervous system that may influence various conditions and general health, not just the patient’s primary complaint.”

Each organ and tissue of our body has a nervous and blood supply. These instruct and allow the tissue to function in the correct way to maintain homeostasis (normal body functioning).

While Chiropractic cannot claim to cure diseases some exceptional non-musculoskeletal results that have occurred at Shirley Rd Chiropractic follow:

15 year history of painful periods settle within 4 weeks of adjustments.
16 year old male with bed-wetting every night stops bed-wetting within 3 months of adjustments.
Many patients (19 years old – 80 years old) have reduction in blood pressure.
45 year old female with tinnitus (ringing in the ears) for 3 years settles with 1 adjustment.
Many patients with a chronic history of constipation find relief with adjustments.
Sinus problems, allergies and asthma are frequently helped by chiropractic adjustments.

The conclusion of an independent Commission of Inquiry in New Zealand is not only endorsed by the chiropractic profession but is what we practice at Shirley Rd Chiropractic. The Commission found that “where there are organic and/or visceral symptoms chiropractic treatment may provide relief, but this is unpredictable, and in such cases the patient should be under concurrent medical care if that is practicable.”

It is not necessarily that these conditions are themselves an indication of chiropractic care; rather it is that some patients with these conditions may have related spinal dysfunction that may be a significant cause of the patient’s problem.

“…whatever the patient’s disease, he will have a better chance of recovery if he is mechanically sound…. Mechanical lesions are aetiological in many diseases because the lesions weaken those viscera which are reflexely and segmentally linked with them” - Allan Stoddard, MD DO

There is an enormous amount of case reports showing how chiropractic is helpful for hearing, visual disturbance, hypertension (high blood pressure) and a great number of other problems. We will briefly discuss vertigo, digestive problems, asthma and pelvic disorders/dysmenorrhea.

Vertigo (Equilibrium / Balance disturbance)

Fitz-Ritson reports a complete success rate with acute and chronic patients with dizziness and vertigo treated with chiropractic care.¹ Another study reports similar results with 16 patients with cervical vertigo referred for chiropractic care by medical specialists.² Lewit, a Czech neurologist comments:

“…it is important to stress that a cervical (neck) factor may be present in all forms of vertigo and dizziness… in no field is manipulation more effective than in the treatment of disturbances of equilibrium.” K.Lewit, Neurologist ³

Digestive Problems

Many patients report relief from chronic constipation following manipulation of the low-back, usually for a primary complaint of back pain. In many cases, the constipation existed for months or years before the back pain problem, but resolved when normal function was restored in the lumbar spine.

There are now 3 studies reporting that manipulation can help the remission or healing of the duodenal ulcer.^4-6 The most recent study found that healing took an average of 16.4 days in the manipulation group – 10 days and 40% faster than the average 25.7 days in the medical group.

Cardiac

A German cardiologist, Kunert, presents patients medically diagnosed as having heart disease or respiratory block but found at his hospital unit primarily to have vertebral (spinal) dysfunction. He concludes:

“We have records of numerous cases… in which a definite connection appears to exist between a functional disorder in an internal organ and a spinal lesion… lesions of the spinal column are perfectly capable of simulating, accentuating, or making a major contribution to (organic) disorders. There can, in fact, be no doubt that the state of the spinal column does have a bearing on the functional status of the internal organs.” - W. Kunert (Cardiologist) ⁷

Animal model experiments have confirmed that mechanical stimulation of vertebral (spinal) structures produces reflexes that influence heart function,^8,9 but the exact clinical effect of these reflexes remain unknown.

Asthma

Suffice to say that respiratory disorders are one of the most common non-musculoskeletal disorders for which people seek chiropractic care.

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that is characterized by difficulty in breathing. In a person with asthma, the airways narrow, requiring the person to breathe with more effort to move air in and out of the lungs. The narrowing is the result of inflammation of the tissues lining the walls of the airways, spasm of the smooth muscles and secretion of mucous into the airways. There are numerous factors that may cause this. They are not all well understood, and the factors are different for each patient.

Please view the asthma section for more information.

Pelvic Disorders / Dysmenorrhea

Speaking at an interdisciplinary research meeting for chiropractors and physicians in London in 1987, John O’Brien an English orthopaedic surgeon, observed that in his experience…

“…thousands of women would be spared hysterectomy operations each year if they first had a chiropractic assessment.” - John O’Brien, Medical Doctor/Orthopaedic Surgeon

He felt that the true cause of their problem was often referred pain from the lumbar spine that could have been successfully treated with chiropractic care.

A variety of urological, gynaecological, sexual and bowel disorders may be managed successfully under chiropractic care. Interestingly, with respect to dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation) researchers have demonstrated a decrease in prostaglandin levels after chiropractic manipulation in women with this condition. This appears to be reason for clinical success with such patients.¹⁰

There is a great reference book for those suffering any pelvic pain - "Headache in the pelvis".

References

Fitz-Ritson, D. (1991) Assessment of cervicogenic vertigo. J. Manip. Physiol. Ther. 14: 193-198.
Bracher, E., Bleggi, C., Almeida, C. et al. (1999) A combined approach for the treatment of cervical vertigo. Proceedings of the 5th Biennial Congress of the World Federation of Chiropractic. P154-155.
Lewit, K. (1991) Manipulative therapy and rehabilitation of the locomotor system. 2nd ed. Oxford, England: Butterworth-Heineman. p273.
Lewit, K. (1975) Ein fall von auftahrunfall. Manuelle Medizin. 13: 71.
Rychlikova, E. (1975) Schmerzenim gallonblazan bereich auf grund vertebragener storungen. Deutsches Gesundheitswesen. 29: 2092.
Pikalov, A.A., Vyatcheslav, V.K. (1994) Use of spinal manipulative therapy in the treatment of duodenal ulcer: a pilot study. J. Manip. Physiol. Ther. 17: 310-313.
Kunert, W. (1965) Functional disorders of internal organs due to vertebral lesions. CIBA Symposium. Bonn: University Medical Polyclinic. 13 (3).
Sato, A. & Swenson, R.S. (1984) Sympathetic nervous system response to mechanical stress of the spinal column in rats. J. Manip. Physiol. Ther. 7: 141-147.
Budgell, B, Hotta, H, Sato, A. (1995) Spinovisceral reflexes evoked by noxious and innocuous stimulation of the lumbar spine. JNMS 3: 122-131.
Kokjohn, K., Schmid, D.C. et al. (1992) The effect of spinal manipulation on pain and prostaglandin levels in women with primary dysmenorrhea. J. Manip. Physiol. Ther. 15: 279-285.

Crows Nest
3/124 Shirley Road, Crows Nest 2065
Sydney Australia
Tel: (02) 9966 0992
Fax: (02) 9460 7212

Norwest
2/23 Brookhollow Ave, Norwest 2153
Sydney Australia
Tel: (02) 9659 1711
Fax: (02) 9659 1609