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Chiropractic Improves Inflammation in Chronic Low Back Pain (Study)

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Reduced Inflammatory Blood Markers Of Chronic Low Back Pain man with chronic back pain gets reliefSufferers with 2 Weeks of Chiropractic Treatment

A Very Interesting Study that found a short, 2 week course of chiropractic adjustments to the lower back reduced inflammatory blood markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP)  in people suffering from chronic low back pain.

Chronic pain conditions are generally much more difficult to treat, but even within this short 2 week trial the people began to normalize blood markers of inflammation with chiropractic care.

This is despite the fact that chiropractors help restore normal function, not really the treatment of pain for which Chiropractors are so well known.

Chiropractic treatment is meant to improve the dysfunction that is causing pain rather than treating the pain itself.
Alternatively, many medications are meant to treat pain and/or inflammation itself. Chiropractic and pharmacology both use a different approach and both can help pain… just in different ways.
So what’s the deal with inflammation in the body? How can it be measured?

The lab markers, CRP and IL-6, indicate inflammation in the body.

C-reactive protein is the more commonly used inflammatory marker that is also a cause of inflammation.

Elevation of CRP is seen in virtually all inflammatory conditions.  

Even if you have no symptoms, elevated CRP levels may signal an increased risk for practically all degenerative disorders, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and other serious problems.

Generally the higher the level, the higher the risk of these serious health problems.

IL-6 is less frequently used and more of a marker of acute (recent) inflammation.

A medication, Tocilizumab, blocks the action of IL-6 and is prescribed to some patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to reduce inflammation and slow the progression of joint destruction. I mention this as an example to illustrate medical treatment specific to reducing IL-6.

General Importance of These Inflammatory Markers

They are often measured in people with various types of arthritis, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease among other health problems.
Of particular note is that inflammation is considered a significant driving factor in heart disease and seen as particularly important in the atherosclerotic process.
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity all over the world. These include coronary heart disease/coronary arterial disease (seen with atherosclerosis), congestive heart failure, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and carotid artery disease.

Is Chiropractic Anti-Inflammatory?

The study mentioned above demonstrated positive changes in blood markers of inflammation with 2 weeks of chiropractic care.
Chiropractic has been shown to help many neuro-musculoskeletal conditions ranging from neck pain, back pain, to headaches, and much more.
It would be interesting to see if a long term study would result in long term reductions in these inflammatory markers because of their importance in so many disease processes.
It’s not possible to know with this study because of it’s short 2 week period of investigation.
It’s also not possible to know the long term positive effects of reducing the body’s inflammation in this way without further research.
It is generally recognized that inflammation drives many diseases as mentioned above and that reducing higher levels of inflammation is generally believed to be beneficial and this is one of the reasons that this study is interesting.
It would appear to make sense to see a chiropractor if you are suffering from chronic pain and inflammation.
Often people see excellent improvement in their pain and other symptoms when they come in for treatment. This study might explain some of the reasons why so many people see chiropractors for inflammation/pain.

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Contact Us: Email Us or call 903-793-1084.

Inflammatory response following a short-term course of chiropractic treatment in subjects with and without chronic low back pain

J Chiropr Med. 2010 Sep; 9(3): 107–114. Richard A. Roy,a,b Jean P. Boucher,c and Alain S. Comtoisd,⁎

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3188345/

 

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