Category: Activity

The Asian Pacific Chiropractic Journal published the results of a case study in their 2024 fourth-quarter journal that documented the improvement in the number and severity of seizures for an epileptic patient after receiving chiropractic care.

The Epilepsy Foundation defines epilepsy on their website by stating, “Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the world. If you have epilepsy, surges of electrical activity in your brain can cause recurring seizures.” They go on to explain, “Seizures are sudden surges of abnormal and excessive electrical activity in your brain and can affect how you appear or act. Where and how the seizure presents itself can have profound effects.”

In this case, a 24-year-old woman went to the chiropractor to see if she could get help with her epilepsy. At that time, the woman was having regular seizures that interfered with her daily life in a profound way. She had been diagnosed with epilepsy since birth when she was experiencing “extreme infantile spasms.”

The woman reported that her seizure frequency was impacting her ability to participate in most normal social activities. She also noted that her seizures prevented her from engaging in exercise and she could not gain employment due to her condition. The study reports that the woman felt that her life was completely controlled by her seizures.

The woman was on a number of medications to treat her condition. She felt that the medications she was given were excessive and that the side effects were often worse than the seizures. When she was about to suffer a seizure, the woman said that her eyes would feel heavy, her memory would become worse, and she would become very moody. She was encouraged by her medical professionals to accept her health situation saying that her condition was probably “as good as it gets.”

A comprehensive examination and spinal x-rays showed multiple vertebral subluxations and a reversal of normal neck curvature. With these findings, regular specific chiropractic adjustments were started. Due to the seriousness of her condition and how the seizures were affecting all areas of her life, the woman was seen three times per week in the beginning of her chiropractic care. She was periodically re-evaluated to monitor her progress.

The study records that, as a result of her chiropractic care, the seizures discontinued. The only times that the seizures would reoccur was when she was traveling with her mother for extended periods of time and was unable to receive her chiropractic adjustments. During those breaks from care, her seizures were still less frequent and less severe.

As the woman continued with her chiropractic care on a less-frequent maintenance schedule, she was able to resume normal life activities. The study noted that the woman was able to go for walks and ride a bike. She could also now go for a swim, an activity she was previously afraid to do for fear of having a seizure and drowning. She stated that she was able to look for employment and for the first time she felt that she was able to take control of her life.

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published the results of a case study September 16, 2024, documenting the improvement of epileptic seizures and nystagmus in a child undergoing chiropractic care. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, “Nystagmus is a condition where the eyes move rapidly and uncontrollably.”

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describe epilepsy by stating, “Epilepsy is a chronic brain disorder in which groups of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain sometimes send the wrong signals and cause seizures.” They further explain that “During a seizure, many neurons send signals at the same time, much faster than normal. This surge of excessive electrical activity may cause involuntary movements, sensations, emotions, and/or behaviors.”

In this case, an 11-year-old boy was brought to the chiropractor. The boy was suffering with epileptic seizures and rapid side to side movements of his eyes. According to the boy’s mother, the seizures started a year and a half earlier. She reported that her son was having about six seizures each day with each of the seizures lasting about 10 to 15 seconds. The boy’s mother did not know how or why the seizures suddenly started and she could not identify any activity or events that would trigger the seizures. The boy was taking a daily medication which had little effect on his condition.

A chiropractic examination was performed with the focus being on spinal positioning and movement. From this examination, it was determined that multiple areas of vertebral subluxations were present. After consultation with and consent of the boy’s mother, a specific series of chiropractic adjustments was started.

After six chiropractic adjustments, the boy’s mother reported that she noticed a slight decrease in her son’s eye movements. By the 8th chiropractic visit, the boy’s seizures had decreased from 6 per day to only one per day. By the 14th chiropractic visit, the boy’s mother reported that her son had not had any seizures for the previous two weeks. By the 22nd visit, the boy’s seizures had decreased from 6 per day to only one per month.

In the study conclusion, the authors of this study stated, “This case described the outcomes experienced by a pediatric patient with a history of epileptic seizures undergoing chiropractic care.”

The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association published the results of a case study in their April 2023 issue that documented the improvement of a patient suffering with myofascial pain who had been diagnosed with Hirayama disease.

As described on the National Library of Medicine’s website, “Hirayama disease, a rare neurological disease, is characterized by insidious unilateral or bilateral muscular atrophy and weakness of the forearms…” This condition is also known as distal bimelic amyotrophy, and is rare but occurs more frequently in males. This condition typically causes muscular atrophy and weakness of the forearms and hands.

In this case, a 30-year-old U.S. veteran was referred by a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) physical medicine and rehabilitation physician to a VHA chiropractic clinic for neck pain and upper back tension. His history revealed that ten years ago, he began suffering with neck pain and hand weakness that limited his ability to complete his service duties. His condition got worse over the next two years until he finally had to be medically discharged from military. A neurosurgeon determined that the man was not a candidate for surgery and recommended conservative care. For the next eight years the veteran’s care consisted of physical medicine, a rehabilitation physician, psychologists, and occupational therapists.

Upon his first visit to the chiropractor, the man’s symptoms included neck and upper back pain which he rated as a 4 out of 10, with 10 being the worst. He also reported bilateral upper extremity weakness, atrophy, and muscle fatigue which was made worse by aerobic activity and cold weather. He also reported that he had a “clumsiness of his hands” and would commonly drop things and had a loss of dexterity.

After an examination, chiropractic care and specific exercises were started. After several weeks of care, the man reported that he had felt moderate improvement. He reported that his pain had gone from a 4 out of 10 down to zero. Additionally, his neck disability had improved from a 28% disability, down to just 10% as measured by the numeric pain rating scale. The study reports that the man experienced an improvement in his quality of life and there were no adverse reactions or events from his chiropractic care.

In response to this study, Dr. Robert Braile, a chiropractor for over 45 years and past president of the International Chiropractors Association, commented, “People with rare and serious conditions should be encouraged to seek chiropractic care.” Dr. Braile further explains, “It’s not that chiropractic treats those types of conditions, but rather that chiropractic removed interference from the body’s nervous system thus allowing the patient own amazing healing abilities to address a wide variety of health problems.”

A study published on February 25, 2019, in Nature’s Scientific Reports, showed that even a single chiropractic adjustment showed an increase in strength in stoke victims. According to the researchers, “The objective of this study was to investigate whether a single session of chiropractic care could increase strength in weak plantar flexor muscles in chronic stroke patients.”

Plantar flexion occurs when you point your toes such as when standing on your toes. Researchers can measure plantar flexion by measuring the V-waves and H-reflexes of the soleus muscle. The soleus muscle is more commonly known as the calf muscle and is the powerful muscle at the back of your lower leg. In many stroke victims, these muscles are affected making walking and daily activity very difficult. Any procedure or therapy that can help to strengthen these muscle will dramatically improve the quality of life of a stroke victim.

The study begins by pointing out the impact that stoke has on our society. The authors note, “Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world. It is estimated that 17 million people per year suffer from a significant stroke worldwide, with 5 million of those people experiencing long term physical disability following the stroke.” They continued, “Stroke often results in prolonged physical, emotional, social and financial consequences for stroke survivors, family, friends, and caregivers.”

The study was conducted at Railway General Hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Railway General Hospital is a teaching hospital run by Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan. The data was collected and tabulated by a team of researchers from the Centre for Chiropractic Research at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic.

In this study, 12 chronic stroke patients were tested for soleus muscle activity by measuring their V-waves and H-reflexes. All 12 of the participants were initially tested for their V-waves and H-reflexes of their soleus muscles. The participants were then separated into two groups. One group would receive a single chiropractic adjustment to an area where a subluxation was determined to be present. The other group got a controlled passive movement intervention. A follow-up measurement was taken immediately after the chiropractic adjustment and the controlled procedure. Another follow-up measurement was take on all subjects seven days later after all participants had received the controlled passive movement.

The group that received a single chiropractic adjustment showed an average improvement in the testing of 64% compared to the group that only got the controlled procedure. The researchers stated, “The key findings in this study were that in a group of chronic stroke patients, with lower limb muscle weakness, plantarflexion muscle strength increased on average by 64.2% following a chiropractic care session.” They concluded, “Plantar flexor muscle strength increased in chronic stroke patients after a single session of chiropractic care.”

A case study was published in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics November 2018 issue that documented the improvement and eventual resolution of bedwetting in a little girl as a result of chiropractic care. The technical name for bedwetting at night is nocturnal enuresis.

According to this study, “Nocturnal enuresis can be defined by the involuntary loss of urine during sleep, without organic disease at a developmental age of 5 years or older.” Nocturnal enuresis is more common in younger children but can be present as a child grows older. The prevalence shows that this condition occurs in 15% to 20% of children of five years of age. It then decreases in prevalence to 5% of children of 10 years of age, and only 1% to 2% of children at age 15 years or older.

Common medical treatment involves medications or behavioral interventions. However, in many cases the problems re-occur when the medications are discontinued. Bedwetting can lead to a social and emotional stigma, a reduction in the quality of life, and can lead to self-esteem issues.

In this case, a mother brought her 10-year-old daughter to the chiropractor. The mother was seeking a second opinion to see if chiropractic could help her daughter with bedwetting that had been unsuccessfully treated both medically, and with behavioral modification. Prior to seeking a chiropractic evaluation, the young girl had never experienced a dry night. She had no history of traumas, accidents or other injuries. Due to her problem, the girl has been sleeping with pull-up diapers since age five.

A chiropractic examination was performed with the primary goal of looking to see if subluxations were present. According to the study authors, “In chiropractic, a vertebral subluxation is a biomechanical change in the spinal column that causes neurological dysfunction. The urinary bladder is supplied by both autonomic and somatic nerves emerging from the lumbopelvic region of the spine.” If there was a subluxation affecting the nerves that control the bladder, then correction of that subluxation could cause normal bladder function and the correction of the nocturnal enuresis.”

After obtaining informed consent from the girl’s mother, specific chiropractic care was started to address the subluxations that were determined to be present. The young girl was initially seen twice per week for four weeks, after which visits were reduced to once per week. The girl was asked to keep a diary of her progress so that she could monitor changes.

After the first week of chiropractic care, the girl reported two consecutive dry days. After her third chiropractic visit, the girl reported in her diary that she was no longer waking in the morning with fully wet pull-up diapers. After five chiropractic visits, she reported having four consecutive dry nights. The young girl was very pleased with her results as she was very happy and proud to show her bedwetting progress she had recorded in her diary. Between the girl’s 8th and 12th visit she did experience some minor setbacks due to family activity and stress. However, between her 12th and 14th visit, it was reported that she was totally dry, which represented the longest period of her life that she had experienced dry nights.

Long-term follow-ups of this girl’s case showed that she continued to remain free of nocturnal enuresis. This created a positive change in the girl’s mood and self-esteem. It was reported that she was able to participate in more frequent sleepovers with friends without the stress and fear of wetting the bed.

The Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research published a case study on April 5, 2018, documenting the reduction of epileptic absence seizures and self-aggression behavior in a male toddler following chiropractic care. This type of seizure is more common in children.

Absence seizures are a type of seizure where the victim can slip into a state of unaware staring. During this time, they are unresponsive and can seem to be staring off into space. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, Absence Seizures “…are a type of generalized onset seizures, meaning they begin in both sides of the brain at the same time. An older term is petit mal seizures. They begin and end abruptly, lasting only a few seconds. Absence seizures can be so brief they sometimes are mistaken for daydreaming and may not be detected for months.”

In this case, a 3-year-old baby boy was brought to a chiropractic teaching clinic by his parents for consultation and possible care. For the past two years, the boy had been suffering with absence seizures. When the boy was 1-year-old, his parents would find him staring into space. His parents would attempt to talk to him or snap their fingers in front of his face, but he would be non-responsive for 15-20 seconds. Once the seizure ended, the boy would just resume the activity he was doing prior to the event.

By the time the boy was 2-years-old, these seizures became more frequent and were happening about five times per day. After his second birthday, the seizures became more violent being described as, “…he began having clonic seizures where he would stare off and his arms would quickly jerk back and forth, bending at the elbows and going back and forth across his body for approximately 15-20 seconds.” At the conclusion of these seizures, the boy would once again resume his prior activity. When he began to talk, the episodes could interrupt him in mid-sentence. Afterward, he would just continue his sentence. It was reported that the boy was never aware of his seizures. As time went on, the boy started hitting himself in his head with his fists between 5 to 10 times per day.

A chiropractic examination was performed which included static and motion palpation of the spine and spinal musculature, as well as spinal thermal scans, and postural leg length checks. Based upon the examination, it was determined that there was a subluxation present at the first cervical vertebrae (C1) located at the top of the neck. With the consent of the parents, a specific chiropractic adjustment was given to the boy to address the C1 subluxation. Following the adjustment, rechecks of the initial exam finding were performed to verify that the adjustment was effective. The boy was scheduled to receive 2 adjustments per week for the following eight weeks.

After the first adjustment, the study records that the boy did not experience any seizures that day. Over the next two weeks, the number of seizures had reduced from five to only two per day. After eight weeks, the boy’s parents reported that their son was only having one absence seizure every other day. They also reported that their son was no longer hitting his head with his fists.

The authors of this study also reviewed additional studies on the subject of epileptic seizures and chiropractic care. They noted that numerous other studies also found similar results in patients with seizure problems. They commented that this study adds to the body of evidence supporting chiropractic care for patients suffering from seizures. “This case report provides supporting evidence on the effectiveness of chiropractic care in abating the frequency and intensity of epileptic seizures in infants.”

The July 20, 2017, issue of the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research published a case study documenting the resolution of seizures in a young man following chiropractic care. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, “A seizure is a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that usually affects how a person feels or acts for a short time.”

The study authors further explain seizures and their prevalence by noting. “Seizures can cause altered awareness, abnormal sensations, focal involuntary movements or convulsions. About 2% of adults have a seizure at some time during their life, and two-thirds of them have never experienced a seizure.”

The study points out that there is a difference between having seizures and having the condition of epilepsy. Epilepsy is a chronic brain disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. While those with epilepsy have seizures, not all those suffering with seizures have epilepsy.

There are several different types of seizures. The symptoms of seizures can vary with problems such as sudden unexplainable feelings of joy, anger, sadness, nausea, blinks, twitches, or unusual mouth movements. Additional symptoms of seizure can include staring into space, muscle twitches, stiffening of arms and legs, or a loss of consciousness.

In this case, a 20-year-old man went to the chiropractor for evaluation and management of symptoms related to his seizures. He had been experiencing the episodes of seizures, as well as anger and aggression, for the past 10 months. Additionally, he was having night tremors and was waking up multiple times per night. He also suffered from neck and lower back pain.

Two days earlier, he had been discharged from the hospital after having a series of tests including an MRI, EEG, blood work and lumbar puncture. He was discharged with no definitive diagnosis or result, and he was given prescriptions for multiple medications.

During a chiropractic examination, the man described a continuous aching, tightness and throbbing discomfort in the back of the neck. He described his pain as a 6 out of 10, with 10 being the worst. His lower back pain was continuous affecting him about 90% of the time. A posture analysis showed imbalances and muscle spasms were observed along his spine.

Thermography, surface EMG, spinal palpation and spinal x-rays lead to the conclusion of the presence of subluxations in the man’s spine. Adjustment of the spine to address the subluxations were started.

The study records that after the man’s first week of chiropractic adjustments, he reported that he no longer experienced any seizures. He also reported that he was sleeping better. By the 13th week of chiropractic care, he was doing so well that his neurologist took him off all his medications. In addition to the resolution of his seizures, the man noted a marked improvement in his neck and back pain.

In the conclusion of this study, the authors wrote, “This case demonstrates the resolution and successful chiropractic treatment of a 20-year-old patient with idiopathic seizures after one week of subluxation-based chiropractic care. The review of literature shows a group of case studies that have also shown a positive effect of chiropractic care as a treatment. The goal of subluxation-based chiropractic care is only for the removal of vertebral subluxations, which cause disturbances in the nervous system, and does not claim to be used as a treatment method for any illness, disease or disorder.”

The Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research published a case study on July 3, 2017, documenting the return of the sense of smell in a patient from chiropractic care. The loss of smell, medically called anosmia, was due to a primary central nervous system tumor.

The study author begins by explaining that central nervous system (CNS) tumors are space-occupying lesions that manifest as neoplasms (abnormal growths) of neuroepithelial tissue (stem cells of the nervous system). The incidence of CNS tumors is 20.59 cases per 100,000 people. These are the second most common form of childhood malignancy.

In this case, a 25-year-old man suffering from neck pain went to the chiropractor. His neck pain had started seven years earlier, but he did not recall an incident or injury that caused his problem. He reported that there was no activity or position that made his problem better, but that standing for long periods made him worse. Additionally, he reported tingling and weakness radiating into his right arm. He also was suffering with lower back pain, headaches, and dizziness.

An examination was performed. His vital signs were normal. It was noted that he was unable to detect certain types of smells or identify between them. A postural analysis showed uneven shoulders and hips. His neck range of motion was reduced in all directions. Additionally, palpation of the spine found multiple misalignments. A thermography study performed showed areas of uneven heat. Spinal x-rays of the man’s neck showed degeneration between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae.

An MRI of the patient’s neck showed a large tumor in the neck from the second to the seventh bone. His medical physician stated that he was probably born with it, and it should be monitored with future MRI scans.

A chiropractic determination was made that subluxation was present and could be addressed at the top of the spine, known as the atlas. Specific adjustments were applied to this bone as indicated by analysis.

A reassessment was performed five months into care. At that time, almost all testing had returned to normal or had greatly improved. The man reported that his neck pain, low back pain, headaches, and dizziness were all gone, and had been resolved since four months and seven days into his care. Additionally, the man was tested to see if there was any change in his sense of smell. The test showed that he had regained his ability to smell items normally, and to differentiate between them.

In his conclusion, the author noted that due to the rarity of this type of condition and the lack of larger studies, it is not possible to draw generalized conclusions about chiropractic and these conditions. “The patient’s perceived pain decreased as well as objective analysis of the symptoms secondary to the congenital tumor.” The author continued, “There is little to no research on chiropractic and its use for symptoms secondary to congenital tumors. This patient showed improvement but since this is a case study it is unknown whether these results could be reproduced.”