From the March 1, 2012 issue of the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research comes a documented case study of a woman suffering with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) being helped with chiropractic. MS is a disease of the nervous system where the coverings, or sheaths, of the nerve cells are damaged thus slowing down or blocking messages between the brain and the body. This results in a wide variety of serious symptoms.
The study authors report that there were approximately 350,000 cases of MS in the United States by the end of the 20th century. The disease can occur at any age but is more likely to be seen in women between the ages of 20 and 40 years. The annual cost for MS in the United States is estimated to be $2.5 billion.
In this study a middle aged woman suffering from MS went to a chiropractor one week after being in an automobile accident. She was also suffering from neck pain, ringing in the ears, and right knee pain related to her accident. The woman also reported that her MS causes her to fall frequently due to balance problems. She reported having fallen and hitting her head two months prior to her chiropractic visit. Additionally she suffered from persistent numbness related to her MS.
A chiropractic examination was performed which included palpation, postural analysis, leg length analysis, thermographic studies and postural x-rays. The examination showed the presence of spinal subluxations and a specific course of chiropractic adjustments was initiated.
By the eleventh visit the patient reported an 80% reduction of her neck pain. She also reported a 60% reduction in her numbness, a 60% reduction in her fatigue, as well as a 50% improvement in her balance. The study also reported that by the patient’s 20th visit she stated that her neck pain had improved 90%, numbness had improved 70%, and fatigue had improved 90% since her initial visit. Her reported improvement continued as she eventually noted a 90% reduction in balance problems.
In their discussion, the authors of the study stated, “Positive outcomes using chiropractic treatment for neck pain has been considerably documented in the literature while chiropractic management for MS symptoms has minimally been documented.”
In discussing the possible relationship between MS as an immune issue and spinal subluxation, the authors explain, “Chiropractic theory hypothesizes that removing the nervous system interference with spinal adjustments can help the correction of immune system dysfunction. It is believed that an abnormally functioning nerve which is either hyperactive or hypoactive returns to normal function upon proper stimulation. It is also believed that a spinal adjustment to correct a subluxation can eliminate these adverse effects.”