No Pain, No Gain from Chiropractic Care

You’ve probably heard the phrase “no pain, no gain” used to describe the wonderful results that come from a brief moment of pain. But for the purposes of this blog, we wanted to add a little spin to it. The common misconception is that you need to be in some sort of pain or discomfort in order to benefit from chiropractic care. Simply put: No pain, no gain from chiropractic care. However, that is far from the truth. Everyone can benefit from chiropractic care, with or without pain.

Benefits of Ongoing Treatment from Chiropractors

A 2004 literature review showed that many individuals continue to reap the benefits of ongoing chiropractic care, even in the absence of pain.

Here are some of the following results from the review:  

A group of pain-free individuals were given spinal adjustments to their cervical spine (neck). As a result, the individuals experienced an overall improvement in neck motion, especially in lateral flexion (ear-to-shoulder). The motions were also symmetrical on both sides after the adjustment.

GAIN: IMPROVED MOTION.       

Individuals were given spinal adjustments to their lower lumbar spine (low back) to assess strength of quadriceps muscles before and after adjustments. It’s important to note that the individuals in this study have no prior history of diagnosed low back injury (including disc herniation, sprain/strain). After the adjustment, there was a marked increase in strength within the quadriceps muscles after a lower back adjustment.

GAIN: IMPROVED STRENGTH.         

A group of healthy individuals were given spinal adjustments to their lower back to assess the influence on the immune system. Results showed the adjustments stimulated/improved the function of the immune system. A following study assessed the same thing after adjustments to the mid/upper back and showed that chiropractic adjustments effected cells involved in immune responses.

GAIN: IMPROVED IMMUNE SYSTEM.          

Follow up studies to those specific to the immune system also showed the benefit of chiropractic adjustments in controlling salivary cortisol levels. This means that after an adjustment, healthy individuals saw improvements in stress levels within the body.

GAIN: REDUCE STRESS.          

In a group that was considered “normal and healthy”, neck adjustments were elicited to each individual to see the benefits on blood pressure. Even in normal/healthy individuals, blood pressure was significantly improved, which not only notes the preventative nature of chiropractic adjustments, but also shows the relation of neck problems to heart problems. Another study showed that neck adjustments improved/reduced heart rate in individuals, which can reduce risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases.

GAIN: IMPROVED HEART HEALTH.          

A group of healthy individuals were given adjustments in the upper neck region. Lung volume and lung performance were assessed before and after the adjustments. The results showed a significant improvement in lung function after a neck adjustment was administered.

GAIN: IMPROVED BREATHING.      

A study done on healthy, non-injured athletes assessed the impact that adjustments had on athlete performance. After spinal adjustments were administered, improvements in agility, balance, proprioception, power, speed, muscle strength, and jumping distance, to name a few.

GAIN: IMPROVED ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE.

Cognitive function was improved with neck adjustments in healthy individuals as well. This included functions such as attention, memory, processing speed, information processing accuracy, and general cognitive function.

GAIN: IMPROVED BRAIN FUNCTION.

No Pain Does Not Mean No Interference in Your Nervous System

The list of studies continues on, but what’s important is that THESE WERE ALL HEALTHY/NORMAL individuals. Chiropractic adjustments still showed significant benefits in a lot of major functions, especially without any indication of pain. Spinal subluxations (misalignments) are a huge culprit in interfering with the nervous system, and consequently interrupting a lot of the major functions in the body.

Chiropractic care definitely plays a role in improving pain, which is often the reason why people seek care in the first place. However, as we can see from the results above, it’s best you get checked even before pain presents itself, so that your body can function to its full capacity. You deserve to be at your best, and your Mississauga Chiropractors are here to help remove the interferences that are stopping you. Do not hesitate to contact us at (905) 821-4951. You’ve got so much to gain! 

Reference: 
Hammon, Sean. Objective Physiological Changes and Associated Health Benefits of Chiropractic Adjustments in Asymptomatic Patients: A Review of Literature. J Vert Sublux Res: 2004 (Apr 26): Online access only p. 1-9