January 2024

• Resolution of Chronic Constipation with Chiropractic Care
• Severe Chronic Pain and Disability After Car Accident Helped by Chiropractic
• Infant with Cerebral Palsy Helped by Chiropractic
• Dizziness Helped by Chiropractic According to Study

The Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research published the results of a case study on January 2, 2024, that documented the resolution of chronic constipation under chiropractic care. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases describes this condition on their website as, "Constipation is a condition in which you may have fewer than three bowel movements a week; stools that are hard, dry, or lumpy; stools that are difficult or painful to pass; or a feeling that not all stool has passed."

The study authors report that in western civilizations constipation may affect up to 30% of the general population. They also note that the problem is more common in older populations. Older people in nursing homes can have the highest rates of constipation with numbers as high as 81%, according to one study.

In this case, a 54-year-old woman with a chief complaint of constipation went to the chiropractor. The woman reported that her bowel movements had become infrequent and hard to pass. She reported that she was having less than three bowel movements per week, and she felt a constant sense of bloating in her stomach. She did not have any associated pain from this problem. She had been suffering with these symptoms for the past 8 months. Her stools were hard and would only pass after prolonged straining. She had tried multiple over-the-counter medications and laxatives to limited effect.

A chiropractic examination was performed with the focus of locating the presence of any vertebral subluxations. Subluxations were located, and a course of chiropractic adjustments was started along with recommendations for dietary changes.

After one month of chiropractic care, the woman reported a complete resolution of her constipation. She reported that the frequency of her bowel movements had improved from less than three per week to at least once per day.

In summing up this case, the authors wrote, "Initially, the patient reported to have difficulty with bowel movements with a frequency of less than three per week. After the first month of care, the patient was able to regain bowel function; with a frequency of at least once per day." They continued in their conclusion by saying, "This case study demonstrated a reduction of symptoms pertaining to constipation after receiving chiropractic care. This case suggests the importance of conducting further research to demonstrate the effectiveness of chiropractic in co-managing patients suffering from constipation."

Automobile accidents are a common occurrence. The National Law Review ran an article on January 26, 2021, by attorney Richard P. Console, Jr. that stated, "Rear-end accidents are among the most common types of car accidents. They are also very dangerous. These accidents occur most often while one vehicle is stationary and the other is moving at high speed. Due to the nature of these crashes, accident victims rarely have the opportunity to make any evasive maneuvers or brace themselves for the impact."

Watching TV for any length of time will provide you with a variety of legal firm advertisements on the subject. While the general public sees many ads about the legal side of automobile accidents, there is little written about the human healthcare side of this issue. The following study deals with the human suffering, and healthcare side of this issue.

On December 20, 2023, the results of a case study were published in Cureus by Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation documenting the recovery under chiropractic care of a patient in chronic pain who was involved in a rear-impact automobile accident. In this case, a 39-year-old man who was the driver of a large pickup truck was stopped at an intersection. He was suddenly struck from behind by another large pickup truck. The man was totally surprised and reported that he was violently thrown forward against the seat belt and then violently thrown backward into the seat.

Emergency medical services arrived on the scene. The man reported having neck pain and a headache as a result of the accident. Over the next few hours, his symptoms became worse, so he went to the emergency room seeking help. At the ER, the doctors performed an examination, but no x-rays were taken. He was diagnosed as having a "cervical sprain/strain" and was sent home with a prescription for five different medications.

The patient was referred by his general practitioner for chiropractic care and rehabilitation. At the time of his first chiropractic visit, the man was suffering with a near constant migraine headache, significant lower back pain, and severe neck pain that was radiating down into his right shoulder and arm. He also reported numbness, tingling, and weakness in his right arm.

A chiropractic examination and x-rays were performed. Based upon the results of the examination, specific forms of chiropractic care were started. A re-assessment and examination were performed after 24 chiropractic visits and compared to his initial visit.

The man reported to be very pleased with the results of his chiropractic care. It was recorded that his migraine headaches were improved by 80%. His neck pain, and stiffness were improved by 80%. Additionally, he reported that his shoulder and right arm pain, numbness, and tingling were 70% improved. At that time the man also noted that his anxiety and irritability were also 80% improved from before he started chiropractic.

The positive results the man reported were also backed up by positive objective improvements found during his follow-up examination and on his improved spinal x-rays.

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published the results of a long-term case study on December 12, 2023, documenting the positive results of chiropractic care for an infant with Cerebral Palsy. This study followed the status of the child over a five-year period.

The study begins by explaining that "Cerebral palsy (CP) is known as a group of syndromes or symptoms rather than a disease all in itself, resulting from brain damage. It appears most commonly in infants of low birth weight and affects two to four of every 1,000 births." The authors note that CP is a non-progressive condition, caused by damage to the central nervous system. A variety of symptoms can occur from CP with the most common effects being altered motor function, a change in coordination, and developmental or learning delays.

Typical medical care for CP is to address the disabilities and developmental or learning delays. Some CP patients require braces, walkers, medication for seizures or other devices to help with disabilities. It is estimated that the average cost of caring for a CP patient over their lifetime is $921,000.

In this case, a 3.5-week-old male infant was brought to the chiropractor 10 days after having been released from the hospital. The baby boy was delivered at home 37 weeks into the mother's pregnancy with the assistance of a midwife. At birth, stained amniotic fluid was noticed, which can be indicative of a baby under stress due to a lack of blood and oxygen flow. The baby appeared to be blue and had a low heart rate. Emergency medical services (EMS) were called and arrived 30 minutes later.

The infant boy arrived at the hospital 70 minutes after birth. He was kept in the hospital for 18 days on 10 different medications. It was determined that the stained amniotic fluid was the cause of the infant's hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy leading to his cerebral palsy. It was later determined that the boy's blink reflex was not present, so he was considered legally blind. The parents were told that the prognosis for their son was poor as he might be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life and never able to walk, talk, or feed himself.

A thorough chiropractic examination was performed where it was noticed that many normal reflexes were missing. The examinations of the boy's spine revealed the presence of subluxations. Age and condition appropriate chiropractic adjustments were started. In addition to the chiropractic care, the boy was also receiving care from occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech therapists.

The initial progress for the boy was slow. However, as his care continued, the boy started to show improvement. At 16 months of age, the boy started walking and his speech started at 24 months of age. Chiropractic care continued for several years before a five-year update was made.

At five years of age, the study reports that the boy had only minor visual signs of cerebral palsy. The boy could walk with some noticeable gait irregularities. His vision was now normal. He was able to speak with a minor impairment. He was also in a pre-school for mentally challenged children because of his developmental delays. He could also run and play with his brother and sisters.

In summing up this case, the authors of this study stated, "Chiropractic care with co-management in this case produced positive outcomes in the development of this patient's childhood milestones and quality of life." They also added, "Thankfully this patient's parents were dedicated to doing everything they could to help him lead as normal a life as possible and he is not wheelchair bound. This child is living a much greater quality of life than he was originally told he would; he was a lively five-year-old, not a wheelchair-bound child."

The Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic published the results of a case series on December 14, 2023, documenting chiropractic care helping to alleviate dizziness in a series of patients. Each of the people in this study had been suffering from significant dizziness for at least three months.

The study begins by noting that dizziness is the most common complaint that brings people aged 75 and above to see their doctor. They also report that medical care for dizziness can vary and commonly relies on several medications for a variety of non-specific diagnoses. The authors point out that one study showed that half of the people medically treated for dizziness still had significant dizziness related impairment ten years later.

This case series reviewed the records of 8 patients who were suffering with severe dizziness for a minimum of three months. Six of these patients had been diagnosed with chronic dizziness by neurologists, one by a general practitioner, and the remaining patient had been to a number of specialists.

Each of the people in this study filled out a "Dizziness Handicap Inventory" (DHI) prior to their initial chiropractic examination. A DHI is a comprehensive objective dizziness form used to measure the self-perceived level of handicap from dizziness. All 8 patients were then again asked to fill out another DHI after 30 days of chiropractic care.

All 8 patients received a physical and chiropractic examination which included neurological testing, spinal palpation, supine leg-length inequality testing, a postural analysis, and neck x-rays. Based upon the examinations, specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were given to address misalignments (subluxations) in the upper necks of the patients in this study. All 8 patients received specific chiropractic care and some form of specific rehabilitative exercise of maneuver.

The results of the care as measured by the 30-day follow-up DHI form showed that all participants had improved with their dizziness. The highest level of improvement after just 30 days of chiropractic care was 92.11% while the lowest level of improvement in 30 days was 28.57%. On average, the group showed a 67.18% level of improvement after only 30 days of chiropractic care.

The authors of the study commented, "The purpose of this retrospective case series is to document the objective improvement in 8 patients with differing forms of dizziness while undergoing chiropractic intervention…" In summing up their results, the authors reported that, "All cases were re-examined at 30 days and found to have subjective and objective improvement with their DHI scores decreasing significantly."