A study done in the Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy looked at whether cervical manipulation affected pain perception.  Specifically, they tested pre and post blood levels of 4 neuropeptides related to pain perception (oxytocin, neurotensin, orexin A, and cortisol) on 28 female subjects with non-specific mechanical neck pain.  There was a sham cervical spinal manipulation group and a sham group which showed significant differences in the blood serum levels of the hormones previously listed following the manipulation/sham. This blog will discuss the findings and what that means in regard to how manipulation can impact pain.

Let’s very briefly describe what each of the neuropeptides tested does.  Oxytocin has been coined the love or feel good hormone, neurotensin deals with analgesia, increasing locomotor activity and relates to dopamine regulation pathways, orexin A is related to wakefulness, and cortisol is a stress hormone.  So, all but cortisol are hormones that with increased blood serum amounts will decrease pain perception. The study found that the spinal manipulation group had significantly higher levels of oxytocin, neurotensin, and orexin A immediately following treatment.  The cortisol levels showed no significant difference between the manipulation and sham groups. 

These results demonstrate that spinal manipulation has immediate effects on pain perception hormones.  Spinal manipulation decreases pain perception by mechanical stimulation. Not only can joint manipulations affect the overall movement quality but on a hormonal level it can decrease our pain perception.  This paired with research proven conclusions that manipulation is safe and effective is all the more reason to seek chiropractic care for musculoskeletal issues.  

A question that always seems to follow results like this study is ‘how long do the decreased pain perception effects last?’  That is incredibly challenging to answer. Each person and each case is different, there is no straight answer. However, we do know that addressing the root of the problem and not merely chasing pain symptoms will better solve the issue and prevent recurrences from happening in the future.  The doctors at Elite Sport and Spine take the time to find the root of the problem, treat it, and educate patients along the way empowering them to take control of their health. So, if you or someone you know is experiencing muscle or joint pain set up an appointment with us to get to the root of it.

• A link to the article referenced can be found below:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30935335