Recent research reported in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research on an infertile woman with amenorrhea reveals that chiropractic may play an important role in managing these patients. The literature included supports the role of chiropractic in those suffering from the related health challenges and calls for more research in this area.
Research is revealing that minor disturbances to spinal alignment and function may be a factor in several disorders. These disturbances lead to nerve interference and can result in a host of disorders such as infertility, amenorrhea and related reproductive disorders. Other chiropractic researchers have reported on similar results and reviews of the scientific research reveal other studies that have shown a similar connection.
“It makes a lot of sense when you think about it” stated Dr. Matthew McCoy a chiropractor, public health researcher and editor of the journal that published the study, “If you damage or compress or otherwise interfere with the neurological structures in the spine this can have far reaching implications on the functioning of the body. Through research reports like this we are finding that correcting the misalignments and abnormal motion associated with these spinal problems reduces the nerve interference and people improve. In this case, it was a woman experiencing amenorrhea who could not get pregnant.”
According to researchers the nervous system controls and coordinates all functions of the body and structural shifts in the spine can occur that obstruct the nerves and interfere with their function. By removing the structural shifts, chiropractic improves nerve supply and function.
The 29-year-old woman in this study had been diagnosed with secondary amenorrhea and she was not having periods. She also had jaw pain and mid back pain. She and her husband had been trying to get pregnant with no success. She also tried nutritional supplements to help improve her chances of conceiving.
The chiropractor examined her and found structural shifts in her neck, midback, low back, and sacrum. Range of motion, x-rays, and other testing confirmed the findings. These structural shifts can lead to obstruction of the nerves and it is this obstruction, called vertebral subluxations, that chiropractors correct.
Following chiropractic adjustments, she began to experience normal menstrual cycles and was able to get pregnant. Her jaw pain and mid back pain resolved.
The study’s author called for additional research to investigate the clinical implications of chiropractic in this population.
To learn more about this study and chiropractic research visit, Vertebral Subluxation Research.
