Chiropractic Adjustments Improve Motor Function in People with Stroke According to Study

A study published on May 21, 2021, in the journal Brain Science showed that people who had suffered stroke had improved motor function after 4 weeks when chiropractic was added to their regime of physical therapy. The journal Brain Science is one of the scientific journals published by the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) based in Basel, Switzerland.

The multiple authors of this study begin by noting the impact that stroke can have on an individual's quality of life. "Stroke can result in persistent impairments of structure and function, which can lead to limitations of activity and a negative impact on quality of life. Due to long term disability, many stroke survivors are dependent on their caregivers for assistance with activities of daily life, such as dressing, bathing, and toileting, which imposes an additional burden on society. Regaining lost motor function is critical to post-stroke recovery."

In explaining the reason for studying chiropractic care for stroke victims, the authors explain, "Chiropractic care has the potential to facilitate motor recovery in stroke survivors due to its influence on the central nervous system. Chiropractic care constitutes a holistic approach to health, with a focus on the identification and correction of central segmental motor control (CSMC) problems that chiropractors often call vertebral subluxations."

This study was a randomized controlled trial conducted at the Rehabilitation Center of Railway General Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The patients in this study were from the Railway General Hospital database who had experienced a stroke at least 12 weeks prior to participation in this study. All participants had completed a rehabilitative program at the hospital.

Participants were all measured for motor function prior to the study so that subsequent tests could determine if there was a change. The participants were divided into two groups. One group received physical therapy plus chiropractic adjustments, while the other group received physical therapy and sham chiropractic. Sham chiropractic is when a procedure is done that seems like a chiropractic adjustment, but no actual adjustment is given.

These two groups were then compared for motor function after four weeks of the care. The motor function analysis was measured using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment scale, which is a highly reliable and valid performance-based impairment scale that is used to measure recovery after a stroke.

Fifty-five participants completed the 4-week assessment. There were no adverse events or reports of harm to any of the participants during the study.

The results showed that there was a "statistically significant" improvement in motor function as measured by the Fugl-Meyer Assessment scale, in the group that received chiropractic care with physical therapy, compared to the group that got physical therapy and the sham or fake chiropractic adjustments.

The authors of the study wrote in their conclusion, "Improvements in motor function were observed when chiropractic care was added to 4 weeks of physical therapy care in people with subacute or chronic stroke. These improvements were statistically significant and a post-hoc responder analysis suggested they were also likely to be clinically significant. Chiropractic spinal adjustments may therefore be beneficial for people with motor impairments associated with subacute or chronic stroke."