Resolution of Sleep and Anxiety Disorder Following Reduction of Vertebral Subluxations

The title above comes from a study published in the November 15, 2022, issue of the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. The study documents the resolution of sleep and anxiety issues in a patient who is under chiropractic care for the correction of vertebral subluxations.

The study begins by noting the seriousness of sleep issues by saying, "Chronic sleep insufficiency affects a third of Americans and is a recognized detractor to optimal human health and performance." The author continues, "It is associated with multiple serious adverse health and social outcomes, negative impacts on mental health and functioning, and decreased health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). Chronic sleep disorders have been linked to seven of the fifteen leading causes of death..."

In this case, a 28-year-old woman went to the chiropractor seeking help for headaches and lower back pain. In addition, she was also suffering from sleep disorders and anxiety. The examination she received included chiropractic subluxation-specific procedures as well as a HAM-A survey and a PSQI questionnaire. The HAM-A (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale) is a psychological questionnaire used by clinicians to rate the severity of a patient's anxiety. The PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) is a self-rated questionnaire which assesses sleep quality and disturbances over a 1-month time interval.

The focus of chiropractic care was to determine the presence of subluxations. Once it was established that subluxations were present, specific forms of chiropractic care were utilized to make corrections to the subluxations. Follow-up testing for subluxations was performed along with second HAM-A and PSQI evaluations were done to objectively measure any changes the woman had as a result of the chiropractic care.

The results, as reported in this study, showed that the subluxations were being corrected. Additionally, the woman reported improvements in the symptoms that brought her to the chiropractor. There was also documented improvement in both the woman's sleep issues and her anxiety. The study states, "The patient also demonstrated marked reduction of sleep disorder as measured by Global PSQI score (from an initial score of 16 to an improved score of 3) and marked reduction of anxiety disorder (from an initial score of 28 to an improved score of 10) after three months of consistent chiropractic care."

In the conclusion of this study, the author summed up the results and noted the important role chiropractic can play for issues involving sleep and anxiety. "The data presented herein describe concurrent correction or reduction of vertebral subluxation with resolution of sleeping disorder as well as anxiety disorder. These findings suggest the utility of chiropractic care, delivered to correct or reduce vertebral subluxation, for restoration of normal sleep function and resolution or improvement of associated mental health symptoms."