Lower Blood Pressure With A Neck Adjustment

A simple chiropractic adjustment could reduce your blood pressure. In a trial conducted at the Rush University Hypertension Center in Chicago, a group of 50 patients received either an adjustment to the upper cervical vertebra, known as the atlas, or a sham procedure designed to imitate the real thing but produce no benefit. Those who received the real adjustment had an average decrease of 17 points in their systolic blood pressure (the upper number) and 10 points diastolic (the lower number). These results are similar to what can be achieved by typical two-drug combination therapy for hypertension. The decrease in blood pressure lasted for at least the eight weeks of followup in the study.

These researchers said that they didn’t know how the adjustment worked, but patients who received an adjustment of the atlas for other reasons had spontaneously reported a decrease in blood pressure. The effect likely is due to the fact that so many parts of the nervous system and cardiovascular system are packed together at that point in the neck. The atlas is the uppermost vertebra, and is held in place by soft tissue such as ligaments and muscles instead of being interlocked with other vertebrae the way all the others are.

You can check yourself to see if a misaligned atlas could be causing your high blood pressure. Simply lie on your back on a hard surface like a wood or tile floor in bare feet. Ask a companion to compare the position of your heels. If they’re even, then the atlas isn’t out of alignment. If they’re uneven, then your companion should watch what happens to your heels as you turn your head from side to side. If their relative position changes as your head moves, then the atlas is out of alignment and an adjustment could help.

If you do choose to try a chiropractic adjustment, and you’re already taking medication for your blood pressure, make sure your physician knows what you’re planning and can adapt your dosage as necessary.