September 29, 2008
Spinal Manipulation Found To Decrease Menstrual Pain
By Paul
The results of recent clinical pilot study originally conceived and developed by two National College of Chiropractic students, Katrina Kokjohn, D.C., and Della Schmid, M.S., D.C., “ Pain and Prostaglandin Levels in Dysmenorrheic Women following Spinal Manipulation,” indicates that menstrual pain decreased significantly for those treated by spinal manipulation.
Patricia Brennan, Ph.D., dean of research at National College of Chiropractic supervised the research team responsible for the project.
The major funding for the pilot study came from the National College of Chiropractic, with support by a grant from the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research (FCER), and tertiary support from the Practice Consultants Clinical Research Center, which was established by the (FCER) through a grant from William Harris, D.C., to help foster scientific research in the profession.
While more testing is called for, the charlotte chiropractic center found that women, who received chiropractic treatment consisting of spinal manipulation, reported significant reductions in back pain and menstrual distress. A measurable reduction in the substance believed to be responsible for menstrual pain was also noted.
Each year, and estimated fifty percent of all women are affected by primary dysmennorrhea, or the presence of painful menstruation not attributed to an organic pelvic pathology. 100 million work hours are lost because of primary dysmenorrhea per year. This translates into a loss of more than $1 billion annually for employers.
Standard medical treatment relieves symptoms in 80 percent of all cases, but side effects can lead to more debilitating complaints that range from dizziness and stomach distress to abdominal bleeding and stomach ulcers.
Primary dysmenorrhea is believed to be caused by prostaglandins, a group of naturally occurring fatty acids found in various tissues that induce muscle contractions. Abnormally high levels of prostaglandin found in dysmenorrheic women during the first 48 hours of their menstrual cycle are thought to cause uterine contractions that result in pain. For this reason, both perceived pain and blood levels of prostaglandins were tested in this study.
On the first day of their period, the 38 women participating in the trial received either spinal manipulation or a “sham” adjustment that did not have a therapeutic effect on the spine. The women were asked to fill out a menstrual distress questionnaire and rate their pain on a visual analogue scale, and blood was drawn and tested both 5 minutes before treatment and 60 minutes after treatment.
The results of the questionnaires showed the greatest reduction in perceived pain among the women receiving spinal manipulation when compared to the women who received sham adjustments. Visual analogue scale scores indicated that both abdominal and back pain decreased almost twice as much in the spine manipulated group that will require further investigation. Whether or not these differences are scientifically significant can only be established through additional testing.
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