Abstract
M.Tech.
Background: Chiropractic spinal adjustment therapy has been
shown to be an effective treatment for pain as well as many somatic,
visceral and systematic complaints. Its use in the treatment of stress,
however, remains speculative. Stress is a normal and healthy human
response, but it is detrimental to health in excessive amounts. Salivary
cortisol is an effective, accurate indicator of the stress response system.
Objective: To determine whether thoracic spine Chiropractic adjustment
therapy has any direct effect on salivary cortisol levels and subjective
stress tests in subjects who rated themselves as having high levels of
stress.
Methods: Thirty-one participants, who reported having subjective high
stress levels, comprising of male and female adults completed the trial,
which was designed as a cross-over study. They were divided into two
groups. Groups 1 and 2 delivered saliva samples and completed
subjective stress questionnaires. Group 1 was then treated with thoracic
spinal adjustment therapy for three weeks whilst Group 2 received no
intervention. Both groups repeated the tests at the three-week interval.
Thereafter, Group 2 received three weeks of the same spinal adjustment
therapy, whilst Group 1 received no intervention. Again, both groups
repeated the tests at the end of this second three-week interval. All tests
were completed at the same time of day for each participant. Salivary
cortisol was measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELIZA). The
stress questionnaire was recoded and analysed with descriptive statistics.
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Results: Chiropractic spinal adjustment therapy resulted in a statistically
significant decrease in subjective stress levels. It did not, however,
significantly change salivary cortisol levels.
Conclusion: This study has shown that Chiropractic spinal adjustment
therapy does not significantly change salivary cortisol levels, but is
successful in lowering subjective stress levels over time. It is concluded
that Chiropractic plays a role in the reduction of the subjective experience
of stress.