Pain with No Medical Cause Helped by Chiropractic
The Journal of Pediatric,
Maternal & Family Health published a case study on March 9,
2017, describing a patient who was having severe pain with
no medical reason being found. The patient was referred to a
psychiatrist but instead went to a chiropractor where she
found relief.
The study begins by pointing out
that throughout the history of chiropractic, many patients who
found help under chiropractic were prior medical failures.
The authors stated, "In more than a century of the
chiropractic profession, anecdotes and testimonials are
replete with describing the success of chiropractic care in
patients with a history of non-responsiveness to medical
care."
In many cases where no medical
reason for pain can be found, the patient is often sent for
psychiatric evaluation and told they have conditions such as
conversion disorder or hysteria, or simply told that their
problem is "all in your head." The patient in this case
study fits this category.
In this case, a 16-year-old girl
went to the chiropractor with her parents consent. Two days
earlier, she had suffered an injury while throwing a discus.
She reported that she heard and felt a "rip" upon release of
the discus. She immediately felt a severe stabbing burning
pain across her shoulders and lower neck. She rated the pain
as a 10 out of 10 using a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 being the
worst pain. Within 40 minutes, she reported that her left arm
went numb and weak.
No chiropractic care was
rendered at the time of her first visit and the girl went to
an orthopedic specialist for further evaluation. She
remained in a hospital for 8 days during which time an
orthopedic evaluation was performed. This included an MRI
which showed no findings. Because the the orthopedic tests
did not find a reason for her pain, and because she had a
past history of depression, the girl was discharged from the
hospital and referred to a psychiatrist for evaluation.
After 11 additional days, she returned to the chiropractor
and chiropractic care was started.
Following her first chiropractic
adjustment, the girl reported a 50% increased muscle strength
within 1 hour of her visit. By her 4th visit, she
reported that she had regained normal use of her left arm.
However, she continued to experience neck pain and
stiffness. By the sixth visit, her pain was gone and her
full range of motion had returned.
Approximately 5 months later,
the girl reported another injury after being hit on the head
with a basketball. From this injury, she started to
experience some of her initial symptoms, but not as severe.
After one adjustment, the girl reported a complete recovery
from her symptoms.
In their conclusion, the authors
summed up this case by saying, "This case report described
the successful chiropractic care of a teenager with
vertebral subluxations and signs and symptoms not congruent
with objective outcome measures. Such patients may benefit
from chiropractic care despite the lack of positive medical
testing to inform medical care."
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