The brain and the spine. They’re connected. They
are connected more intimately than any of us realize
as we go about our daily lives. The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR keeps this connection top-of-mind as we take care of our Colorado Springs back
pain sufferers’ spines and pay attention to their stories of
pain and ways of coping. Colorado Springs chiropractic care at The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR
respects the brain and spine connection and implement gentle, safe
chiropractic services incorporating spinal manipulation to ease
pain affecting both.
BRAIN CHANGES IN Colorado Springs BACK PAIN
Pain changes the brain. A person in pain feels
it. Special tests today can show it. BOLD (blood oxygen level
dependent) responses were analyzed after stimulating lumbar spinous
processes with manipulation and exhibited activity in the
secondary somatosensory cortex, cerebellum and other brain areas. (1) Motor cortex stimulation provokes a spinal
anti-inflammatory response to reduce pain. (2) Depression,
anxiety, cognitive deficits often come with chronic
constriction of the sciatic nerve as a result of its effect
on the medial prefrontal cortex. (3)
Spinal manipulation may be a means to address the
brain changes in chronic pain and its related issues.
SHORT TERM STIMULATION’S EFFECT ON BRAIN
Stimulating the brain even for a short time may impact
the pain experience. A recent study on Euclidean distance between
cortical sources and temporal dynamics of plastic changes in the somatosensory
cortex of the brain had even your Colorado Springs chiropractor’s head
spinning a bit! What a topic! Without having to grasp
all these terms and measurements discussed in the study, know that
the study shared that the brain, even the adult brain, is pliable.
Certainly, the young brain in
development is most malleable, but with the appropriate
input, the older, adult brain can change. The researchers in
this study took measurements
before and after stimulation and compared them on MRI. They saw
a difference. More research should be done, but they did explain
that long term experience establishes cortical organization while
occasional, new and different stimulation can induce
cortical reorganization of the adult brain. Such changes have been seen
in musicians, Braille readers, and persons after spinal manipulation and stroke
rehab. (4) This understanding of the brain
contributes to the Colorado Springs chiropractic treatment
plan!
BRAIN CHANGES WITH CHRONIC PAIN
Just how is the chiropractic treatment plan affected
with such information of the brain? Let us start
by examining the brain with chronic pain. The two brain regions that encode the
intensity of painful stimuli and add to the overall
experience of chronic pain are the primary somatosensory cortex and posterior
insular cortex. (5) The cortex of the brain was discovered to be
thinner in chronic low back pain patients. After treatment, the
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is thicker. To the researchers, this implied
that treating chronic pain can reestablish normal
brain functions. (6) The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR takes care of Colorado Springs back pain patients all day long. It is amazing to think
that treatment might alter more than the pain response
alone!
CONTACT The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR
Listen to this PODCAST
by Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
defines more clearly the brain and spine and pain
connection, describes in more depth how the cells of the body
are constantly remodeling and adapting to
their ever-changing mechanical environment, and how chiropractic may intervene
positively.
Schedule a non-surgical Colorado Springs chiropractic care
appointment with The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR for your pain, brain, and spine! The
connection is there between pain and the brain. The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR can get in the center
of those two and help you get some Colorado Springs pain relief.