Can Chiropractic Help With Anxiety?

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety disorders are among the most commonly treated mental health issues. In the US, 2-% of women and 8% of men experience anxiety disorders at some time in their lives.

Anxiety is commonly defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome, and a clinical description also typically includes compulsive behavior or panic attacks. The mental symptoms of anxiety are often coupled with physical symptoms as well including but not limited to increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, and fatigue.

Anxiety is not solely a mental health issue, nor is it solely physical. There is a mind-body connection that occurs with anxiety, where physical symptoms can increase mental struggles and mental stress can increase physical stress as well.

Physical Symptoms of Anxiety

Some common symptoms of anxiety can include muscle tension, high blood pressure, trouble regulating sleep patterns (resulting in fatigue), bodily pain (neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, etc), headaches (usually tension headaches), and trouble focusing/concentrating. These additional painful symptoms are most common when a person has been struggling with anxiety long term.

Often, people with mental health issues feel as if their life is out of their own control, so they struggle with constant worry, and often feel like they do not have time to prioritize their own health. This can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle which can indirectly lead to further health problems including heart problems and weight gain.

How can Chiropractic Treatment Help with Anxiety?

Anxiety can also be affected by dysregulation in the nervous system. If the brain is not able to communicate perfectly with the body, the body’s regular function is impeded and the body is unable to function at its top capacity. Chiropractors are uniquely positioned to provide an all natural solution to improve mental health. Chiropractic, as a discipline, uses the mind body approach to help affect the mind by improving the health of the whole body. The benefits of chiropractic care include helping lower blood pressure, helping reduce stress, and help balance the functioning of the central nervous system.

Furthermore, as chiropractic subluxations can lead to an increased susceptibility to chronic issues such as anxiety and depression, chiropractic adjustment treatment of these subluxations can help keep the body healthy and happy and work preventatively by benefiting the body’s overall health and thus indirectly help treat anxiety symptoms.

Should I See a Chiropractor for my Anxiety?

Chiropractic care is a very non-invasive method of treating anxiety. If you are already receiving treatment for anxiety and depression, please continue that treatment; you may find that adding chiropractic care to your treatment regimen helps make your established method more effective.

Chiropractic adjustments do not just correct spinal misalignments, but they relieve tension which increases the feel good hormones of the body. Chiropractic care aims to treat the physical aspects of anxiety, which, through the mind body connection can help reduce the mental symptoms of anxiety as well.

Call today and schedule your initial assessment and find out more about how Chiropractic treatment can help with anxiety!