Matthew Norton D.C. & Megan Callanan D.C.
Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research ~ December 9, 2013 ~ Pages 120-130
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this case study is to provide a detailed report on the symptomatic improvement of a patient with Parkinson’s disease (PD) undergoing Activator Methods chiropractic care.
Clinical Features: A 68 year-old female, diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease four months prior, presented to a private practice for chiropractic care. She began experiencing symptomatic complaints of essential tremors one-year prior to being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Her symptoms, which seemed to be progressively worsening, included resting tremors in her hands, fatigue, lack of motion in the cervical and lumbar spine with associated neck pain/stiffness and lower back pain.
Interventions and Outcome: Over a four-month period, the patient was seen twice per week during which she was evaluated and adjusted using the Activator protocol. In addition, postural exercises were performed by the patient for the cervical spine in order to improve range of motion and mobility of the neck. Improvements in ranges of motion, paraspinal thermography and sEMG were noted along with the patient’s subjective report of improvements in tremors, fatigue, mobility, rigidity and neck pain/stiffness and lower back pain following Activator adjustment.
Conclusion: Spinal subluxation may be a contributing factor in the symptomatic expression of Parkinson’s disease. Reduction in subluxation with Activator analysis and adjustment may be an effective approach for managing the symptoms associated with PD; however more research is warranted investigating the effects of Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique (AMCT) and Parkinson’s disease.
Key Words: Parkinson’s disease, tremors, AMCT, subluxation, chiropractic
