How can Chiropractic Care help Cancer Patients?
Cancer pushes huge stress on the body. In addition, cancer treatments are also often very debilitating and can exacerbate musculoskeletal pain. Common musculoskeletal complaints include: cervical pain, thoracic pain, muscular tension, headaches, and peripheral neuropathy (numbness/ tingling in extremities). Chiropractic may be an option for patients because it offers non-invasive relief to their symptoms. Relieving musculoskeletal stress without the use of more drugs is beneficial to both patients and oncologists, as it reduces the amount of counter-interactions and improves patient’s quality of life.
Cancer Case study:
A case study headed by Jeffrey Schneider found that chiropractic use among cancer patients improved cancer patient’s musculoskeletal symptoms, particularly their pain symptoms. In one case study the patient was a 54-year-old man who had previously had a tumor in his right lung. The patient’s cancer treatment included radiation therapy, and surgery to remove the tumor. The patient noted thoracic pain following his treatment and consulted a chiropractor about his thoracic pain a year later. The patient’s thoracic pain affected his daily life, he was not able to sleep comfortable or breathe deeply.
The chiropractic treatment included: high-velocity/low-impact spinal manipulation, electric muscle stimulation, and application of hot packs to the thoracic region of the mid to upper vertebral and costovertebral joints.
