Do X-Rays Help Chiropractors Determine Location of Spinal Misalignments?
A study published on February 2, 2015, in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research was designed to see if chiropractic adjustments could cause verifiable changes to the way spinal segments move. Motion x-ray, known as video fluoroscopy, was used to document any changes in motion of the spine after chiropractic adjustments.
The authors begin by saying, “The goal of many chiropractic techniques or systems is to restore the proper structure of the spine in order to restore proper function to the nervous system.” They note that many chiropractic facilities use x-ray to determine the spinal condition and changes due to chiropractic care. They point out that static pictures lack the aspect of motion in determining if individual spinal segments are locked or suffer from some abnormal motion.
In this case series, four patients, suffering from a variety of symptoms, came in for chiropractic care. The subjects included three women and a man, ages 17 to 38 years. Three had symptoms of neck pain and one had lower back pain. Each participant agreed to be part of the study and to stay in the study long enough to have a follow up examination and motion x-ray.
Each of the patients were evaluated for vertebral subluxation utilizing examination, thermography, static x-rays, and video fluoroscopy. In each of the four patients, a “locking” of a vertebral segment was observed on the video fluoroscopy in either the neck or upper back region. Specific chiropractic adjustments were rendered to correct the subluxations found based upon the findings for each case.
A second follow-up video fluoroscopy study was done at some point after the adjustments. With all four of the patients, the follow-up studies documented visible positive changes in the motion of individual spinal vertebrae from the chiropractic adjustments. The study also recorded that all four of the patients got relief from their original symptoms that brought them in for chiropractic care.
The authors wrote in their outcome section, “All four subjects in the study had a significant degree of positive and measurable change with intersegmental motion following chiropractic intervention.”