Objective: The objective of this retrospective analysis is to examine if chiropractic care utilizing Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) has a positive effect on heart rate variability (HRV) as an objective measure for autonomic nervous system function.

Clinical Features: 46 patients presented to a private practice for chiropractic care. The age of the patients ranged from 18 to 87 years. 29 subjects were female and 17 were male. Chief complaints ranged from musculoskeletal to visceral, while others were asymptomatic.

Intervention and Outcomes: This study was reviewed for human subjects protection by the Institutional Review Board of the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation in Kennesaw, GA USA. Each patient received an initial HRV score, as well as a 90-day HRV score. Throughout that duration, all subjects received spinal adjustments as per NSA care protocol. Of the four analyses comparing initial HRV to 90-day HRV scores, two groups were found to be highly significant (p<0.05) —subjects with below average initial scores (p=0.0015) and male subjects (p=0.0012).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that NSA care may be an effective method for people to improve their autonomic nervous system function through adjustment of vertebral subluxation, reorganizing spinal tension patterns and decreasing physiological stress.

Knowles D, Knowles R, Kotur D. Improvement in Heart Rate Variability in 46 Patients Undergoing Chiropractic with Network Spinal Analysis: A Retrospective Analysis of Outcomes. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. 2017 Nov 16:232-7.

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