A surprising new treatment for the side effects of cancer treatment is chiropractic care.
In 2020, cancer ranked as the second leading cause of death in the United States, next to heart disease. Many people who are undergoing cancer treatment experience muscle and joint pains, forcing them to seek pain relief aside from medication.
Chiropractic care can be a great option for pain relief. Many people today are looking toward medication alternatives, but some questions need answering. Like how can chiropractic treatment alleviate cancer side effects?
What are the examples of effective chiropractic care, and how are they administered to individuals with severe types of cancer like mesothelioma?
This article is informative for individuals wanting to understand cancer and how chiropractic treatment manages cancer side effects. This write-up also offers examples of chiropractic care given to people in different stages of cancer.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help With Cancer Side Effects?
Chiropractic care is a therapeutic procedure that focuses on relieving pain in the joints, muscles, and spine. Cancer patients have a high risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders due to the nature of the disease, the rigorous medication, and the often sedentary condition experienced by cancer patients, especially in the later stage of the disease.
There are many reasons people choose chiropractic care to resolve their pain issues. Here are the main benefits of this complementary therapy:
● It may help reduce muscle and joint stiffness
● It may improve joint and muscular strength and flexibility
● It may help treat neck and back pain
● It may help reduce symptoms caused by chemotherapy
● It may improve posture
● It may reduce the reliance on pain relievers
One of the lingering concerns of cancer patients is the pain that the disease brings. This pain can be dull, achy, or sharp. Some may feel this in their muscles and joints, which can be relieved through chiropractic care and physical therapy.
Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can cause muscle aches, mainly due to the medication used, like docetaxel, paclitaxel, vincristine, and ixabepilone.
Here are some of the chiropractic treatments available which may help reduce the neuro-musculoskeletal pain associated with cancer medication:
● The diversified technique: The practitioner uses hand manipulation and thrusting movements to restore spinal alignment and improve one’s range of motion that can be affected by misaligned bones or joints.
● Spinal or manual manipulation: The practitioner employs gentle motions to align the spine.
● The drop table technique: The patient lies on a specialized table which “drops” whenever a thrust is made. It’s also called the Thompson drop and provides relief to patients.
● The activator method: The practitioner uses a small device called an activator to treat issues like headaches and back pain.
● Gonstead adjustment: It is a chiropractic technique that aligns the spinal disks and the lower part of the body, like the pelvis.
● Spinal decompression: A chiropractic technique that can help resolve slipped disk issues and lower back pain.
● Flexion distraction: It is a chiropractic technique to resolve back and leg pain through a specialized table.
It should be noted that chiropractic therapy doesn’t provide a cure for cancer but an alternative and supplementary treatment for muscle and joint pains associated with cancer treatments.
Treatments for Malignant Cancers
Malignant cancers are often at the late stages of cancer growth. Malignant tumors are no longer localized and spread to different body parts. Cancer often spreads through the bloodstream or the lymph nodes.
Lung cancers, such as mesothelioma, caused by asbestos exposure, may metastasize and spread quickly to other locations in the body, like the diaphragm, heart, and lymph nodes. Chiropractic care may lessen the muscular pain caused by the increased doses of medication used to contain the spread.
Moreover, integrating fitness and wellness modalities provides individuals with overall healthy lifestyle solutions. Chiropractic care is a form of complementary medicine, and those who want to treat cancer side effects may consider it.
Still, it’s essential to consult with a physician or check out online communities like MesotheliomaGroup.com for up-to-date information regarding current cancer treatments and care before trying any alternative methods.
In palliative care cases, physical therapy can help alleviate muscle and joint pains associated with hospice situations. Patients in hospice and palliative care tend to have inactive lifestyles as they’re mostly confined to their beds.
Chiropractic care is one of the complementary therapies that can be used to improve the quality of life of people living with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.
In many cases, one of the main concerns of people with cancer is pain relief, which for some is provided mainly by pain relievers. Through chiropractic care, pain relief can be given without medication. It may reduce the experience of side effects due to high drug dosages that may affect body functions and muscular health, resulting in pain.
Reference
1. Leading Causes of Death in the US During the COVID-19 Pandemic,
March 2020 to October 2021
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2794043