Case study: instrument adjusting for concussions

Concussions can cause pain, discomfort and difficulty concentrating long after the patient is initially treated.

Lingering symptoms can significantly interfere with daily activities, causing patients to seek chiropractic care for the ailments that remain.

Instrument adjusting for concussions can allow chiropractors to gently intervene and help restore patient comfort and health.

Doctors Jean-Marc Slak, DC and Kyle Price, DC authored the case study “Symptomatic & Cognitive Improvement Following Chiropractic Care in a Patient with Concussion and Vertebral Subluxation: A Case Report,” published in the Summer 2014 issue of the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health—Chiropractic.¹ This study describes the successful treatment of a 15-year-old female concussion patient using instrument adjusting with an Activator.

The patient

A 15-year-old female presented headache symptoms, continuous pain on top of her head and difficulty concentrating. Nine days after she was hit on the head by a vehicle trunk door, she was diagnosed with a concussion. Subsequent treatment for her injury did not resolve her symptoms. Eager to find relief, she sought chiropractic treatment two weeks after the accident.

From the study—“In the context of this case study, the patient was subluxated and the dysponesis, or diaschesis, was exhibited in her slower reaction time, difficulty concentrating, and constant headaches.”

Treatment

The patient received adjustments using an Activator instrument. She received chiropractic care for a total of fifteen weeks, with noticeable relief after her first adjustments.

After initial patient analysis, the chiropractor found subluxations at bilateral occiput, C1-R, C5-P, T6-L, and right P-I ilium. Treatment included the use of the Activator adjusting instrument, the patient in prone position, and 12 separate lines of correction. The most lines of correction were needed for T6-L and for the right P-I ilium.

Outcomes

On her ninth office visit, the patient received ImPACT testing and her cognitive efficiency index score showed an improvement of 0.15 points compared with results from her ImPACT test two months before the concussion injury.

The patient likely had some degree of subluxation already before her injury, since her chiropractic treatments subsequently resulted in cognitive efficiency improvements.

By her thirteenth adjustment, the patient reported that no headaches occurred during the previous three weeks and that her ability to concentrate had improved substantially. Her chiropractor recommended monthly screenings for subluxation as preventative care.

Reference

¹ Slak, J., and K. Price. “Symptomatic & cognitive improvement following chiropractic care in a patient with concussion and vertebral subluxation: a case report.” Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health–Chiropractic 3 (2014): 60-64.