Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care as a Complementary Medicine Strategy for Depression and Anxiety: A Case Series Analysis

This study investigated the impact of upper cervical specific chiropractic care on a small sample of individuals with depression and anxiety. Symptoms were measured over the course of approximately 6 weeks, during which each participant had one consultation and twelve sessions with an upper cervical chiropractor in the San Francisco Bay area. All six participants had at least, mild levels of anxiety or depression prior to beginning care. This was determined through clinical interview and standardized measures of anxiety and depression including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) & Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). The researcher also collected symptom data through administration of standardized measures such as the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and qualitatively through pretreatment and posttreatment clinical interviews. In addition, rating scales were given to each participant by the chiropractor based on treatment outcomes during the course of care. Due to a family medical crisis, one participant did not complete the study.;The chiropractic care demonstrated significant positive effects across treatment on the weekly individual standardized measures of depression and anxiety, the GAD-7 and PHQ-9. On the SCL-90-R, which was administered before the study and one week after completion of care, a clinically significant decrease was found on the scale measuring global severity of symptoms. However, no significant differences were found on anxiety and depression scales of this measure. Subjective reports from participants after completion of study included improvements of shoulder pain, increased energy, increased clarity of thinking, decreased irritability, decreased blood pressure, improved digestion, and improved sleeping patterns. Four out of five participants reported that they would recommend this kind of care to someone suffering from anxiety or depression. Public demand for complementary care is rising and a small body of research has shown the effectiveness of this intervention on mental health symptoms. Chiropractic care is increasingly being integrated into managed care, partly in response to patient preference and satisfaction. However, there is need for further research to evaluate the effectiveness of chiropractic care. Future studies should include a larger sample, control group, and more than one chiropractor completing the adjustments.