About Vancouver Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Definition:

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

COPD makes the simple act of breathing difficult. COPD is a lung disease in which there is chronic obstruction of airflow when a person tries to breathe normally and isn’t fully reversible. Terms like chronic bronchitis and emphysema fall into the category of COPD. Spirometry is the preferred test for making the COPD diagnosis. (1) It calculates how deeply a person can breathe and how fast air can move in and out of the lungs. Quite straighforward!

Chiropractic for COPD:

A few research articles have been published describing the positive effects of chiropractic care for patients with COPD. Some of these articles go back many, many years, so chiropractic’s benefit for COPD patients isn’t new. Vancouver Disc Centers often find that patients with COPD may come to our clinic for one condition and find some relief for their COPD as well. Vancouver Disc Centers works interdisciplinarily with COPD patients and their medical healthcare providers to optimize care.

Research documents the benefit of chiropractic spinal manipulation for patients with COPD. One paper describes chiropractic care of a patient with a 20 year history of COPD. Using chiropractic manipulation, nutrition and exercise, the patient’s COPD symptoms improved: forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume, and ease of breathing. (2) Another paper shows the benefit of manipulation and exercise for improved forced vital capacity, walking distance, and dyspnea levels. No adverse effects are reported for the studies’ moderate COPD patients. (3) A third paper reports on a case series of patients over 65 years old with COPD. Spinal manipulation is shown to have the ability to benefit lung function in these patients. (4)

Vancouver Disc Centers offers the most gentle form of chiropractic spinal manipulation, Cox® Technic. The safe distraction of the spine with Cox Technic flexion distraction feels good and helps, too.

Whether you are over 65 years or younger, contact Vancouver Disc Centers. We can build a treatment plan to test the benefit of chiropractic spinal manipulation as an addition to your current care plan for your COPD. Working interdisciplinarily with your current COPD physician may be important.