Chiropractic and Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease is a tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The most common symptoms associated with Lyme infection are flu-like symptoms, joint pain, weakness, and rash, which can be bullseye shaped on classic presentation. Lyme disease is typically treated with antibiotics and can respond favorably if treatment is started soon after infection. Certain individuals develop Chronic Lyme or what is referred to as Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome in which the patient suffers with chronic fatigue, headaches, joint pain, digestive issues, depression, among others. Many of these symptoms respond well to chiropractic care and it is the reason why chiropractors frequently see Lyme patients in their office.

Chiropractors correct a condition called Vertebral Subluxation Syndrome or Subluxation for short. Subluxation is a condition where the spine shifts out of normal alignment resulting in increased stress on the involved joints, muscles, and nerves, as well as the other organs and tissues supplied by those nerves. If you have had subluxation long enough, eventually you experience pain. Subluxations are typically caused by trauma. It can be obvious traumas such as motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls, and/or sporting injuries. More commonly, however,  we see subluxation result from micro-traumas. Things you and I do everyday that aren’t good for us. Things like texting or checking emails on our cell phones, working on a computer or worse a laptop, driving for long periods of time, and prolonged sitting/inactivity. Basically, when humans interact with technology it tends to be in postures that are detrimental to our health. Common symptoms of subluxation are headaches or migraines, neck pain, mid or low back pain, chronic fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, digestive issues, and frequent colds/illness.

As you can see, many of the conditions that result from subluxation, also result from Lyme disease. And for this reason, these conditions respond well to chiropractic care. Chiropractic care is not a substitute for your Lyme treatment, but rather a supplement. When spines are subluxated, they create a stress on the body. And just like other forms of detrimental stress, it leads to lower immune function, insomnia, poor digestion, headaches, pain, among others. Correcting the Subluxation removes the stress and allows to body to heal and function as it was designed.

We have had great success over the past 20 years helping patient’s suffering with Lyme to find relief. Give our office a call today to see if we can help you.