Power Up Your Brain with Chiropractic Care. By-products: pain relief, stronger muscle, better mood.

Chiropractic care changes the neurophysiology of the brain and focuses on proper joint function, particularly of the spine, to protect the spinal cord and the surrounding nerves. Dysfunctional joints and a misaligned spine can cause impaired nerve signaling to the body, resulting in overall dysfunction of the body.

A study published in the Journal of Neural Plasticity shows that after receiving a chiropractic adjustment, multiple regions of the brain are stimulated, particularly to the prefrontal cortex of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for a vital role in sensorimotor integration (capability of the brain to integrate different outside sources and to transform that information to proper motor actions) and executive functions (e.g. planning, decision making, problem-solving). The improvement in sensorimotor integration and motor control are the mechanisms behind pain relief after receiving a chiropractic adjustment. In addition to pain relief, chiropractic adjustments were found to improve muscle strength and speed by improving motor control.

There are numerous studies that support this and suggest changes in different functions of the brain after adjusting the dysfunctional and misaligned spinal joints. Improvement in proprioception (the ability to perceive the position and movement of the body- particularly important in senior citizens to prevent falling injuries), reaction time, and muscle strength are just a few examples.

Many patients seek chiropractic care for musculoskeletal symptoms (i.e. neck or back pain) but the above studies support effective chiropractic care for non-musculoskeletal conditions (i.e. vertigo, asthma, ADHD, ear infection). Since the impairment in the frontal lobe of our brain can cause non-musculoskeletal conditions such as depression, poor impulse control, and ADHD, chiropractic adjustments affecting neural plastic changes to the prefrontal cortex may help with these symptoms. On many occasions after receiving chiropractic care patients report with improved mood, memory, concentration, and even better handwriting!