How Chiropractic Adjustments Help Your Child’s Brain Process the World More Accurately
Every day, your child’s brain is working hard to make sense of the world. From movement and balance to emotions and focus, their brain is constantly receiving, processing, and responding to sensory input. But what happens when this system isn’t working correctly?
Research from Dr. Heidi Haavik, a leading chiropractic neuroscientist, has shown that chiropractic adjustments don’t just affect the spine—they directly impact the brain. More specifically, they influence the sensory-motor system, helping the brain better interpret and respond to the world.
The Brain’s Sensory-Motor System: The Key to Processing & Adapting
The sensory-motor system is what allows your child to feel, move, and navigate their environment. It includes:
✔ Proprioception (Body Awareness) – The brain’s ability to know where the body is in space.
✔ Balance & Coordination – Controlled by the cerebellum and brainstem.
✔ Focus & Attention – Managed by the prefrontal cortex, which organizes thoughts and behavior.
✔ Emotional Regulation – Influenced by brainstem function and the limbic system.
✔ Neuro-Immune Function – How the nervous system and immune system communicate to regulate inflammation and fight off illness.
When the nervous system isn’t accurately processing sensory input, your child might experience:
🔹 Clumsiness or coordination struggles
🔹 Sensory sensitivities or meltdowns
🔹 Difficulty focusing or emotional outbursts
🔹 Speech delays, fine motor delays, or posture imbalances
🔹 Frequent immune challenges, allergies, or chronic inflammation
How Chiropractic Adjustments Impact the Brain
Dr. Haavik’s research has found that specific chiropractic adjustments improve how the brain interprets movement, coordination, and sensory input. These effects are seen in key areas of the brain, including:
🧠 The Prefrontal Cortex – The “Control Center” of the Brain
The prefrontal cortex is responsible for higher-level thinking, emotional regulation, and executive function (things like planning, attention, and impulse control). Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to improve prefrontal cortex activity, leading to:
✅ Better focus & attention
✅ Improved emotional regulation
✅ Faster learning & memory recall
✅ Reduced stress & anxiety responses
🧠 The Cerebellum – The Coordination & Balance Center
The cerebellum is in charge of movement, posture, and coordination. When the cerebellum isn’t receiving proper input from the body, kids may struggle with:
🔹 Poor balance or posture issues
🔹 Difficulty sitting still or fidgeting
🔹 Challenges with sports or motor skills
Chiropractic adjustments help restore proper communication between the spine and cerebellum, improving movement control, coordination, and overall body awareness.
🧠 The Brainstem – The Link Between the Brain & Body
The brainstem plays a huge role in sensory processing, autonomic function, immune regulation, and emotional responses. It houses the vagus nerve, which controls digestion, heart rate, immune function, and emotional regulation.
When the brainstem is stressed due to birth trauma, nervous system dysregulation, or poor posture, kids may struggle with:
🔹 Digestive issues like reflux or constipation
🔹 Emotional overreactions (fight-or-flight responses)
🔹 Poor sleep patterns
🔹 Frequent immune challenges or inflammation
Chiropractic care reduces tension in the nervous system, allowing the brainstem to function properly—leading to calmer emotions, better digestion, and improved sleep.
The Neuro-Immune & Neuro-Inflammatory Connection
The nervous system doesn’t just control movement and emotions—it also directly regulates immune function and inflammation levels.
🔬 Neuro-Immune Function: The brain communicates with the immune system through the vagus nerve and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. When the nervous system is stressed, the immune response is altered, leading to more frequent illnesses, allergies, and immune dysregulation.
🔥 Neuro-Inflammation: Chronic stress and nervous system imbalance can lead to excessive inflammation in the brain and body. This has been linked to ADHD, anxiety, mood disorders, and even autoimmune conditions.
✅ Chiropractic adjustments regulate the nervous system, reducing inflammatory stress and supporting a stronger, more balanced immune response.
Why Does This Matter for Your Child?
Many childhood challenges, from ADHD and anxiety to sensory issues and developmental delays, aren’t just “behavioral” problems. They are often signs that the nervous system is struggling to accurately process sensory input.
By improving brain-body communication, chiropractic adjustments help your child:
✔ Move with ease & coordination
✔ Process sensory input correctly
✔ Regulate emotions & behavior
✔ Sleep better & recover faster
✔ Adapt to stress with more resilience
✔ Strengthen their immune function and reduce inflammation
How to Tell If Your Child Needs Nervous System Support
Here are some signs that your child may be experiencing sensory-motor challenges and could benefit from chiropractic care:
✅ Poor coordination, frequent falls, or posture issues
✅ Hyperactivity, fidgeting, or trouble sitting still
✅ Sensory sensitivities (to clothes, sounds, lights, or textures)
✅ Emotional outbursts, meltdowns, or trouble transitioning between activities
✅ Frequent ear infections, digestive struggles, or immune challenges
Chiropractic adjustments provide a gentle, natural way to support brain development, improve sensory processing, and help your child thrive.
📅 Schedule an Evaluation Today!
If you’ve noticed any of these challenges in your child, it’s time to take a deeper look at how their nervous system is processing information.
Schedule an INSIGHT scan and evaluation today to see how chiropractic care can help your child’s brain and body communicate, adapt, and grow at their full potential.
