How Chiropractic Affects Your Brain

When you think of muscles, you probably think of your biceps and triceps. You won’t necessarily think of the small muscles close to your spine and skull. These small muscles do in fact play a very important role – they tell your brain what your spine is doing, which represents what the core of your body is doing.

Chiropractic adjustments help restore healthy movement

Spinal Dysfunction

If your spinal segments aren’t moving correctly it may cause background noise for your brain or your brain might not get adequate information about what’s happening in your body, and will therefore have to fill in blanks. When your brain can accurately perceive what is going on inside and out, it can better control your body for the situation at hand.

Reboot Your Brain

A chiropractor will gently adjust any dysfunctional spinal segments, or what they call vertebral subluxations, to restore healthy movement. This can improve the communication between your brain, your body and the environment. It is a lot like rebooting a computer.

Video references

1. Haavik H, Murphy B. The role of spinal manipulation in addressing disordered sensorimotor integration and altered motor control. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2012;22(5):768-76.
2. Pickar JG. Neurophysiological effects of spinal manipulation. Spine J 2002;2(5):357-71.
3. Pickar JG, Bolton PS. Spinal manipulative therapy and somatosensory activation. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2012;22(5):785-94.
4. Haavik H, Murphy B. Subclinical neck pain and the effects of cervical manipulation on elbow joint position sense. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2011;34(2):88-97.
5. Holt KR, Haavik H, Lee AC, et al. Effectiveness of chiropractic care to improve sensorimotor function associated with falls risk in older people: A randomized controlled trial. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2016;39(4)267-78
6. Haavik H, Kumari N, Holt K, Niazi IK, Amjad I, Pujari AN, Türker KS, Murphy B. The contemporary model of vertebral column joint dysfunction and impact of high-velocity, low-amplitude controlled vertebral thrusts on neuromuscular function. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2021;121(10):2675-2720. 10.1007/s00421-021-04727-z.
7. Haavik H, Niazi IK, Kumari N, Amjad I, Duehr J, Holt K. The potential mechanisms of high-velocity, low-amplitude, controlled vertebral thrusts on neuroimmune function: A narrative review. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania). 2021;57(6). doi:10.3390/medicina57060536