Chiropractic adjustments can help your brain function better! If you are looking to make big life changes in the new year, chiropractic care can be a great foundation to starting that process!
In 2016 Dr. Heidi Haavik released a paper titled “Manipulation of dysfunctional spinal joints affects sensorimotor integration in the prefrontal cortex: a brain source localization study.” The paper talks about how neural plastic changes have been shown after chiropractic adjustments. In the past, chiropractic studies have shown changes in the brain areas, specifically the primary sensory cortex, primary motor cortex, the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia and the cerebellum. This is important because normally people seek out chiropractic care when they have neck pain, headaches, or low back pain. What this study is showing is that patients with these symptoms got adjusted, and a side effect to the adjustments was a 20% change in brain function after just one adjustment! That group was compared to a "sham" or "control" group that was not adjusted, which showed no change in brain function. If you are looking to help your body function better and improve brain health, chiropractic is a very effective tool. Give us a call today to find out more about how chiropractic can help your brain and body function better.
The brain is broken up into three main areas: the Cerebrum, the Cerebellum, and the Brainstem. The Cerebrum (the large sponge looking piece we normally think of) is the newest part of the brain and is where most summation of thought occurs and where our human consciousness, as we think of it, sits. The Cerebelllum (the small brain in the lower, back portion) is where movement is coordinated and learned skills and habits come from. The brainstem (the little stalk at the bottom and the deepest, oldest part of the brain) is what controls all of the automatic functions like breathing, heart rate, and digestion. They are all very important but what this study did was to localize where the largest change happens after an adjustment. What the study found was the Pre-frontal cortex (which is right behind our forehead and is the area in charge of thought and consciousness) is where the largest shifts happened in brain function after the adjustment. That’s profound considering most people go to the chiropractor just to help their stiff low back or the neck pain! If you are looking to take control of your life in the new year and improve your ability to focus, improve brain function, and get your health back on track - chiropractic care can help with more that just neck pain. It can literally help “get your head back on straight”.
The Craniocervical Foundation partners with Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who are Upper Cervical specialists, to provide subsidized care to those in financial need, military veterans, or active duty military. Call us today to find our more (802) 441-5223
“Manipulation of dysfunctional spinal joints affects sensorimotor integration in the prefrontal cortex: a brain source localization study.” Heidi Haavik 2016