✨ Introduction
In today’s fast-paced world, stress and anxiety have become all too common. Whether it’s the demands of parenting, work responsibilities, or the constant buzz of digital life, many people feel like their nervous systems are in overdrive. While there are many strategies to manage stress, one holistic and evidence-informed option is Many families are turning to chiropractic care for stress and anxiety as a natural, nervous-system based solution — especially when supported by modern neuroscience research.
✨ How Stress Impacts the Nervous System and Why Chiropractic Helps
When you’re under stress, your body activates the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the “fight or flight” response. While this is helpful in short bursts, chronic stress can keep your system on high alert, making it difficult for your body to return to a state of rest, repair, and regulation.
This prolonged stress response can show up as:
💥 Muscle tension and headaches
😣 Digestive disruptions
😴 Sleep disturbances
😵💫 Increased anxiety or mood swings
🤯 Difficulty concentrating or feeling “wired but tired”
Your nervous system—especially your brain-spine communication loop—plays a key role in how your body processes and adapts to stress.
✨ How Chiropractic Care for Stress and Anxiety Works
Chiropractic care focuses on optimizing the function of the spinal column and nervous system. Misalignments or dysfunction in the spine (also called vertebral subluxations) can interfere with how your brain perceives and responds to internal and external signals.
By restoring proper motion and alignment to the spine through chiropractic adjustments, we support clearer communication between the brain and body, which may help reduce stress-related tension and support nervous system regulation.
✨ Scientific Insight: Dr. Heidi Haavik’s Neuroscience Research
Dr. Heidi Haavik, a chiropractor and neuroscientist, has pioneered research on how spinal adjustments influence brain function. Her studies using EEG (electroencephalography) and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) have demonstrated measurable effects on the brain’s activity following chiropractic care.
Key findings from her research include:
Chiropractic adjustments can affect the function of the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s center for executive functions like decision-making, attention, and emotional regulation (Haavik & Murphy, 2012).
Adjustments may help the brain better process and integrate sensory information, potentially reducing the overactivation often associated with chronic stress (Haavik et al., 2016).
By improving spinal joint movement, chiropractic care may decrease “neural noise,” allowing the nervous system to operate with greater clarity and efficiency (Lelic et al., 2016).
This means chiropractic care isn’t just about relieving back pain—it can directly impact how your brain interprets and responds to stress.
✨ What to Expect at Radiant Family Wellness
At Radiant Family Wellness, we use gentle, brain-based chiropractic techniques for children and adults. Our care is tailored to your individual needs, with a focus on supporting:
😴 Restful sleep
💪😌 Muscle and jaw tension relief
🧘♂️🧠 Improved focus and mental clarity
🍎🛡️ Digestive and immune function
💖🌈 Emotional resilience and calm
Whether you’re experiencing chronic anxiety or just feeling “off,” our goal is to help restore balance in your nervous system.
✨ Complementary Strategies for Stress Relief
We often recommend incorporating other holistic tools to support your stress response:
🧘♀️ Breathwork and mindfulness techniques
🥗✨ Whole food-based nutrition and adrenal support
🚶♀️🌀 Movement and gentle exercise
🌿💆♂️ Adjunctive therapies like acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, and kinesiotaping (available in our office)
✨ Conclusion
Stress may be a part of life—but it doesn’t have to control your health. Chiropractic care offers a proactive, research-informed way to support your nervous system, helping your body respond more adaptively to life’s demands. If you or your child are experiencing overwhelm, consider chiropractic care for stress and anxiety to support regulation and resilience.
Ready to support your nervous system and feel more balanced?
Discover how gentle, brain-based chiropractic care can help manage stress and anxiety—naturally and effectively.
📍 Schedule your visit online
📞 Or call us at (913) 322-0251 — we’re here to support your whole family’s wellness from the inside out.
✨ References
Haavik, H., & Murphy, B. (2012). Subclinical neck pain and the effects of cervical spinal manipulation on elbow joint position sense. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 35(9), 686–693. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21334540/
Haavik, H., Niazi, I. K., Holt, K., Murakami, H., Amjad, I., Pujari, A. N., & Türker, K. S. (2017). Effects of spinal manipulation on cortical drive to upper and lower limb muscles. Brain Sciences, 7(2), 1–13. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5297291/
Lelic, D., Niazi, I. K., Holt, K., Jochumsen, M., Dremstrup, K., Yielder, P., … & Haavik, H. (2016). Manipulation of dysfunctional spinal joints affects sensorimotor integration in the prefrontal cortex: A brain source localization study. Neural Plasticity, 2016, Article ID 3704964. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/3704964