A chiropractic adjustment at one level can have a variety of consequences, depending on the individual. Joint angulations and fixed postures that chiropractors see daily: toe in, toe out, shoulder impingement syndromes, hyper lordosis lower back, shin splints and tight psoas muscles are all a consequence of how our brains are setting muscle tone and controlling posture.
You need to have had the appropriate development/inhibition of primitive reflexes to develop your Postural Reflexes.
We provide chiropractic adjustments in addition to performing exercises to improve eye muscle stability and balance. By improving the way that your eyes move your spine will move better.
Examples of exercises:
Standing on a vibrational platform to fire muscles.
Eye and head exercises to improve eye tracking and gaze stability.
Spinning in a rotational chair in specific directions and speeds
Read the article below about Primitive reflex remediation to help improve neck/back pain.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Chiropractic Eden Prairie, MN/Holistic/Chiropractic/Functional Neurology/Primitive Reflexes/ADHD/Neurodevelopmental Disorders/Adults/Children
Neurodevelopment in Children- A great explanation by Sue Hyland Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.
At Schmoe Chiropractic Clinic LLC we utilize neurological rehabilitation to remediate retained Primitive reflexes in Adults and Children. An example of one exercise is cognitive dual tasking-saying every other letter of the alphabet while doing a complicated hand figure eight motion tapping fingers. A majority of training involves vestibular based modalities- example spinning in specific directions or moving your eyes in specific directions and speeds, as well as specific low force chiropractic adjustments to the spine or extremities.
To understand why children can be essentially intelligent but fail to learn in the way that the majority do, it is necessary to understand that the brain is divided into many distinct areas of specialization. Each area must be connected to each other, and as a whole, to integrate all stimuli to make sense of our world and to enable us to respond to that world. This is technically called sensory motor integration. In another language it can be called processing and we frequently hear of children who are found to have auditory processing delay or difficulty and/or visual processing difficulty. This simply means that the ears and eyes, the nerve pathways, and the appropriate sensory areas in the brain do not register and interpret the stimuli as quickly, or effectively, as in others. It also means that the corresponding motor, or reactive center, of the brain does not respond as effectively or quickly. If a child cannot hear distinctly or fast enough what is presented to their ears; if they cannot see quickly and sharply what is presented to their eyes; is it surprising then that they experience difficulties with learning? Equally, if their response time is longer than others then they are still cogitating the problem when the rest of the class has moved on. But why does this happen?
When a baby is developing the brain grows from the bottom up, so that the automatic, unconscious, regions of the brain are the first to function. The brain of a fetus and newborn infant is wired in a way to promote initial survival at a reflex level. A reflex is an unconscious predictable response to a specific event or stimulus, for instance the knee jerk following a tap just below the knee. The stimulus / response, involving a simple sensory / motor loop type of nerve pathway, does not interact with the higher conscious brain and the reaction is always the same. We know that a young baby does not have good co-ordination, good eye control or vision. We know that although all the nerve cells are in place at birth most of the connections between the nerve cells and between the specialist centers are not developed. These connections develop all of our lives and are the very essence of learning. Initially most movement is a reflex response to the infant’s head position, but as the head becomes more controlled the reflex reaction becomes modified. We know that babies develop in stages, each stage heralding more complex abilities and control as the brain matures and new wiring is laid down. These abilities and controls being a combination of more adult “Postural Reflexes” - generating from the mid brain and overriding many of the lower Primitive Reflex reactions - and willed movement initiated by the higher conscious brain. It is also known that the very movements of our baby days, such as rolling, crawling, are essential for our later development. It is these movements that promote the development from the baby wiring to the more adult wiring of the brain.
Sometimes the change from the baby wiring does not proceed as it should, so that the various specialized centers do not develop as well as they should and cannot then perform their function as well as they should. This condition is called Neuro-Developmental Delay. Not all of those very early reflexes disappear; for instance the knee jerk reaction should remain all of our lives, as do the reflexes that promote breathing and the heartbeat. In fact, none of the developmental Primitive Reflexes truly disappear, they simply become outmoded, or inhibited, by the stronger reactions created by the Postural Reflexes. Very few of us are completely without some primitive reaction to head position. When a cluster of Primitive Reflexes remain, that is 3 or more, they are counter productive to normal neuro-development and can give rise to any number of physical, intellectual, social and emotional developmental difficulties. Some of these symptoms are listed below:
◦ Reading and Writing Difficulty
◦ Numeracy and Organizational Difficulties
◦ Co-ordination Problems and Clumsiness
◦ Poor Concentration / Distractibility
◦ Visual and Auditory Processing Difficulties
◦ Daytime Poor Bladder Control and / or Bedwetting
◦ Delayed Speech and Language Disorders
◦ Hypersensitivity: both physical and emotional
◦ Impulsiveness
◦ Aggressive Outbursts: verbal and physical
◦ Hyperactivity or Immature Behavior
◦ Stressed, Withdrawn, and over Tired
◦ Lack of Energy and Poor Motivation
◦ Balance Problems
◦ School Phobia
◦ Hearing and sequencing difficulties
All of these signs and symptoms are suggestive of a delay in development. An individual may have them in any number; or, in any combination. Obviously the greater the number the greater the developmental delay and the greater the difficulty for the individual and their family.
Normally as the lower centers within the brain grow their circuits upwards, the natural inhibitors develop within the system to block sensory overload and to modify impulse control. Many of the children with Neuro-Developmental Delay do not have these mechanisms in place; they cannot regulate the flow of incoming messages, frequently becoming bogged down by too much information. Just like those days when your tired, or hung over, and there are too many demands, too much noise, too much information to process, too quickly, and with no hold button, or cut off mechanism. And just like you, on those days, too little ability to control the build up of confusion and frustration. Remember though, these individuals have more than their fair share of confusion and frustration. Poor impulse control also accounting for the inability to not say that thought, not pinch that child, not use that word.
To summaries: the majority of movements in the baby are automatic responses to head position, generated by a collection of reflexes that come from the brain stem. These reflexes are called Primitive Reflexes, all babies are tested for them at birth, they result in instinctual patterns of movements common to all babies. It is these stereotyped movements that result in the development of the baby and why the baby develops in specific chronological stages. Natural progression resulting in the development of new nerve connections (synapses) up through the brain stem into the midbrain. These connections allowing the Postural Reflexes to manage posture, balance and balance adjustment, eye movement and image stability in a much more controlled way. Failure within the mechanisms of development can result in a cluster of Primitive Reflex reactions remaining, which will always undermine automatic control.
Sometimes the same difficulties are described in a more formal way, such as:
◦ ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder
◦ ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
◦ Dyslexia - Difficulty with language, applied by some to mean reading, writing and sometimes speech, and by others just to mean a reading difficulty.
◦ Dyspraxia - Difficulty with co-ordination
◦ Dyscalculia - Difficulty with numbers.
◦ Dysgraphia - Difficulty with writing
◦ Dystonia - Difficulty maintaining a balanced muscle tone.
◦ PDD - Pervasive Developmental Disorder
◦ DAMP - Deficits in Attention, Motor control and Perception
The above is also a list of symptoms, but using more cryptic terminology. Just because the terms appear to have a medical reference doesn’t necessarily make them more helpful or more justifiable. As you can readily see dys, as a prefix, simply means difficulty. Many people find having a name for a condition helpful, it means that what they have is known about, they are not alone. However, frequently these terms can have different meanings for different people, which can result in very different perceptions of the difficulty, with very different techniques in treatment. These terms tend to refer to the sign or symptom of greatest difficulty, or that part of the condition perceived as presenting the greatest difficulty by the parent or teacher. Many people with dyslexia demonstrate difficulty with maths, co-ordination, writing, attention and maintenance of muscle tone. So given a different day, or tester, that individual could have been named Dyspraxic, ADD, or any of the others referred to above. More accurately, many could be awarded the entire list, ceasing to be a child with difficulties but a whole collection of conditions.
As these names refer to the symptoms they do not refer to the underlying cause. Treatment, to be effective, must also address that underlying cause; not simply suppress the symptoms. Whether dys or having a difficulty with, disordered or easily distracted, they are all symptoms suggestive of a developmental delay arising from poor integration of the various separate areas within the brain.
FREE BALANCE SCREENING IN OUR CLINIC or AT YOUR WORK
computerized balance screenings!
FREE Computerized Balance Screenings:
Fall prevention is a necessary part of any wellness program for people of all ages. That's why Schmoe Chiropractic Clinic LLC is taking a proactive approach to fall prevention and rehabilitation. As a community service project we intend to screen as many people as possible for free. Balance screening saves countless dollars, emotional and physical pain, and most importantly it saves lives. Call today for your free computerized balance screening! 952 833 3038.
Chiropractic Eden Prairie/ Functional Neurology
Functional Neurology
Functional neurology assesses how well groups of neurons are working. Under active neurons may quickly fatigue and be unable to do their job. By performing a functional neurological exam we can determine the specific group of neurons that need attention, then prescribe individually based specific exercises designed to improve performance and function. The original concepts of functional neurology were developed by Dr. Ted Carrick of the Carrick Institute which provides post graduate studies in functional neurology. Specific chiropractic adjustments coupled with rehab exercises can provide a very powerful method of stimulating appropriate areas of the brain.
The neuron is the functional unit in the nervous system. Neurons communicate electrically and chemically. Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that relay information. Balancing brain chemistry is essential to getting maximal benefit from chiropractic adjustments and rehab exercises. Lifestyle, diet, and overall health greatly affect neurotransmitter function. At Schmoe Chiropractic Clinic we address these factors utilizing adjustments, rehab exercises, nutritional intervention, supplementation, and Gut Repair protocols to balance Neurotransmitter activity.
The neuron is the functional unit in the nervous system. Neurons communicate electrically and chemically. Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that relay information. Balancing brain chemistry is essential to getting maximal benefit from chiropractic adjustments and rehab exercises. Lifestyle, diet, and overall health greatly affect neurotransmitter function. At Schmoe Chiropractic Clinic we address these factors utilizing adjustments, rehab exercises, nutritional intervention, supplementation, and Gut Repair protocols to balance Neurotransmitter activity.
Main Neurotransmitters Assessed:
• Serotonin: Low serotonin is associated with depression, PMS, seasonal affective disorder, inner rage, and a general loss of enthusiasm.
• Dopamine: Low dopamine is associated with a short temper, low self-esteem, poor focus and concentration, and addictive behavior.
• GABA: Low GABA is associated with stress, anxiety, panic, feeling overwhelmed, chronic worry, restlessness, and feelings of dread.
• Acetylcholine: Low acetylcholine is associated with memory loss, difficulty learning, difficulty calculating numbers, slow mental response, and poor visual memory (trouble remembering faces or where you parked your car).
• Dopamine: Low dopamine is associated with a short temper, low self-esteem, poor focus and concentration, and addictive behavior.
• GABA: Low GABA is associated with stress, anxiety, panic, feeling overwhelmed, chronic worry, restlessness, and feelings of dread.
• Acetylcholine: Low acetylcholine is associated with memory loss, difficulty learning, difficulty calculating numbers, slow mental response, and poor visual memory (trouble remembering faces or where you parked your car).
Primitive Reflex Remediation
Their Effect on Learning, Behavior and Quality of Life Structural Corrections That Assist Their Integration, Written by: Keith Keen, Sydney, Australia, 2006.
Primitive Reflexes are essential for survival and development in the womb and in the early months of life.
Retained beyond the normal age of integration they can disturb behavior, learning, posture, perception, gross or fine motor control, and more.
At Schmoe Chiropractic Clinic we utilize primitive reflex remediation exercises, vestibular rehab therapy, light force chiropractic adjustments, and nutritional therapy to help manage conditions in Adults and Children with Neurodevelopmental conditions.
Our Nervous System is essential for perceiving the world around us, for movement; for thinking, feeling, learning, communicating, working, playing, loving, surviving.
Anatomically, the central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord. The brain may be divided into a hierarchy of centers:
1) The most evolved thinking and integrating part, the cerebral cortex at the top.
2) The older brain of instinct and housekeeping in the middle.
3) The oldest, the brainstem, just above the spinal cord. Of course these "centers" are not isolated, they are quite complexly interlinked, but separating them helps to understand brain processes.
"Primitive" means "earliest of its kind" as the centers controlling primitive reflexes are in the oldest (most primitive) part of the brain, the brainstem.
In the womb and in early months of life the higher centers of our central nervous system are not fully developed. During this time we are protected and assisted by reflexes, controlled by lower centers of our brain. A reflex does not involve thinking, it is an involuntary response.
That is: given an external stimulus (e.g. touch, noise, heat) or internal stimulus (e.g. hunger) there is an automatic, involuntary reaction if the relevant reflex is active. Reflex response varies from simple muscular movement (e.g. moving a body part away from pain) to quite complex reflexes involving body movements, breathing, perceptual and hormonal changes.
Primitive reflexes are needed for survival and development in the womb and in early months of life. As higher centers begin to mature enough for conscious control of activity, the involuntary, uncontrollable reflex responses are a nuisance. The reflexes anatomically and neurologically stay for the remainder of our life, but, if all is well, they are integrated into higher center control.
Retained Primitive Reflexes:
Primitive reflexes ideally begin to function in a particular order and are integrated in a specific sequence. If they are retained out of sequence, they disturb the development and integration of subsequent reflexes. If they are retained beyond their normal age of integration they can disturb some or all of the functions of higher centers, which includes behavior, learning, the integration of gross or fine movements and more. Basically, the perception of our inner and outer environment and our response to it may be disturbed; that is, conscious life may be disturbed.
It appears that trauma of some kind is involved somewhere between conception and early months of life. The trauma can be physical, chemical, hormonal or other forms not yet researched. In utero many chemicals and hormones can pass through the umbilical cord; all manner of traumatic events can occur in the delicate early months of life; but the big one appears to be birth trauma. Statistics and clinical observation show that there may be genetic factors. These appear to be predispositions that raise the probability of problems arising from trauma.
Primitive Reflexes are essential for survival and development in the womb and in the early months of life.
Retained beyond the normal age of integration they can disturb behavior, learning, posture, perception, gross or fine motor control, and more.
At Schmoe Chiropractic Clinic we utilize primitive reflex remediation exercises, vestibular rehab therapy, light force chiropractic adjustments, and nutritional therapy to help manage conditions in Adults and Children with Neurodevelopmental conditions.
Our Nervous System is essential for perceiving the world around us, for movement; for thinking, feeling, learning, communicating, working, playing, loving, surviving.
Anatomically, the central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord. The brain may be divided into a hierarchy of centers:
1) The most evolved thinking and integrating part, the cerebral cortex at the top.
2) The older brain of instinct and housekeeping in the middle.
3) The oldest, the brainstem, just above the spinal cord. Of course these "centers" are not isolated, they are quite complexly interlinked, but separating them helps to understand brain processes.
"Primitive" means "earliest of its kind" as the centers controlling primitive reflexes are in the oldest (most primitive) part of the brain, the brainstem.
In the womb and in early months of life the higher centers of our central nervous system are not fully developed. During this time we are protected and assisted by reflexes, controlled by lower centers of our brain. A reflex does not involve thinking, it is an involuntary response.
That is: given an external stimulus (e.g. touch, noise, heat) or internal stimulus (e.g. hunger) there is an automatic, involuntary reaction if the relevant reflex is active. Reflex response varies from simple muscular movement (e.g. moving a body part away from pain) to quite complex reflexes involving body movements, breathing, perceptual and hormonal changes.
Primitive reflexes are needed for survival and development in the womb and in early months of life. As higher centers begin to mature enough for conscious control of activity, the involuntary, uncontrollable reflex responses are a nuisance. The reflexes anatomically and neurologically stay for the remainder of our life, but, if all is well, they are integrated into higher center control.
Retained Primitive Reflexes:
Primitive reflexes ideally begin to function in a particular order and are integrated in a specific sequence. If they are retained out of sequence, they disturb the development and integration of subsequent reflexes. If they are retained beyond their normal age of integration they can disturb some or all of the functions of higher centers, which includes behavior, learning, the integration of gross or fine movements and more. Basically, the perception of our inner and outer environment and our response to it may be disturbed; that is, conscious life may be disturbed.
It appears that trauma of some kind is involved somewhere between conception and early months of life. The trauma can be physical, chemical, hormonal or other forms not yet researched. In utero many chemicals and hormones can pass through the umbilical cord; all manner of traumatic events can occur in the delicate early months of life; but the big one appears to be birth trauma. Statistics and clinical observation show that there may be genetic factors. These appear to be predispositions that raise the probability of problems arising from trauma.
Consequences of Retained Primitive Reflexes
Fear Paralysis Reflex:
If this reflex is retained after birth, it can be characterized by withdrawal, reticence at being involved in anything new, fear of different circumstances, the child who bears the brunt of teasing by normally adventurous children. Inappropriate retention of the fear paralysis reflex can contribute to such conditions as elective mutism, and hypersensitivity to sensory information and may result in physical and psychological conditions such as Panic Disorders. As it begins first and is normally integrated first, retained fear paralysis reflex may effect the integration of any other primitive reflex. Common presentations of children and adults who have retained this reflex include: being easily stressed, hypersensitive to noise and chemicals, allergies, difficulty learning to speak, withdrawal (quietly or noisily), altered sleep patterns (usually too little sleep), easily scared and shy, separation anxiety, panic disorders and being generally over-reactive to change.
Moro Reflex/Startle:
The reflex is set off by excessive information in any of the baby's senses. A loud noise, bright light, sudden rough touch, sudden dropping or tilting, turns on this "one reflex suits all" reflex. The reflex has to cover all eventualities so the child's sympathetic hormonal and neurological response is elicited, preparing the child's body for whatever turned on its alarm system. If the Moro reflex persists beyond three to six months of age it becomes an automatic therefore uncontrollable overreaction, overriding the newly acquired higher center decision-making. The child (or adult) may be hypersensitive to any of the senses and so may withdraw from situations, or, as it stimulates sympathetic fight or flight responses, the person may be an aggressive, over reactive, highly excitable, and unable to turn off and relax. Those with retained Moro may be very difficult to understand, they may be loving, perceptive and imaginative but at the same time immature, over reactive and aggressive. As an adrenal response may be inappropriately elicited many times a day and is on standby most of the time, there is a constant demand on the adrenal glands.
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR):
In the first months of life, while the ATNR is operating, the hand moves in conjunction with the head. This connection between touch and vision helps to establish distance perception and hand eye coordination. By the middle of the first year of life this is normally accomplished and the ATNR, being no longer required, should be integrated.
With retained ATNR, difficulty may be experienced with tasks that involve both left and right sides of the body (including eyes, ears, limbs etc.). Turning the head may cause a visual image to momentarily disappear or parts of the visual field to be missed. Visual tracking and judgment of distance may be affected.
Each time the head is turned the arm wants to follow it and the fingers want to open. Writing therefore requires enormous effort to hold the hand still while the head is doing different things like looking up at a blackboard.
To compensate for this, excessive writing pressure often occurs and/or a clenched fist pencil grip, both of which affect quality and quantity of writing. The act of writing requires intense concentration at the expense of thinking about what is being written, thus they may be fluent of speech but unable to express ideas in written form.
Adults, who suffer recurrent shoulder injury or neck stiffness, especially if always on the same side, often have a unilaterally retained ATNR. It appears that in the presence of some degree of retained ATNR, their hand and eye are not fully neurologically (therefore functionally) independent. This is a constant stress, interrupting the fine organization required for smooth head, eye, arm, and hand coordination, which can lead to structural problems, as well as affecting sports performance.
Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR):
If the tonic labyrinthine reflex is not integrated at the correct time it will constantly disturb the labyrinthine (balance) system. Head-righting reflexes and therefore visual function may be impaired. The person may experience difficulty in judging space, distance, depth and speed. Susceptibility to motion sickness is common with retained Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex. The TLR begins 12 weeks after conception. It is involved with the vestibular system in the inner ear and helps in the development of a sense of balance. It also interacts with the other senses. There are 2 parts to this reflex. In a baby or young child it can result in a 'floppy' child who appears to have low muscle tone or a 'rigid' child creating stiff, jerky movements (depending on which part has not been fully integrated). If this reflex is retained after the child is starting to walk, the child cannot acquire good upright posture and security on their feet and usually takes longer to learn to walk. They may also have difficulty judging space and where their center is. This can result in lots of falls, poor coordination and impaired vision and hearing. Another very common symptom that the adult or child often suffers is motion sickness due to the detrimental effect on the vestibular system.
Spinal Galant Reflex:
In the newborn, stroking the low back to one side of the spine will result in a twisting away from that side, with a raising of the hip on the same side. Stimulation down both sides of the spine simultaneously activates a related reflex.
If the spinal galant is retained beyond normal time of integration it may be elicited at any time by light pressure in the low back region. In the classroom, the child's belt or waistband or leaning against the back of a chair may activate the reflex, creating the 'ants in the pants' child who wriggles, squirms and constantly changes body position. This constant irritant affects concentration and short-term memory (as well as getting them into trouble). Due to the neurological association with a bladder-voiding reflex, children with retained spinal galant reflex may have poor bladder control. When retained, this reflex may affect posture and walking gait.
Juvenile Suck Reflex:
The newborn projects the tongue forwards to suck a nipple.
In the adult swallow reflex, the tongue moves backwards to push food down the throat. If a juvenile suck reflex is retained, the tongue projects forwards before moving backward in the normal swallow. This tongue thrust continually pushes the front teeth forwards, altering the shape of the upper teeth towards a class 2 bite. It is a huge problem for dentists (and their patients).
• Fussiness with food texture
• Difficulty chewing and swallowing
• Dribbling excessively
As a toddler:
• Speech and articulation problems
• Narrow mouth palate/arch
• Noisy breathing/snoring/apnea
• Further difficulty with chewing and swallowing
• Protruding upper teeth requiring dental intervention
Rooting Reflex:
The Rooting reflex can be demonstrated easily by light touch to the cheek of a baby, which will cause the baby to turn its head to that side, open its mouth and extend the tongue ready to suckle.
When this reflex is retained young child often displays the following signs:
• Hypersensitivity around the mouth and lips
• Fussy eaters
• The tongue may remain too far forward leading to: speech and articulation problems
• Dribbling - difficulty chewing and swallowing
• Gagging and esophageal reflux - thumb suckers
Palmar and Plantar Reflexes:
The palmar and plantar reflexes are part of the group of reflexes which develop in utero, and whose common characteristic is to grasp. Retention may cause poor manual dexterity and/or pencil grip due to reduced independence of thumb and finger movement. Speech difficulties due to a continuing relationship between hand and mouth.
If this reflex is retained after birth, it can be characterized by withdrawal, reticence at being involved in anything new, fear of different circumstances, the child who bears the brunt of teasing by normally adventurous children. Inappropriate retention of the fear paralysis reflex can contribute to such conditions as elective mutism, and hypersensitivity to sensory information and may result in physical and psychological conditions such as Panic Disorders. As it begins first and is normally integrated first, retained fear paralysis reflex may effect the integration of any other primitive reflex. Common presentations of children and adults who have retained this reflex include: being easily stressed, hypersensitive to noise and chemicals, allergies, difficulty learning to speak, withdrawal (quietly or noisily), altered sleep patterns (usually too little sleep), easily scared and shy, separation anxiety, panic disorders and being generally over-reactive to change.
Moro Reflex/Startle:
The reflex is set off by excessive information in any of the baby's senses. A loud noise, bright light, sudden rough touch, sudden dropping or tilting, turns on this "one reflex suits all" reflex. The reflex has to cover all eventualities so the child's sympathetic hormonal and neurological response is elicited, preparing the child's body for whatever turned on its alarm system. If the Moro reflex persists beyond three to six months of age it becomes an automatic therefore uncontrollable overreaction, overriding the newly acquired higher center decision-making. The child (or adult) may be hypersensitive to any of the senses and so may withdraw from situations, or, as it stimulates sympathetic fight or flight responses, the person may be an aggressive, over reactive, highly excitable, and unable to turn off and relax. Those with retained Moro may be very difficult to understand, they may be loving, perceptive and imaginative but at the same time immature, over reactive and aggressive. As an adrenal response may be inappropriately elicited many times a day and is on standby most of the time, there is a constant demand on the adrenal glands.
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR):
In the first months of life, while the ATNR is operating, the hand moves in conjunction with the head. This connection between touch and vision helps to establish distance perception and hand eye coordination. By the middle of the first year of life this is normally accomplished and the ATNR, being no longer required, should be integrated.
With retained ATNR, difficulty may be experienced with tasks that involve both left and right sides of the body (including eyes, ears, limbs etc.). Turning the head may cause a visual image to momentarily disappear or parts of the visual field to be missed. Visual tracking and judgment of distance may be affected.
Each time the head is turned the arm wants to follow it and the fingers want to open. Writing therefore requires enormous effort to hold the hand still while the head is doing different things like looking up at a blackboard.
To compensate for this, excessive writing pressure often occurs and/or a clenched fist pencil grip, both of which affect quality and quantity of writing. The act of writing requires intense concentration at the expense of thinking about what is being written, thus they may be fluent of speech but unable to express ideas in written form.
Adults, who suffer recurrent shoulder injury or neck stiffness, especially if always on the same side, often have a unilaterally retained ATNR. It appears that in the presence of some degree of retained ATNR, their hand and eye are not fully neurologically (therefore functionally) independent. This is a constant stress, interrupting the fine organization required for smooth head, eye, arm, and hand coordination, which can lead to structural problems, as well as affecting sports performance.
Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR):
If the tonic labyrinthine reflex is not integrated at the correct time it will constantly disturb the labyrinthine (balance) system. Head-righting reflexes and therefore visual function may be impaired. The person may experience difficulty in judging space, distance, depth and speed. Susceptibility to motion sickness is common with retained Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex. The TLR begins 12 weeks after conception. It is involved with the vestibular system in the inner ear and helps in the development of a sense of balance. It also interacts with the other senses. There are 2 parts to this reflex. In a baby or young child it can result in a 'floppy' child who appears to have low muscle tone or a 'rigid' child creating stiff, jerky movements (depending on which part has not been fully integrated). If this reflex is retained after the child is starting to walk, the child cannot acquire good upright posture and security on their feet and usually takes longer to learn to walk. They may also have difficulty judging space and where their center is. This can result in lots of falls, poor coordination and impaired vision and hearing. Another very common symptom that the adult or child often suffers is motion sickness due to the detrimental effect on the vestibular system.
Spinal Galant Reflex:
In the newborn, stroking the low back to one side of the spine will result in a twisting away from that side, with a raising of the hip on the same side. Stimulation down both sides of the spine simultaneously activates a related reflex.
If the spinal galant is retained beyond normal time of integration it may be elicited at any time by light pressure in the low back region. In the classroom, the child's belt or waistband or leaning against the back of a chair may activate the reflex, creating the 'ants in the pants' child who wriggles, squirms and constantly changes body position. This constant irritant affects concentration and short-term memory (as well as getting them into trouble). Due to the neurological association with a bladder-voiding reflex, children with retained spinal galant reflex may have poor bladder control. When retained, this reflex may affect posture and walking gait.
Juvenile Suck Reflex:
The newborn projects the tongue forwards to suck a nipple.
In the adult swallow reflex, the tongue moves backwards to push food down the throat. If a juvenile suck reflex is retained, the tongue projects forwards before moving backward in the normal swallow. This tongue thrust continually pushes the front teeth forwards, altering the shape of the upper teeth towards a class 2 bite. It is a huge problem for dentists (and their patients).
• Fussiness with food texture
• Difficulty chewing and swallowing
• Dribbling excessively
As a toddler:
• Speech and articulation problems
• Narrow mouth palate/arch
• Noisy breathing/snoring/apnea
• Further difficulty with chewing and swallowing
• Protruding upper teeth requiring dental intervention
Rooting Reflex:
The Rooting reflex can be demonstrated easily by light touch to the cheek of a baby, which will cause the baby to turn its head to that side, open its mouth and extend the tongue ready to suckle.
When this reflex is retained young child often displays the following signs:
• Hypersensitivity around the mouth and lips
• Fussy eaters
• The tongue may remain too far forward leading to: speech and articulation problems
• Dribbling - difficulty chewing and swallowing
• Gagging and esophageal reflux - thumb suckers
Palmar and Plantar Reflexes:
The palmar and plantar reflexes are part of the group of reflexes which develop in utero, and whose common characteristic is to grasp. Retention may cause poor manual dexterity and/or pencil grip due to reduced independence of thumb and finger movement. Speech difficulties due to a continuing relationship between hand and mouth.
How we Work/Services
Finding the Cause: We use functional neurology to address areas of the brain that are under or over firing. We use rehab exercises, eye exercises, dietary modifications, lifestyle adjustments, targeted nutrients to restore brain chemistry, and light force chiropractic adjustments when indicated.
Neurotransmitter and Metabolic Assessment Forms: In addition to the Functional Neurological exam you may also fill out forms that look at- general brain function, how stress has affected your brain, how blood sugar imbalance has affected your brain, General Gut Function, Adrenal Function, Thyroid Function, Serotonin, Dopamine, GABA, and Acetylcholine.
Additional Lab Panels: It may be neccessary to order comprehensive blood chemistry to give insight into the cause of your brain disorder and how to address it appropriatly. Other lab panels such as adrenal, hormonal, stool analysis, and immune panels may be beneficial as well. For instance immune problems and gut issues can severely impact overall brain function.
• Chiropractic adjustments- utilizing light force techniques when they are appropriate
• Active Release Techniques (soft tissue therapy)
• Baseball Sports Injury Prevention
• Brain based Rehabilitation using visual, auditory, propriceptive, and vestibular therapies
• Corrective/Functional exercise
• Gut Health Testing (intestinal permeability/malabsorption, digestion, GI Infections)
• Hormone testing (male, female, adrenal)
• Nerve Entrapment techniques/Nerve Flossing exercises for peripheral entrapments
• Neurotransmitter evaluations
• Postural Correction
• Routine and Functional lab testing
• Shoulder Rehabilitation
• Specialized Immune Testing
• Primitive Reflex Remediation
Neurotransmitter and Metabolic Assessment Forms: In addition to the Functional Neurological exam you may also fill out forms that look at- general brain function, how stress has affected your brain, how blood sugar imbalance has affected your brain, General Gut Function, Adrenal Function, Thyroid Function, Serotonin, Dopamine, GABA, and Acetylcholine.
Additional Lab Panels: It may be neccessary to order comprehensive blood chemistry to give insight into the cause of your brain disorder and how to address it appropriatly. Other lab panels such as adrenal, hormonal, stool analysis, and immune panels may be beneficial as well. For instance immune problems and gut issues can severely impact overall brain function.
• Chiropractic adjustments- utilizing light force techniques when they are appropriate
• Active Release Techniques (soft tissue therapy)
• Baseball Sports Injury Prevention
• Brain based Rehabilitation using visual, auditory, propriceptive, and vestibular therapies
• Corrective/Functional exercise
• Gut Health Testing (intestinal permeability/malabsorption, digestion, GI Infections)
• Hormone testing (male, female, adrenal)
• Nerve Entrapment techniques/Nerve Flossing exercises for peripheral entrapments
• Neurotransmitter evaluations
• Postural Correction
• Routine and Functional lab testing
• Shoulder Rehabilitation
• Specialized Immune Testing
• Primitive Reflex Remediation
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