Balance and Coordination

Chiropractic care enhances proprioceptive input from the spine, improving the brain’s ability to sense body position and movement. Adjustments stimulate mechanoreceptors that help regulate cerebellar and vestibular function, leading to better balance and motor control. This has been especially helpful for older adults and those with neurological impairments.

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Chiropractic Care for Better Balance and Coordination

Balance and coordination are fundamental to daily life. From simply walking and standing upright to excelling in sports or dancing. These abilities rely on a complex interplay between your nervous system and musculoskeletal system. When balance or coordination falter, people can experience dizziness, unsteady gait, clumsiness, or even increased risk of falls. Chiropractic care offers a unique, drug-free approach to improving balance and coordination by focusing on spinal health and its influence on the nervous system. In this research paper, we will explore the neurological pathways that govern balance and coordination, how spinal alignment affects these pathways, and the scientific studies that demonstrate chiropractic’s positive impact on improving balance and coordination in various populations. Consider chiropractic care as a means to stay steady on your feet and in control of your movements.

The Neurology of Balance and Coordination

Balance and coordination are orchestrated by several key sensory and neural systems working together. Your body maintains balance by integrating information from three primary sources: the vestibular system (inner ear organs that detect head movement and orientation), the visual system (eyes providing information about body position relative to surroundings), and the proprioceptive system (sensory receptors in muscles and joints that tell the brain about limb position and movement) chiromt.biomedcentral.com. These inputs converge in the brain, particularly in the cerebellum and brainstem, to keep you upright and coordinate your movements smoothly.

Neurological tracts carry the balance and proprioceptive information to and from the brain. For example, the dorsal column–medial lemniscus pathway in the spinal cord carries proprioceptive signals (like joint position sense) from the body up to the brain. Specialized pathways like the spinocerebellar tracts feed position and movement data directly into the cerebellum (the brain’s coordination center). From the brain, motor commands travel back down via tracts such as the corticospinal tract to execute precise movements, while vestibulospinal tracts help adjust posture and balance reflexes. All these pathways must work in harmony. If any part of this complex network is disturbed balance and coordination can suffer. Proprioceptive signals from the neck or spine can be impaired from misalignments, causing the body to compensate for altered kinetic chains and changing patterns of muscle tension from the top of your head to the bottoms of your feet. In fact, neck problems are known to be associated with dizziness and poor balance because sensory information from the neck’s joints and muscles are crucial for spatial orientation chiromt.biomedcentral.com. This phenomenon is sometimes called “cervicogenic dizziness,” highlighting how neck dysfunction can lead to imbalance.

The cerebellum plays a central role as well. Often dubbed the “little brain,” it continuously fine-tunes our movements and balance. It receives input from the vestibular organs, eyes, and proprioceptors, and then it adjusts muscle activity for coordination and posture. The cerebellum’s output ensures that we move fluidly and maintain equilibrium. It’s remarkable that even small disturbances in spinal or neck function (like stiffness or misalignment) can alter the feedback to the cerebellum and brain. Over time, such altered feedback may lead to disordered sensorimotor integration. Essentially, the brain gets confusing signals about body position resulting in uncoordination pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. This is where chiropractic care enters the picture, aiming to restore normal signaling.

Spinal Alignment and Nervous System Communication

Chiropractors have long observed that the spine’s alignment and mobility are critical for proper nervous system function. The reason is straightforward: the spine is not only the central support structure for your body, but it also houses the spinal cord and is rich in mechanoreceptors (sensory nerve endings that detect movement and pressure in the joints). When spinal vertebrae are even slightly misaligned or not moving as they should, it can lead to subluxations: areas of spinal dysfunction. Subluxations disturb the normal flow of sensory information from the body to the brain. As Dr. Matthew McCoy (chiropractor and public health researcher) explains, emerging research has revealed “a relationship between abnormalities in the spine, the nervous system and the brain,” and that the proper function of the brain depends on proper structure and movement of the spine inspirechiro.com. A misaligned or fixated spinal segment can send faulty signals or reduce the input your brain needs to balance and coordinate the body.

Think of how crucial your feet are for balance, they sense the ground. In a similar way, the small vertebral joints in your neck and back sense movement and orientation of your head and torso. Abnormal position or movement of spinal vertebrae can lead to subluxations, which impact the nerves going to your legs, arms, and even the balance centers in your brain. If those signals are impaired, you might experience poor balance or coordination. For example, someone with neck joint dysfunction might feel dizzy when turning their head quickly, because the neck isn’t providing accurate data to the vestibular system. A healthy, moving spine continually feeds the brain with information needed for posture and coordinated movement.

Chiropractic adjustments specifically target these dysfunctional spinal segments. By applying gentle, controlled forces to misaligned or stiff joints, a chiropractor restores normal motion and alignment. This improved spinal function has profound neurological effects: it resets or normalizes the sensory input from that area of the spine to the brain. Scientific investigations led by neurologically-focused chiropractors like Dr. Heidi Haavik have demonstrated that spinal adjustments do indeed change how the brain processes information. For instance, Haavik’s research shows that adjustments can enhance communication between the spine and brain, improving the way the body processes sensory information connectedchiropractic.co.uk. Better sensory processing translates to better awareness of body position (proprioception), which is the foundation of balance and coordination. In essence, when your spine works better, your brain works better in coordinating movement. The intimate relationship between spinal function and brain function plays a crucial role in health, balance, and coordination.

How Chiropractic Enhances Balance and Coordination

Chiropractic care can boost balance and coordination on multiple levels. Neurologically, as we’ve seen, it corrects spinal dysfunctions that might be disrupting sensorimotor pathways. By doing so, chiropractic adjustments help normalize proprioceptive input (position sense) from the spine and limbs to the brain pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Restored and increased sensory input can recalibrate the brain’s maps of the body, leading to improved postural control and finer coordination. There’s also an effect on reflexes and muscle tone. For instance, proper alignment of the upper neck can influence the vestibular reflexes that keep your vision stable and posture upright. Many patients report feeling more “centered” or balanced after an adjustment, not just pain relief.

Beyond the neurological mechanism, we must consider the muscular system. Imbalances or restrictions in the spine often cause certain muscles to tighten or weaken as a compensation. Over time this contributes to unsteady movement. Chiropractic adjustments, often combined with exercises or stretches, help alleviate those muscular imbalances. When joints move correctly, the muscles around them tend to activate in better coordination. This improved muscle coordination contributes to better balance. In fact, research has documented increases in muscle strength and endurance following chiropractic care, suggesting the nervous system is better able to drive the muscles. In one controlled trial on active-duty military personnel with low back pain, four weeks of chiropractic care led to significant improvements in isometric strength and trunk muscle endurance compared to a control group researchgate.net. Notably, that study also measured balance: the chiropractic group improved their single-leg balance time with eyes closed by nearly half a second, whereas the control group did not. This is a statistically significant difference in favor of the chiropractic care (p = 0.01) researchgate.net. The research illustrates that chiropractic adjustments can translate into functional gains like better balance, likely because the body’s core stability and proprioception were enhanced.

Another way chiropractic may aid coordination is by influencing the cerebellum and cortical motor areas. Some cutting-edge studies using techniques like EEG and fMRI suggest that spinal adjustments activate parts of the brain involved in motor control. For example, one study using somatosensory evoked potentials found that cervical (neck) adjustments led to measurable changes in brain activity, indicating altered sensorimotor integration in the cortex pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. And a brain imaging study (using EEG source localization) reported that adjusting dysfunctional spinal joints affected activation in the prefrontal cortex: an area responsible for executive function and coordinated movement planning connectedchiropractic.co.uk. This line of research is ongoing, but it’s exciting to consider that chiropractic might induce a form of neuroplasticity, helping the brain and body form new, more efficient connections for maintaining balance and executing movements.

Research Evidence: Chiropractic’s Impact on Balance

Older Adults and Fall Prevention: As we age, balance often declines and fall risk increases. A landmark randomized controlled trial published in 2016 examined whether chiropractic care could improve factors related to falls in community-dwelling older adults pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Over 12 weeks, one group received chiropractic adjustments while a control group did not. The chiropractic group showed significant improvements in several key measures of sensorimotor function. They became faster in a stepping reaction time test (important for regaining balance if you trip) and showed better multi-sensory integration (measured by a visual-auditory test) compared to controls pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Even proprioception got better: the accuracy of ankle joint position sense improved in the chiropractic group, indicating finer awareness of foot positioning pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Improved ankle proprioception is crucial because it helps you know where your feet are, something essential for balance. This study’s conclusion was that sensorimotor function and integration important for reducing fall risk improved in the chiropractic group, and even their physical quality of life scores got a boost. In practical terms, this suggests chiropractic care could make older individuals more sure-footed and less likely to stumble.

Another study focusing on seniors with neck pain and dizziness, common complaints that can undermine balance, found that chiropractic care can be very helpful. In a clinical trial, patients over 65 with chronic neck pain and associated dizziness underwent a month of chiropractic treatments including gentle spinal adjustments. The findings showed a trend of clinically significant improvement in dizziness and neck disability scores in the chiropractic group (compared to a sham-treated group) chiromt.biomedcentral.com. While it was a pilot study, it suggested that properly adjusting the neck and upper back (even with instrument-assisted methods) might reduce dizziness, thereby improving balance confidence. This makes sense because if your neck joints are contributing to abnormal signals (cervicogenic dizziness), correcting them can relieve that dizzy, off-balance feeling.

Even in non-randomized research, we see positive outcomes. A feasibility study at a chiropractic college clinic tracked adults with dizziness and balance issues over 8 weeks of chiropractic care. The results were promising: most patients demonstrated improved balance, and some experienced reduced dizziness and neck pain after the treatment period pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. In fact, their balance was measured with a standardized scale (Berg Balance), and a number of patients showed clinically meaningful improvements. The study’s authors reported a large effect size for improved balance and deemed the results worthy of further investigation pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. A significant portion of dizzy, unsteady patients felt steadier after chiropractic care, aligning with what chiropractors often observe in their clinics.

Collectively, these studies paint a compelling picture: Chiropractic adjustments can help older individuals regain better balance and stability. By improving proprioception and reducing neck-related dizziness, chiropractic care addresses two major factors in falls. If you have an elderly parent or relative (or if you are older yourself) and are worried about balance or frequent stumbling, these findings suggest that a chiropractic evaluation might be a wise step. Better balance not only prevents injuries from falls but also boosts confidence in staying active and independent.

Research Evidence: Chiropractic’s Impact on Coordination and Performance

Balance is one aspect of coordination, but coordination also includes things like timing, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and overall agility. Here, too, chiropractic care has shown beneficial effects in scientific studies – from athletes looking for a competitive edge to children with developmental coordination issues and even patients recovering from neurological events.

Athletic Performance and Reaction Time: Athletes are always searching for ways to react faster and move more efficiently. It turns out chiropractic adjustments might help. As far back as 1991, a study in The Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation found that a group of athletes who received chiropractic adjustments had 18% faster reaction times compared to a control group that did not get chiropractic care thrivecedarfalls.com. Think about that: in sports, an 18% quicker reaction, whether it’s reacting to a starting gun or a ball coming your way, can mean the difference between winning and losing. Another study (by Dr. Murphy and colleagues in 2000) specifically measured reaction speeds and noted that after chiropractic adjustments, subjects on average had a 97-millisecond faster response time on certain tasks. Fractions of a second count in high-performance settings, and chiropractic care offered an edge.

Chiropractic’s influence on coordination isn’t just limited to reaction time. A 2018 study reported a remarkable 30% improvement in hand-eye coordination following spinal adjustments thrivecedarfalls.com. This was in individuals with subclinical neck issues (mild neck dysfunction without overt pain). By adjusting the neck and improving its function, their ability to coordinate visual input with hand movement (essential in everything from racket sports to typing) significantly improved, likely due to better integration in the cerebellum and cortex as the authors suggested. Additionally, a small trial found that vertical jump height (a measure of lower-body power and coordination) increased after a single pelvic adjustment in female athletes thrivecedarfalls.com. Enhanced jump height implies that the neuromuscular system was more effectively recruiting muscles in a coordinated way after the adjustment.

Perhaps most impressively, a recent randomized controlled trial in 2020 with elite military personnel (Special Operations Forces) tested multiple measures of response and coordination under combat-simulation conditions. The study did not find sustained differences in simple reaction tests over a two-week period, except in one critical aspect: those who received chiropractic adjustments showed an immediate improvement in complex whole-body reaction time tasks pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Specifically, after a single chiropractic session, the soldiers could complete a complicated movement-based response test faster than before, whereas no such immediate change was seen in the control group pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. This immediate effect suggests that chiropractic adjustments can acutely prime the neuromuscular system, perhaps by reducing inhibition in the nervous system or improving joint mechanics, allowing quicker full-body responses. Although the sustained long-term differences in that study were not significant (the trial was short-term), the fact that even highly trained, asymptomatic individuals got a performance boost from one adjustment is telling. It underscores that even if you’re already in good shape, fine-tuning spinal function might unlock even better coordination and reflexes.

It’s no wonder why so many professional athletes incorporate chiropractic care into their training regimen. It’s often cited that around 90% of world-class athletes use chiropractic to help prevent injuries and enhance performance. In fact, every NFL and NBA team has a chiropractor on staff, and a majority of pro golfers, Olympians, and MLB players rely on chiropractic care. Keeping the spine and nervous system in peak condition translates to better balance, coordination, and overall performance on the field. If you’re an athlete (or even a weekend warrior), you might be intrigued by these findings. Chiropractic could be the secret sauce to reacting a bit faster, moving a bit more efficiently, and staying in the game.

Coordination in Children: Coordination and balance issues aren’t just an elderly concern; children can also struggle with them, affecting their ability to play sports or even keep up with peers in playground activities. Chiropractic care is gentle and adapted for kids, and preliminary research indicates it may help kiddos with coordination troubles. A recent case reported in a chiropractic pediatric journal involved a 9-year-old boy with developmental delays and balance/coordination problems (he even had a congenital condition, Klippel-Feil syndrome, affecting his spine). After undergoing chiropractic care focused on correcting spinal misalignments, the boy avoided a recommended surgery and showed noticeable improvement in balance and coordination in daily activities, along with a boost in self-confidence. His parents and caregivers noted he was less clumsy and more willing to participate in physical play. While this is just one case, it illustrates the potential: by reducing spinal stress and improving nerve communication, chiropractic adjustments might help children develop stronger balance and motor skills. Another angle is that many children today have poor posture (think of tech neck from devices), which could impair their balance reflexes. Chiropractic attention can correct those postural issues early, setting the stage for better coordination as they grow.

Neurological Rehabilitation: Perhaps one of the most fascinating areas of research is how chiropractic care might aid those recovering from neurological conditions that affect coordination, such as stroke. When someone has a stroke, especially if it affects motor centers of the brain, they often suffer from impaired balance, muscle weakness, and loss of coordination on one side of the body. Standard rehabilitation focuses on exercise therapy to regain function. Researchers have started asking: could adding chiropractic spinal adjustments help the brain reorganize and recover better? A groundbreaking randomized controlled trial published in 2021 did exactly this: they added chiropractic adjustments to the usual stroke rehab for a group of stroke survivors and compared them to a group doing rehab with sham (fake) adjustments. The results were encouraging: the group receiving real chiropractic care alongside therapy had greater improvements in motor function, particularly in lower limb coordination and strength, after 4 weeks mdpi.commdpi.com. In clinical terms, their Fugl-Meyer Assessment scores (a scale for stroke motor recovery) improved more than the control group’s scores, and nearly all patients in the chiropractic group achieved notable functional gains. One measure of mobility and balance, the Timed Up & Go test, improved faster in the chiropractic group as well indicating they could rise from a chair and start walking more swiftly and steadily than before mdpi.commdpi.com.

What’s truly intriguing is why the stroke patients improved with chiropractic. The chiropractic adjustments in the study were not directed at the limbs or the stroke impairment directly; they were typical spinal adjustments (finding areas of the spine that are subluxated and adjusting them) mdpi.com. The idea is that by clearing “noise” or interference in the nervous system via the spine, the brain could better re-establish control over movement. The authors noted that combining chiropractic with physical therapy “further enhanced the beneficial effects” of rehabilitation on motor recovery mdpi.com. Essentially, the patients who got adjusted had an extra push in retraining their brains, likely thanks to improved sensorimotor integration from the spinal level upward. While more research is needed, this suggests chiropractic care might become a valuable complementary therapy in neuro-rehabilitation, helping patients regain balance and coordination faster after events like strokes or injuries. And for anyone, not just stroke patients, this emphasizes how central the spine’s health is to movement: even when the brain has been injured, attending to spinal function provides a huge boost in improving coordination.

Conclusion: A Balanced, Coordinated Life with Chiropractic

Imagine moving with confidence and not worrying about stumbling. Not feeling dizzy when you look up or turn quickly, and having the agility to enjoy your favorite activities. Whether you’re an older adult wanting to prevent falls, an athlete aiming for peak performance, or someone who’s simply noticed a bit of unsteadiness lately, chiropractic care offers a promising path to better balance and coordination. By correcting spinal subluxations and enhancing the communication between your body and brain, chiropractic helps tune your nervous system for optimal function. The studies we’ve discussed show improvements in proprioception, faster reaction times, better postural stability, and even superior sports metrics after chiropractic care. They point to one conclusion: when your spine is aligned, you truly can find your balance.

It’s also important to consider the safety and holistic nature of chiropractic. Instead of medications that might make you drowsy or surgeries with risks, chiropractic provides a natural way to recalibrate your body’s equilibrium. Improvements often come with side benefits: patients frequently report less pain, better sleep, and an overall sense of wellbeing alongside their enhanced coordinationconnectedchiropractic.co.uk. This makes sense, since a well-functioning nervous system positively affects many aspects of health. And don’t forget, if chiropractic care can help world-class athletes shave milliseconds off their response times and prevent injuries, it can likely help the rest of us with the fundamental task of staying balanced in our daily lives. In summary, the neurological tracts and centers that govern balance and coordination can be influenced (for the better) by chiropractic care. From the inner ear to the soles of your feet, maintaining balance is a whole-body effort coordinated by the brain. Chiropractic ensures that the signals traveling through your spine and into your brain are clear and accurate. The result is often improved stability, smoother movement, and a renewed confidence in your body’s capabilities. If you or someone you love is struggling with balance issues, clumsiness, or coordination problems, consider seeing our doctors at Luxury Chiropractic. With ample scientific evidence of its benefits and a track record of happy, balanced patients, chiropractic care might just help you regain your footing and lead a more active, balanced life.

Sources:

Holt K. et al. (2016). Effectiveness of Chiropractic Care to Improve Sensorimotor Function Associated With Falls Risk in Older People: A Randomized Controlled Trial. JMPT. – Showed improved stepping reaction time, proprioception, and multisensory integration in older adults under chiropractic carepubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Strunk R. & Hawk C. (2009). Effects of chiropractic care on dizziness, neck pain, and balance: a single-group study. J Chiropr Med. – Most patients had improved balance and reduced dizziness after 8 weeks of carepubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Vining R. et al. (2020). Chiropractic Care on Strength, Balance, and Endurance in Military Personnel with Low Back Pain. J Alt Complement Med. – Found increased muscle strength/endurance and better eyes-closed balance after 4 weeks of chiropractic vs controlresearchgate.net.
Kendall J. et al. (2018). Chiropractic treatment for dizziness and neck pain in older people: a feasibility RCT. Chiropr Man Therap. – Indicated chiropractic including instrument-assisted adjustments tended to improve dizziness and neck disability in seniorschiromt.biomedcentral.comchiromt.biomedcentral.com.
Haavik H. & Murphy B. (2012). The role of spinal manipulation in addressing sensorimotor integration and motor control. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. – Review of research showing spinal adjustments produce neurophysiological changes that improve sensory processing and motor outputpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
DeVocht J. et al. (2019). Chiropractic manipulative therapy on reaction time in special operations forces: RCT. Trials. – Single chiropractic session immediately improved complex whole-body response time in elite military personnelpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Lauro A. & Mouch B. (1991). Chiropractic effects on athletic ability. J Chiro Research Clin Invest. – Athletes under chiropractic had 18% faster reaction times than those without carethrivecedarfalls.com.
Kelly D., Murphy B. (2000). Effect of spinal manipulation on reaction time. JMPT. – Demonstrated about 97 ms quicker reaction times post-adjustmentthrivecedarfalls.com.
Baarbé J. et al. (2018). Subclinical neck pain treatment impacts motor training-induced plasticity. PLoS ONE. – Showed improved hand-eye coordination (~30% increase) after chiropractic adjustments, highlighting cerebellar motor plasticitythrivecedarfalls.com.
Holt K. et al. (2021). Chiropractic Spinal Adjustments and Motor Function in Stroke: RCT. Brain Sciences. – Adding chiropractic to rehab enhanced lower-limb motor recovery and functional mobility in stroke survivors vs shammdpi.commdpi.com.