Cerebral Palsy
Chiropractic helps children with cerebral palsy by improving spinal function, reducing abnormal muscle tone, and stimulating neuroplasticity. Adjustments can enhance proprioceptive input to the brain, supporting coordination and motor development. Parents often observe better posture, reduced spasticity, and improved communication after care.
Chiropractic Care for Cerebral Palsy: A Hopeful Path to Improved Function and Quality of Life
Chiropractic care may support children with cerebral palsy by improving spinal joint function, reducing abnormal muscle tone, and promoting neuroplastic adaptation within the nervous system. By enhancing the quality and accuracy of proprioceptive input transmitted from the spine and extremities to the brain, spinal adjustments can influence sensorimotor integration pathways that are essential for coordination, postural control, and motor development. Improved afferent signaling supports central nervous system processing involved in movement planning and execution, which may contribute to functional gains over time. Clinically, parents frequently report observable changes following care, including improved posture, decreased spasticity, enhanced voluntary movement, and improved communication abilities. These observations are consistent with a neurophysiological model in which optimized spinal input supports adaptive reorganization of motor and sensory networks in the developing brain.
Understanding Cerebral Palsy and Muscle Tone Challenges
Cerebral palsy is a group of neurological disorders resulting from early brain injury or abnormal brain development that leads to impaired motor control and abnormalities of muscle tone. Individuals with cerebral palsy commonly present with increased muscle tone and spasticity or, in some cases, reduced muscle tone, along with deficits in coordination, posture, and balance. These clinical features arise from damage to specific neural pathways responsible for voluntary movement and postural regulation. Injury to upper motor neurons within the brain or spinal cord disrupts descending motor signals to skeletal muscle, leading to abnormal reflex activity, impaired motor planning, and altered muscle activation patterns. In conditions such as hemiplegic cerebral palsy, one side of the body is disproportionately affected, reflecting asymmetric involvement of cerebral motor regions and their associated corticospinal tracts.
From a chiropractic perspective, cerebral palsy represents a pronounced disruption of neural tone and communication within the nervous system. D D Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, described life as the expression of tone, referring to the balanced tension and coordination maintained by the nervous system. In cerebral palsy, primary brain injury alters normal neural signaling, resulting in persistent abnormalities of muscle tone and motor control. Within a tonal framework, this pattern reflects a state of dysponesis, defined as inefficient or poorly coordinated nervous system output. Gentle chiropractic adjustments are proposed to support improved neurological balance by reducing additional mechanical and sensory stress within the spine and optimizing afferent input to the central nervous system. The clinical objective is not to reverse the original brain lesion, but to minimize secondary interference within spinal and neural pathways, thereby supporting improved function, adaptability, and quality of life.
Conventional management of cerebral palsy commonly includes pharmacologic interventions such as muscle relaxants and antispasticity medications or surgical procedures, which often provide only partial symptomatic relief and may not consistently improve overall quality of life. Muscle spasticity represents a central clinical challenge in cerebral palsy and arises from upper motor neuron lesions that disrupt normal inhibitory control of muscle activity. Because traditional approaches to spasticity management have limited effectiveness for many individuals, families frequently seek complementary strategies to address abnormal muscle tone and functional limitations, including chiropractic care kozyavkin.com. Chiropractic focuses on optimizing musculoskeletal mechanics and nervous system function through non pharmacological means, an approach that is relevant for individuals with cerebral palsy whose primary impairments involve altered neuromuscular control, coordination, and movement efficiency.
The Chiropractic Approach: Enhancing Neural Communication and Plasticity
Chiropractic care centers on the identification and correction of vertebral subluxations, defined as regions of altered spinal alignment or joint motion that disrupt normal afferent and efferent signaling within the nervous system. In children with cerebral palsy, chronic abnormal muscle activation patterns, asymmetric posture, and prolonged seated positioning can progressively alter spinal biomechanics and joint mobility, increasing mechanical stress on spinal tissues and sensory receptors. Chiropractors apply carefully selected adjustment techniques to restore segmental motion and alignment, often using low force or instrument assisted approaches when muscle tone is elevated or skeletal structures are vulnerable. By improving spinal mobility and normalizing mechanoreceptive input from spinal joints and surrounding tissues, chiropractic adjustments can reduce aberrant sensory signaling to the central nervous system and support more efficient neuromuscular coordination.
This approach may benefit individuals with cerebral palsy because the spine serves not only as the structural foundation for posture but also as the protective conduit for the spinal cord and major neural pathways that transmit information between the brain and the body. When spinal joints demonstrate improved mobility and alignment, proprioceptive input from spinal joints, muscles, and connective tissues becomes more accurate and coherent, resulting in clearer afferent signaling to the central nervous system. Chiropractic adjustments introduce a focused increase in sensory input that engages spinal and supraspinal neural circuits, which can stimulate adaptive changes within the brain. Experimental research using electroencephalography and reflex based assessments demonstrates that chiropractic adjustments can modify somatosensory processing and enhance motor control, reflecting neuroplastic changes within the central nervous system pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. By restoring spinal joint motion and reducing mechanical interference, chiropractic care supports more efficient regulation of neural signaling between the brain and body, which may facilitate improved interhemispheric integration and more effective communication along motor and sensory pathways involved in coordinated movement.
Chiropractic care is based on the principle that improving spinal function can influence central neural function, producing systemic effects on health and performance pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. In conditions such as cerebral palsy that involve injury to the central nervous system, interventions that promote neural adaptation and reorganization are clinically relevant. Experimental and clinical studies demonstrate that chiropractic adjustments can induce measurable changes in brain activity, including increased cortical activation and improved integration of sensory and motor processing, which reflect adaptive changes within neural networks pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. In a child with cerebral palsy, even modest improvements in neural efficiency can result in meaningful functional gains in mobility, coordination, or self care abilities. Chiropractic care may also influence autonomic nervous system regulation, which governs involuntary physiological processes. Case reports describe improvements in autonomic function among individuals with cerebral palsy receiving chiropractic care, including enhanced circulation, improved digestive function, and more stable sleep wake patterns vertebralsubluxationresearch.com.
Emerging research is examining the direct effects of chiropractic care on neurological function in cerebral palsy. A feasibility study published in 2024 evaluated the impact of spinal adjustments in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy by assessing H reflex responses and V wave measurements, which are established indicators of motor neuron excitability and neural drive to skeletal muscle. The investigators reported that children receiving chiropractic adjustments demonstrated measurable improvements in these neurophysiological parameters, including increased motor neuron excitability and enhanced capacity for muscle activation, whereas no comparable changes were observed in the control group f1000research.com. These findings indicate that chiropractic care may positively influence central and peripheral neural signaling involved in voluntary movement. Although the study sample was small, the results support the concept that spinal adjustments can facilitate activation of previously underresponsive neural pathways and improve the efficiency with which the brain recruits motor units. With repeated and appropriate sensory input, these neural changes may be reinforced over time, promoting adaptive reorganization within the brain and spinal cord and supporting neuroplastic mechanisms that contribute to improved motor function.
Evidence of Improvement: What Research and Case Studies Show
A central clinical question for individuals with cerebral palsy and their families is what functional changes may reasonably be expected with chiropractic care. An expanding body of clinical literature, including case reports, case series, and emerging controlled investigations, indicates that some individuals with cerebral palsy demonstrate measurable improvements when chiropractic care is incorporated into a broader management strategy. These published findings describe changes in motor control, muscle tone, balance, autonomic regulation, and overall functional capacity, suggesting that interventions directed at optimizing spinal and nervous system function may influence neurological performance in this population. Collectively, this evidence provides a foundation for examining chiropractic care as a supportive approach in cerebral palsy, grounded in observed clinical outcomes and plausible neurophysiological mechanisms rather than anecdote alone.
In a published case series, four children with cerebral palsy under the age of ten received chiropractic care directed at reducing vertebral subluxations. After approximately one month of regular care, consisting of about twelve visits, all four children demonstrated objectively improved paraspinal muscle tone. Electromyographic assessment showed more balanced muscle activation with improved left right symmetry and reduced signal amplitude, while thermographic analysis revealed fewer regions of abnormal skin temperature, findings consistent with calmer autonomic nervous system activity vertebralsubluxationresearch.com. These objective physiological changes were accompanied by clinically meaningful functional improvements, including enhanced mobility, improved postural control, and easier feeding related to better swallowing coordination vertebralsubluxationresearch.com. The authors reported gains in activities of daily living and overall quality of life, concluding that chiropractic care positively influenced both muscle tone and autonomic regulation in this pediatric population vertebralsubluxationresearch.com. These findings are consistent with parent observations describing improved posture, increased core stability, greater ease in sitting or standing upright, and improved head control following chiropractic care.
A larger case series published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine examined twenty nine patients with spastic cerebral palsy between the ages of seven and eighteen who underwent intensive therapy that included daily chiropractic care over a two week period. Spasticity of the wrist flexor muscles was quantitatively measured using the Neuroflexor device. The findings were clinically meaningful. Following a single chiropractic adjustment, average wrist flexor spasticity decreased significantly, with a mean reduction of 1.65 Newtons of resistance researchgate.net. In children with milder baseline spasticity, muscle hypertonicity was reduced by nearly half immediately after the first adjustment researchgate.net. After two weeks of continued chiropractic care, spasticity decreased slightly further, and every participant demonstrated a measurable reduction in muscle tone researchgate.netresearchgate.net. The authors concluded that spinal adjustments produced a short term beneficial effect on reducing spastic muscle tone in individuals with cerebral palsy researchgate.net. Reduced spasticity has important functional implications, as decreased resistance in the wrist may facilitate hand use and practice of fine motor tasks, while reduced lower extremity tone may improve comfort, positioning, and gait mechanics.
Chiropractic case reports have documented children with cerebral palsy achieving meaningful improvements in mobility and motor development that had not been previously attained. One published case report described a two year old boy with hypotonic cerebral palsy who exhibited severe developmental delays, including inability to stand or walk independently and markedly limited eye contact vertebralsubluxationresearch.com. Despite multiple prior surgeries and medical opinions indicating that independent walking was unlikely, the child began chiropractic care focused on spinal adjustments using Toggle Recoil, Diversified, and Activator techniques to address identified subluxations. Following only a few visits, notable neurological and functional changes were observed. By the fourth visit, the child initiated independent walking for the first time and demonstrated normalized sleep patterns, resolving significant preexisting sleep disturbances vertebralsubluxationresearch.com. Continued care was associated with improvements in muscle strength, balance, fine motor coordination, social engagement, eye contact, and cognitive responsiveness vertebralsubluxationresearch.com. The child also experienced healthy weight gain and progressive attainment of developmental milestones that had previously plateaued vertebralsubluxationresearch.com. Although chiropractic care does not reverse the underlying brain injury associated with cerebral palsy, this case illustrates how improving nervous system regulation and sensory motor integration may facilitate expression of latent neurological capacity and support functional development.
Some of the most striking reports involve chiropractic care applied to children with severe cerebral palsy. Dr. William Amalu published a case involving a five year old boy with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy who was wheelchair bound, blind, and experiencing approximately thirty seizures per day despite medication, along with chronic ear infections and minimal vocal output limited to a continuous droning sound Titronics Research and Development IncResearchGate. Following a comprehensive evaluation, an upper cervical chiropractic adjustment was performed to address an atlas misalignment at the craniocervical junction, a region known to influence brainstem and autonomic nervous system function. After the first adjustment, the child’s mother reported the first sustained night of sleep in weeks Titronics Research and Development IncResearchGate. After the second adjustment, seizure frequency decreased from approximately thirty episodes per day to around ten per day, vocalization reduced from constant droning to intermittent soft sounds, and the child demonstrated increased environmental awareness, including clapping his hands and turning his head in response to auditory stimuli Titronics Research and Development IncResearchGate. Over the following weeks, continued improvements were documented, with seizures decreasing further to approximately five per day and complete cessation of grand mal seizures, alongside improved alertness and normalized sleep patterns. During the third and fourth weeks of care, the child achieved new developmental milestones, including speaking his first word and demonstrating improved motor engagement. By twelve weeks, substantial functional gains were reported, including assisted walking, independent sitting, consistent sleep, purposeful vocalization, and reduced seizure burden. This case supports the concept that optimizing upper cervical and brainstem related neural signaling may facilitate meaningful neuroplastic changes in severe cerebral palsy, allowing previously suppressed neurological function to be more fully expressed.
Beyond case reports, controlled scientific investigation of chiropractic care in cerebral palsy is emerging. A randomized clinical trial conducted in China and published in 2019 evaluated the effects of what the authors termed spine and head chiropractic therapy on very low birth weight infants, a population at elevated risk for developing cerebral palsy e-century.us. In this double blind study, 125 premature infants were assigned to either standard neonatal care alone or standard care combined with gentle pediatric chiropractic sessions directed at the spine and cranium during the first eighteen to twenty four months of life. Infants who received the chiropractic intervention demonstrated significantly improved neurodevelopmental outcomes during early childhood and a lower incidence of cerebral palsy by two years of age compared with the control group e-century.us. The investigators concluded that early chiropractic intervention promoted neuropsychological development and reduced the risk of cerebral palsy in this high risk population e-century.us. These findings indicate that targeted spinal and cranial sensory input during critical periods of brain development may positively influence nervous system maturation and plasticity, suggesting a potential role for chiropractic care not only in managing cerebral palsy related impairments but also in early intervention strategies aimed at reducing the severity of developmental disruption.
Across multiple reports and studies, a consistent pattern emerges in which chiropractic care is associated with normalization of neurological and musculoskeletal dysfunction in individuals with cerebral palsy. Reductions in excessive or insufficient muscle tone, improvements in balance and coordination, and enhanced autonomic regulation are repeatedly observed, leading to measurable gains in functional capacity. Documented improvements include changes in muscle tone toward more adaptive levels, advances in motor skills such as sitting, crawling, standing, and walking, better coordination and postural stability, enhanced speech and swallowing function, improved sleep quality and daytime energy, and more regulated physiological processes including respiration and digestion. Caregivers frequently report clinically meaningful changes such as improved sleep continuity, reduced irritability, greater hand opening and grasp ability, improved seated posture, and increased tolerance for upright positioning. As neuromuscular control and nervous system responsiveness improve, individuals are often better able to participate in rehabilitative therapies, daily activities, play, and learning, allowing functional gains to accumulate progressively over time.
How Chiropractic Stimulates Neuroplasticity in Cerebral Palsy
A central mechanism underlying the potential benefits of chiropractic care in cerebral palsy is neuroplasticity, defined as the capacity of the nervous system to adapt and reorganize through the formation and strengthening of neural connections. Neuroplastic capacity is greatest during childhood, when the developing brain is especially responsive to sensory input. Chiropractic spinal adjustments provide a potent afferent stimulus by activating joint mechanoreceptors and muscle spindles, which transmit increased and more accurate sensory information to the central nervous system. This enhanced sensory signaling can interrupt maladaptive motor patterns such as persistent spasticity or inefficient movement strategies and promote the development of more organized sensorimotor integration. Experimental research demonstrates that even a single chiropractic intervention can increase muscle strength in healthy adults by improving corticospinal communication and central motor drive pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. In children with cerebral palsy who often exhibit asymmetric weakness, delayed motor responses, or impaired motor planning, repeated exposure to this enhanced sensory input may facilitate cortical reorganization and strengthen neural connections to underactive muscle groups, thereby supporting improved motor control and functional movement through activity dependent plasticity.
Chiropractic care frequently emphasizes the correction of asymmetries in movement and posture that are common in children with cerebral palsy. When a child consistently rotates the head to one side or exhibits a dominant pattern of unilateral muscle tightness, spinal joints and associated soft tissues develop uneven motion and loading. Targeted chiropractic adjustments aim to restore more balanced spinal mobility and reduce asymmetric tension patterns, which increases symmetrical proprioceptive and mechanoreceptive input to the central nervous system. As bilateral sensory input becomes more consistent, neural activity between the two cerebral hemispheres and the cerebellum is more evenly engaged, supporting improved interhemispheric communication and motor coordination. Over time, this normalized afferent signaling creates a more favorable neurodevelopmental environment in which excessively hypertonic muscles relax sufficiently to permit effective stretching, previously hypomobile joints resume motion and contribute accurate sensory feedback, and the child’s increased voluntary movement further reinforces adaptive neuroplastic changes that support functional development.
Chiropractic adjustments, particularly those directed to the upper cervical spine, can exert systemic effects through modulation of brainstem function and autonomic nervous system regulation. In the reported case of the five year old child, correction of an upper cervical subluxation was associated with reduced mechanical and neurophysiological stress on brainstem nuclei that regulate seizure thresholds, cardiovascular control, respiratory rhythm, arousal, and sensory integration, which provides a plausible mechanism for the broad clinical improvements observed Titronics Research and Development Inc ResearchGate. Brainstem nuclei serve as central integration hubs for autonomic output and sensorimotor coordination, and disruption at this level can contribute to seizures, impaired breathing regulation, altered alertness, and poor postural control. Many individuals with cerebral palsy exhibit autonomic dysfunction such as irregular respiration, excessive salivation, and unstable blood pressure, and improved afferent signaling from the cervical spine may support normalization of these functions by stabilizing autonomic tone. Parental surveys of chiropractic care in children with cerebral palsy have reported improvements in breathing patterns and reductions in drooling following adjustments cerebralpalsyguidance.com. In addition, chiropractic procedures stimulate proprioceptive input from spinal joints and activate vestibular pathways associated with head and neck motion, which can enhance central processing of balance and spatial orientation signals, thereby supporting improved coordination and postural awareness.
One of the most clinically relevant features of chiropractic care for individuals with cerebral palsy is its safety profile and noninvasive nature when delivered by appropriately trained and licensed practitioners. Chiropractic interventions for patients with special needs are individualized based on neuromuscular presentation, musculoskeletal integrity, and sensory tolerance. Children with elevated spasticity may receive very gentle spinal mobilization or low force instrument based adjustments designed to reduce joint restriction without provoking reflexive muscle contraction, while individuals with hypotonia and joint laxity may receive sustained contact adjustments with external stabilization to support controlled afferent input. Chiropractors with experience in pediatric and neurodevelopmental conditions commonly coordinate care with other healthcare providers to ensure integrated clinical management. Reviews of pediatric chiropractic care indicate that adverse events are rare when age appropriate techniques are used and when patients are properly screened for contraindications. Parents are typically present during care and often observe that children remain calm and comfortable during treatment, with some infants demonstrating relaxation responses such as falling asleep during gentle cranial or light spinal procedures.
Hope and Improved Quality of Life with Chiropractic for Cerebral Palsy
Living with cerebral palsy involves persistent motor and autonomic challenges, and chiropractic care has been proposed as a supportive approach aimed at improving nervous system function and adaptive capacity. By emphasizing spinal and neurological regulation, chiropractic interventions seek to optimize afferent sensory input and central integration, which is particularly relevant in the developing nervous system of a child. Evidence derived from published case reports, observational studies, and clinical investigations indicates that some individuals with cerebral palsy demonstrate measurable improvements in muscle tone, functional mobility, sleep quality, growth patterns, and overall daily functioning following chiropractic care. In certain cases, gains in postural control, coordination, and participation in developmental activities have been documented. Collectively, this body of evidence suggests that chiropractic care may serve as a complementary, noninvasive modality that supports quality of life and functional potential in individuals living with cerebral palsy by promoting more efficient nervous system regulation and adaptive responses.
1) McCoy M. et al. (2006). Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. Case series of 4 children with CP: all showed improved paraspinal muscle tone, better symmetry on scans, and gains in mobility, feeding, and postural control after 1 month of chiropractic carevertebralsubluxationresearch.com.
2) Kachmar O. et al. (2016). J. Chiropractic Medicine 15(4):299-304. Case series of 29 spastic CP patients: a single spinal manipulation produced significant reductions in wrist flexor spasticity (average neural resistance force dropped from ~7.6 N to 5.9 N)researchgate.net; two weeks of daily care led to further decrease, indicating short-term spasticity reliefresearchgate.net.
3) Valente A. (2009). J. Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. Case study of a 2-year-old boy with CP: after 4 chiropractic visits (Toggle/Diversified/Activator), he began walking unaided, slept through nights, gained weight, and improved in eye contact and fine motor skillsvertebralsubluxationresearch.com. Continual care yielded ongoing developmental improvements.
4) Rubin D. & Taylor A. (2023). J. Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. Case of an infant with hypoxic birth injury (CP): started chiropractic at 3.5 weeks old, receiving sustained contacts to sacrum, atlas, cranium. Over 5 years of co-managed care (with physiotherapy), the child achieved the ability to walk, talk, and function almost like a normal kid (avoiding the expected wheelchair-bound outcome)vertebralsubluxationresearch.com.
5) Amalu, W. C. (1998). Cortical blindness, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and recurring otitis media: A case study in chiropractic management. Today’s Chiropractic, 27(3), 16–24. ResearchGate+9Titronics Research & Development, Inc+9jmptonline.org+9 – first full sleep in years seizures going from 30/day to zero, vision returning, first spoken words, improved motor skills (sitting up, standing, assisted walking), and cessation of chronic ear infections over a few months of care.
6) Erwin D. (2015). Body Balance Spinal Care Blog. Summary of CP research: a study of 7 CP patients (2 children, 5 adults) under chiropractic saw decreased muscle spasms, better sleep, less irritability and pain, fewer respiratory infections, improved head control and attempts at movement in kids, and even resolution of strabismus in one child after 2 adjustmentsdonerwindc.com. Speech clarity and balance also improved in those with those issuesdonerwindc.com.
7) Kozyavkin et al. (Project description, 2017). Noted the rationale for using spinal manipulation in CP due to limits of conventional spasticity treatmentskozyavkin.com; their ongoing research aims to validate chiropractic’s role in reducing spasticity and improving manual dexterity in CP (registered RCT NCT03005938).
8) Duehr J. et al. (2024). F1000Research 13:1093. Feasibility RCT: chiropractic manipulation in 8–13 year-old children with spastic diplegic CP showed changes in neurophysiological measures (H-reflex threshold decreased and slope increased, indicating heightened motor neuron responsiveness) in the adjusted group vs. control, suggesting a potential mechanism for improved motor controlf1000research.com.
9) Pujari A.N. et al. (2024). Brain Sci. (MDPI). A study on neuroplastic responses to chiropractic: adjustments in adults altered EEG brain activity (increasing alpha/beta waves), improved somatosensory processing (reduced SEP amplitudes), and enhanced quality of sleep and life scorespmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Authors note that correcting subluxations may reverse maladaptive neural plastic changes and improve sensorimotor integrationpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – principles that likely apply in neurodevelopmental disorders like CP as well.
10) Ou P. et al. (2019). Int J Clin Exp Med 12(8):10549-10558. Randomized trial in China: 62 very-low-birthweight infants received standard care + pediatric spinal manipulation vs. 63 control infants. By age 2, the chiropractic group had significantly better neurodevelopmental scores and a lower rate of cerebral palsy diagnosis, indicating early chiropractic intervention reduced CP riske-century.us.
11) Cerebral Palsy Guidance (2025). Information resource, medically reviewed: States that chiropractic for CP can improve mobility, stiff muscles, posture, pain, and more, with studies showing improvements in muscle tone and daily living activitiescerebralpalsyguidance.comcerebralpalsyguidance.com. Also lists reported benefits like reduced drooling, better breathing, less spasticity, improved gait, and decreased anxiety in CP patients receiving chiropracticcerebralpalsyguidance.comcerebralpalsyguidance.com.