How Chiropractic Adjustments May Help the Brain Reconnect After Stroke
Most people think chiropractic care only helps with back or neck pain, but new research is showing its potential to help the brain itself—especially after neurological injury.
A 2022 clinical study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that a single chiropractic spinal adjustment increased the brain’s ability to activate muscles in the legs of people recovering from a stroke.
The Brain–Body Connection After Stroke
After a stroke, many people experience weakness, stiffness, or difficulty moving their arms or legs. This happens because the brain’s signal to the muscles becomes weaker or poorly coordinated. Rehabilitation focuses on re-training this brain–muscle communication.
This study looked at whether a chiropractic adjustment could immediately improve how well the brain sends messages to muscles—something called cortical drive.
What the Researchers Did
Who: Adults living with chronic stroke and ongoing lower-limb weakness.
What: One group received a real chiropractic spinal adjustment. The other received a light touch or sham procedure.
How: Researchers measured brain–muscle communication using a safe technique called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which measures how strongly the brain activates leg muscles.
They tested each person before and after one session of care.
What They Found
After a single chiropractic adjustment, participants showed a significant increase in brain activity directed to the muscles of the lower leg (specifically the tibialis anterior).
In simple terms:
The brain was able to send stronger signals to the leg after the adjustment.
This improvement wasn’t seen in the control group, meaning it wasn’t just from touching or movement—it was related to the actual spinal adjustment.
Why This Matters
For people with chronic stroke, regaining muscle strength and control depends on rebuilding the brain’s ability to communicate with the body. This research suggests chiropractic adjustments may help the nervous system become more responsive, potentially complementing traditional neuro-rehabilitation.
It supports a growing body of evidence that chiropractic care affects the brain and nervous system, not just the spine.
What This Means for Practice
For patients: Chiropractic adjustments might help improve how the brain controls movement—even years after injury.
For clinicians: Incorporating spinal adjustments into a multidisciplinary rehab plan could enhance motor retraining outcomes.
For ongoing care: This was a single-session study, but it opens the door for future research on long-term recovery and neuroplasticity.
Takeaway
Chiropractic care isn’t just about relieving pain. It may help restore communication between the brain and body, making it a valuable tool for people recovering from neurological challenges like stroke.
Citation
Navid MS, Niazi IK, Amjad I, Pujari AN, Kumari N, Haavik H. Chiropractic spinal adjustment increases the cortical drive to the lower limb muscle in chronic stroke patients. J Clin Med. 2022;11(4):1044. doi:10.3390/jcm11041044
