6 Reasons Why Wound Up + Worn Out Adults Need Chiropractic Care Too

It’s 10 PM. You’ve finally gotten the kids to bed after a full day of work, appointments, homework help, and managing meltdowns. You collapse onto the couch, feeling the familiar tension in your shoulders and that persistent headache that never seems to fully go away. You’re exhausted, yet somehow you know you’re going to struggle to sleep yet again tonight. Tomorrow, you’ll do it all again.

Parenting is no easy task for any of us, and then on top of that for parents raising children with health challenges, the physical and emotional toll can be overwhelming. According to the Global Organization for Stress, 75% of adults report experiencing moderate to high levels of stress, with parents and caregivers showing even higher rates of burnout, anxiety, and physical health issues.

While you’re focused on finding the best care for your child, researching specialists, implementing dietary changes, and attending therapy appointments, your own health often takes a backseat. But what if taking care of yourself wasn’t just beneficial for you, but actually essential for your child’s healing journey?

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care offers a powerful approach not just for children, but for the wound-up, worn-out adults who care for them. By addressing the root causes of stress in your nervous system, this approach can transform your health and resilience in six significant ways—ultimately benefiting the entire family.

What is Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care for Adults?

When most people think of chiropractic care, they picture back cracking and relief from physical pain. But Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care takes a dramatically different approach—one that addresses the central control system of your entire brain and body.

Unlike conventional chiropractic which primarily focuses on musculoskeletal complaints, Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care aims to restore optimal function to your nervous system, which controls and coordinates every cell, tissue, and organ in your body. This approach recognizes that physical signs like pain, fatigue, and tension are often just the visible signs of a deeper neurological imbalance and dysregulation.

At the heart of this approach is addressing what chiropractors call subluxation—areas of dysfunction within the neurospinal system that lead to an imbalanced, dysregulated nervous system. When subluxation is present, it can lead to dysautonomia, a loss of balance between your sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest, regulate, and digest”) nervous systems. This imbalance affects everything from your stress response and sleep quality to your immune function and mental clarity.

What makes Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care unique is its comprehensive assessment tools. PX Docs practitioners use advanced INSiGHT scanning technology to objectively measure your nervous system function, identify specific areas of subluxation and dysautonomia, and create personalized care plans tailored to your unique neurological needs.

Rather than just treating the signs or forcing a “one-size-fits-all” approach, this care addresses the root cause of your health challenges—setting the stage for authentic, lasting healing.

Below are a set of scans for a classic “wound up and worn out” mom. Here’s a simple bullet-pointed breakdown of what you’re seeing on these three (3) scans:

On her NeuroThermal scan you can see all sorts of color and imbalance, indicating challenges with thyroid and adrenal function (hormones), digestion and immune function, and even the gut-brain connection (linked with anxiety, depression, etc.)

On the EMG (neuromuscular) scan you can see all sorts of increased tension and stress stuck in her neck, shoulders, and between the shoulder blades that we lovingly call the “The Mom Spot” as well as exhaustion and fatigue (yellow) in her core and adrenals area, indicating neurological exhaustion and depletion

Finally on the HRV and overall global stress test, you can see her entire nervous system is not only “wound up” but also again fully worn out and exhausted, as indicated by the white dot being far left and off center

The Adult Nervous System Under Stress

To truly understand how Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care helps stressed adults, we need to explore what happens to your nervous system under chronic stress. Your Autonomic Nervous System—which controls all your involuntary functions—has two main branches that should work in harmony:

The Sympathetic Nervous System (often called “fight or flight”) activates during times of stress or perceived danger. It increases heart rate, raises blood pressure, tenses muscles, and diverts blood flow away from digestion toward your limbs—preparing you to respond to threats.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (known as “rest, digest, and regulate”) helps your body recover and heal. It slows heart rate, promotes digestion and nutrient absorption, supports immune function, and creates feelings of calm and relaxation.

In our modern world, many adults exist in a state of sympathetic dominance—where the “fight or flight” response rarely gets a chance to turn off completely. Work demands, family responsibilities, financial pressure, constant digital connectivity, and environmental toxins create the perfect conditions for this chronic stress response. For parents of children with health challenges, this stress is often magnified tenfold.

When your Sympathetic Nervous System stays activated for prolonged periods, it leads to a condition called dysautonomia—an imbalance in autonomic function that affects your entire body.

The vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve and the primary controller of your parasympathetic system, becomes suppressed. This critical nerve connects your brain to virtually every major organ, and when it’s not functioning optimally, the effects ripple throughout your entire body.

Physical manifestations of this nervous system dysregulation include:

Chronic tension in the neck, shoulders, and back
Digestive issues like reflux, bloating, and irregular bowel function
Sleep disturbances and chronic fatigue
Headaches and migraines
Compromised immune function and increased inflammation
Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
Anxiety, irritability, and mood swings

When subluxation is present, it further exacerbates this imbalance by disrupting the normal flow of information between your brain and body. Your nervous system becomes stuck in a feedback loop of stress and tension that eventually becomes your “new normal,” even though it’s far from what your body needs to function optimally and heal.

This underlying, foundational nervous system dysregulation is at the root of everything from cortisol addiction and hormonal imbalances, to chronic gut and autoimmune conditions. Thankfully millions of women and parents today are turning to functional medicine to address these concerns instead of a more traditional, conventional medical approach of drugs and medication. But unfortunately, most of the time that functional or integrative approach still fails to address the true root cause of all these imbalances and dysfunctions within the body – subluxation and dysregulation.

Here are the six (6) main benefits parents and adults experience with Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care:

Benefit #1: Reduced Stress and Anxiety

The most immediate and profound benefit many adults experience from Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care is a significant reduction in stress and anxiety levels. Or put another way, countless parents and adults report they “almost instantly” start to feel lighter, less stressed, and most importantly—more resilient and less overwhelmed and thrown off track by life’s daily stressors. This isn’t just a temporary feeling of relaxation—it’s a fundamental shift in your nervous system’s baseline function.

When your nervous system is stuck in sympathetic dominance due to subluxation, your body remains in a constant state of high alert. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline circulate at elevated levels, your muscles stay in a state of readiness (and tension), and your mind remains vigilant for threats—even when you’re trying to relax. This neurophysiological state makes it nearly impossible to truly unwind, no matter how many deep breaths you take or how many relaxation apps you download.

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic adjustments directly address this imbalance by removing interference in key areas of your neurospinal system, particularly in the upper cervical region and what are known as the “transitional zones” like where the neck and shoulders meet. These key regions of the neurospinal system are where many critical neurological pathways converge and overlap, so relieving subluxation and tension here can have multiple positive benefits.

These specialized chiropractic adjustments help activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System and stimulate the vagus nerve, initiating what’s called the “relaxation and regulation response”—physiological changes that counteract the effects of chronic stress.

By addressing the root neurological cause of stress, rather than just chasing symptoms with medications or trying to help offset things with supplements, Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care empowers adults to hit “reset” and get out of the chronic loop and vicious cycle of chronic stress! Once they do everything and everyone benefits—from family relationships, to work performance, to fitness and athletic performance, and more.

Benefit #2: Improved Sleep Quality

Sleep is perhaps our most essential recovery tool—yet for many stressed adults, restorative sleep remains frustratingly elusive. The CDC reports that more than 1 in 3 American adults say they don’t get the recommended amount of sleep.

You may fall asleep easily only to wake at 3 AM with racing thoughts, or struggle to fall asleep despite feeling exhausted. These sleep disruptions aren’t simply “part of being an adult” or “just stress”—they often signal underlying neurological dysfunction and imbalance (dysautonomia).

Quality sleep requires your nervous system to properly transition from sympathetic (alert) to parasympathetic (restorative) dominance. When subluxation is present, this crucial shift is compromised. Your body may try to sleep, but your nervous system remains partially “on guard,” preventing you from reaching and maintaining the deeper sleep stages where true restoration occurs. This is why many adults wake feeling unrefreshed despite getting adequate hours in bed.

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic adjustments help restore proper balance and regulation within the nervous system, allowing for more appropriate regulation of sleep-wake cycles. By addressing subluxation, especially in the upper cervical spine and brainstem regions, these adjustments help activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System and vagus nerve function necessary for deep, restorative sleep.

These sleep improvements create a positive cycle of healing, as better sleep enhances mood, supports immune function, improves cognitive performance, and increases resilience to stress—allowing you to meet life’s challenges with greater capacity and presence of mind.

Benefit #3: Enhanced Mental Clarity and Focus

“Mom brain” and “brain fog” are often dismissed as normal parts of adulthood and parenting, but they’re actually signs of a nervous system under distress. When subluxation is present, the communication highways between your brain and body become congested with neurological “traffic jams” that impair optimal cognitive function.

This neurological interference affects your brain in multiple ways. First, when your nervous system is stuck in sympathetic dominance, your brain’s prefrontal cortex, responsible for executive functions like planning, decision-making, and focus, becomes less efficient as resources are diverted to more primitive brain regions involved in survival. Subluxation, sympathetic dominance, and nervous system dysregulation overstimulate the amygdala, the brain’s stress and anxiety center.

Second, the constant background “noise” of subluxation forces your brain to process unnecessary sensory input, draining your cognitive resources. Think of it like trying to concentrate and listen in to an important work call when your kids are making a bunch of noise in the background—the “distraction” component of subluxation is as real as it gets.

And finally, subluxation can restrict proper respiratory function and decrease cerebrospinal fluid circulation to and from your brain. This can limit oxygen and nutrient delivery while hampering waste removal. We now know that if the brain’s oxygen and nutrient supply are limited, and if it struggles to get built up waste and toxins out, just like the digestive system struggles with this issue—the brain’s performance around things like cognition and emotional regulation will be negatively affected via this disrupted physiological pathway.

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic adjustments help clear these communication pathways, and restore more efficient neurological processing and efficiency within the brain, leaving parents with profound benefits that vastly improve their quality of life. Research has shown that specific chiropractic adjustments can enhance prefrontal cortex function—the very region responsible for mental clarity, focus, and higher-level thinking. The adjustments also help restore proper blood flow patterns and cerebrospinal fluid circulation, ensuring your brain receives the resources it needs to function optimally.

For adults, particularly those juggling careers, households, and the complex care needs of children, cognitive improvements can be life-changing:

More energy and positivity
Improved ability to concentrate on tasks without becoming easily distracted
Enhanced memory and recall
Greater mental stamina throughout the day
Quicker problem-solving abilities
Reduced mental fatigue when processing complex information
Improved ability to switch between tasks efficiently

By addressing the neurological roots of brain fog, Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care helps adults reclaim their mental clarity and cognitive resilience—a crucial factor in managing the complex demands of modern life and parenting.

Benefit #4: Pain Relief and Muscle Tension Reduction

Chronic stress manifests physically in the body, particularly in the neck, shoulders, and back where tension accumulates day after day. This isn’t just “normal tension” from daily activities—it’s the physical expression of a nervous system stuck in sympathetic overdrive. Over time, chronic muscle tension can lead to tension headaches, migraines, and persistent discomfort.

What makes this type of pain particularly challenging is its neurological origin. When your nervous system is chronically stressed and subluxation is present, your muscles receive improper signaling. This creates abnormal tension patterns that your body begins to accept as “normal,” even though they’re far from optimal. Pain medications and massage may provide temporary relief, but without addressing the underlying neurological dysfunction, the tension patterns inevitably return.

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic adjustments work by releasing these dysfunctional patterns at their source—the nervous system itself. By addressing subluxation and improving communication between your brain and body, these adjustments help normalize muscle tone and reduce inflammation throughout the body. This approach doesn’t just mask pain; it helps restore proper neurological function so your body can maintain natural, balanced muscle tone.

The effects of this neurological rebalancing extend far beyond just physical comfort. As chronic pain and tension resolve, many adults experience:

Reduced frequency and intensity of headaches and migraines
Improved posture without constant conscious effort
Greater range of motion and flexibility
Decreased reliance on pain medications
Improved mood and emotional well-being
More energy as the body expends less effort maintaining dysfunctional patterns

By addressing pain at its neurological source rather than just treating signs, Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care offers a pathway to lasting relief that enhances overall quality of life.

Benefit #5: Boosted Energy and Resilience

Chronic fatigue and depleted resilience are epidemic among adults today, particularly parents and caregivers. While it’s often attributed to lack of sleep or poor nutrition, the neurological roots run much deeper. Your nervous system regulates energy production and distribution throughout your body, and when it’s functioning sub-optimally due to subluxation and dysautonomia, energy inefficiencies develop at the cellular level.

In a state of sympathetic dominance, your body constantly diverts precious resources toward “survival” functions. This chronic stress response forces your cells to prioritize immediate energy needs over long-term energy production and recovery. Additionally, the ongoing muscle tension created by sympathetic dominance requires significant energy to maintain, essentially creating an energy drain that runs in the background of your life.

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic adjustments help restore autonomic balance, allowing your body to shift out of crisis mode and into more efficient energy production and utilization. By reducing subluxation and stimulating the Parasympathetic Nervous System, these adjustments help optimize the function of energy-producing systems throughout your body, from cellular mitochondria to adrenal glands.

As your nervous system regains balance, many adults notice significant improvements in their energy and resilience:

More consistent energy levels throughout the day without dramatic crashes
Enhanced recovery from physical and mental exertion
Improved stress tolerance and adaptability to challenges
Reduced reliance on caffeine and other stimulants
Greater emotional resilience during demanding situations
Increased capacity for physical activity and exercise

This renewed energy and resilience allows you to not just survive your daily responsibilities, but to engage fully with your life and family—with resources left over for your own well-being and personal goals! You can’t get better than that!

The Neurobiological Connection of How Adjustments Work

Understanding how Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic adjustments create these profound benefits requires looking deeper into the neurobiology of subluxation and healing. While conventional chiropractic care often focuses primarily on spinal alignment and musculoskeletal benefits, Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care centers on how subluxation affects the function and regulation of your entire nervous system.

Subluxation creates altered neurological input into your brain, particularly affecting proprioception—your body’s sense of position and movement. When subluxation is present, your brain receives distorted information about your body’s state of regulation and function, leading to improper responses and adaptations. This neurological “noise” compounds over time, creating dysfunctional patterns that become your body’s new baseline, despite being far from optimal.

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic adjustments work through several key mechanisms:

Restoring proprioceptive input: The adjustments stimulate specialized receptors in your joints and muscles called mechanoreceptors, sending a flood of accurate, organized information to your brain. This improved proprioceptive input helps your brain create a more accurate “map” of your body, allowing for more appropriate responses and regulation.
Vagus nerve stimulation: Many adjustments, particularly those in the upper cervical region and transitional zones, help stimulate the vagus nerve—the superhighway of your Parasympathetic Nervous System. This vagal stimulation activates your “rest, digest, and regulate” functions, counteracting the effects of chronic sympathetic dominance.
Stimulation of the prefrontal cortex: Research continues to show that specific chiropractic adjustments can have a profound effect on this key area of brain function, responsible for mental clarity, focus, decision-making, emotional and behavioral regulation, and so much more. No wonder millions of parents and children alike report vast improvements in their symptoms related to ADHD, anxiety, depression, brain fog, and so forth.
Reducing neurological interference: By addressing areas of tension and restricted motion in your neurospinal system, adjustments help clear communication pathways between your brain and body, allowing for more efficient information transfer and processing.

The cumulative effect of these neurobiological changes is a nervous system that functions more efficiently and adaptively. Rather than being stuck in chronic stress patterns, your nervous system regains its natural ability to respond appropriately to challenges and then return to a state of balance—the foundation of true health and resilience.

Prioritizing Your Nervous System Health

The six key benefits we’ve explored, reduced stress and anxiety, improved sleep quality, enhanced mental clarity, pain relief, boosted energy and resilience, and that hidden healing boost for your child, work together synergistically to help you break free from survival mode and step into a state of vastly improved energy, vitality, and resilience!

Taking that first step by addressing your own subluxation and dysautonomia, you’re not only improving your capacity to show up fully for your family, but you’re creating a neurological environment that supports regulation, connection, and healing for everyone in your household.

If you’re ready to experience the transformative benefits of Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care for yourself, talk to your child’s PX Doc about getting started with care yourself as soon as possible! If no one in your family is under care yet, we invite you to visit the PX Docs Directory to find a qualified practitioner near you.

Nothing can profoundly change the health of your family quite like taking charge of your health first, and being the leader and role model for your kids to see what living a balanced, resilient, fully optimized life looks like!

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