There’s more to childhood ADHD than just chronic hyperactivity and inattention. Children with ADHD are likely to experience other psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety. What is less well known is the relationship between ADHD and motor coordination problems, particularly in the spine’s postural muscles and ocular (eye) muscles. For this reason, ADHD falls under an umbrella category called developmental delay syndromes (DDS), which encompasses conditions like learning disabilities, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. In fact, researchers discovered that dyspraxia, or poor motor coordination and muscle strength, is a common denominator of these four conditions. If these conditions persist in one child, can treating the co-morbid motor impairment problems have a positive effect on attention problems, hyperactive behavior, and impulse control?
The answer to this may lie in chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic is a profession that specializes in the correction of spinal dysfunctions called “vertebral subluxations”. Those spinal problems lead to neurological dysfunctions that can lead to symptoms similar to ADHD. The brain relies on a spine with proper structure and movement for it to function well, and any problems with the spine can affect how the brain receives and transmits information. By addressing these structural problems, chiropractic can treat both the motor coordination issues and cognitive deficits found in ADHD. The last decade has seen a number of studies on this subject, but a new long-term study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics shows how a multi-modal chiropractic treatment can help.
Treating DDS with chiropractic
This study surveyed 157 children aged 6-13 years old who received chiropractic treatment for their DDS (usually ADHD) from January 1993 to February 2007. Extensive psychometric testing (which is used to assess intellectual and behavioral functions) revealed that all 157 children suffered from muscle inhibition, motor dysfunction, postural problems, and issues with sensory stimuli (visual and auditory perception, spatial orientation and organization, right-left perception, and temporal orientation) in varying degrees. The objective of the research was to see if a multi-modal chiropractic treatment called applied kinesiology can alleviate these symptoms. Applied kinesiology aims to increase muscle strength of inhibited muscles for better motor response and control.
The outcomes of the study were measured by 8 psychometric tests done at the start of treatment and after the treatment. These tests were designed to evaluate 20 different areas of cognitive function (including sports, social interaction, and school performance). Comparing the two sets of test results showed that all 157 children showed significant improvements in cognitive function. The primary complaints of the children’s parents were also resolved at the end of the treatment. In other words, they were able to concentrate better, maintain their focus, control impulsive behavior, and had better academic performance after receiving a multi-modal applied kinesiology treatment.
How applied kinesiology and chiropractic helps
Unlike stimulant medications, chiropractor is not a one-size-fits-all treatment. Each child suffering from a DDS experiences a different mix of symptoms and problems, which is why the treatment used in the study and in practice is multi-modal. Multi-modal means that the testing methods and therapies used depend on the unique conditions experienced by the individual child. Since chiropractic uses different approaches in order to achieve individual responses, there are significant variations in the chiropractic treatment received by each child.
Of course, chiropractic is certainly not the only branch of health care that can treat DDS. However, the research findings and individual experiences show that chiropractic can provide useful help for children who do not respond well to stimulant medications and other conventional treatments.