Lifeworks Studio

✨Let’s talk primitive reflexes✨

We’re all born with something called primitive reflexes. They help us survive in utero and help with development as we grow from babies to toddlers.

For example, the spinal galant reflex creates side bending movement in response to touch on the back, which helps baby rotate as it passes through the birth canal. This reflex is the foundation for higher-level learning and development like head control, crawling and walking.

🧠However, we do want primitive reflexes to integrate (go away) by toddlerhood. Once a primitive reflex disappears it makes room for more mature movement patterns by creating new neural pathways in the brain.

If a primitive reflex is still present beyond its age-appropriate time to disappear it disturbs natural development and can contribute to challenges with motor development, school performance and social relationships.

Common signs of retained primitive reflexes:

⚡️Poor hand-eye coordination
⚡️Low muscle tone
⚡️Poor balance and coordination
⚡️Fidgety (sitting in class, dinner table)
⚡️Motion sickness or dizziness
⚡️Poor short term memory
⚡️Difficulty focusing or concentrating
⚡️Hypersensitivity light, sound, movement or touch
⚡️Challenges with fine motor skills

What do you do if you think you or your child has a retained primitive reflex?

1️⃣Test for them. If present, we can review simple at home exercises to help them integrate.

2️⃣In the meantime, start incorporating more natural and primal movements into your day. Essentially, pretend you’re 5 years old again and playing outside!

⭐️Climbing (park, trees)
⭐️Swinging (monkey bars, branches)
⭐️Crawling (through/over objects, bear crawls)
⭐️Ball games (golf, catch, spikeball, tennis)
⭐️Swinging
⭐️Spinal movements (cat camel, superman)

⚡️May 24 weekend should be enjoyed...not leaving you in pain!

Here are a few simple ways to minimize yard work or gardening pain:

✅Instead of "lifting with your legs and not your back" try..."when in doubt stick your butt out." This naturally untucks your pelvis, preventing your lumbar discs from being in a compromised position and preventing muscle spasms.

✅Vary your work positions as often as possible. Move from lifting or carrying to bending or kneeling to standing or walking.

✅Active movements like walking, cycling or swimming are best for recovery. Avoid sitting for extended periods of time after a long day of yard work.

✅Avoid ice as this can interrupt the healing process.

✅Chiropractic corrections before to ensure your spine and nervous system are primed for a day of labour, and afterwards to help with recovery and pain management.

🧠 This is why being in pain brings with it irritability, fatigue, struggle in making basic decisions and a feeling of wanting to be left alone!

Chronic pain is linked to decreased activity in your prefrontal cortex (the area of your brain responsible for cognitive behaviour, personality, decision making and social behaviour.)

⚡️What’s interesting is that we’re now also seeing research in what happens in the brain of someone who’s in pain and then receives a chiropractic adjustment…

This 2020 study detected greater brain activity via MRI in several brain regions (including the prefrontal cortex) in patients after an adjustment compared to healthy matched control subjects.

😃This study may explain why, after an adjustment, you don’t just experience less pain but you’re also in a better mood.

Think of pain as decreasing the signal in your brain and an adjustment increasing it again!

📸:

Thank you friend! A good reminder and perspective 💕