📊 3 Things Our CLA Scans Reveal About Your Child’s Stress Load
Introduction: Behavior Is a Clue—Not the Problem
If your child struggles with focus, sleep, big emotions, or sensory overload, you’ve likely heard a lot of surface-level explanations. Maybe you’ve been told it’s “just a phase,” that your child will “grow out of it,” or that medication is the only option. But what if there was a deeper way to understand what’s going on beneath the surface?
At Solstice Chiropractic in Colorado Springs, we believe that behavior is a clue—and that the real story starts with the nervous system. That’s why we use advanced technology called Insight CLA scans to go beyond what we can see or feel with our hands. These scans allow us to pinpoint where stress is stuck in your child’s body and how it may be affecting their development, behavior, and health.
Let’s explore the top 3 things these scans reveal—and why they matter so much for your child’s long-term well-being.
1. Where Stress Is Stored in the Nervous System
Your child’s nervous system is like their personal command center—regulating everything from digestion to emotions, immune response, focus, and movement. When stress builds up (from birth trauma, developmental delays, or ongoing overwhelm), the nervous system adapts by changing how it functions. These stress patterns often go unnoticed—until they show up as symptoms.
Our Insight CLA scans help us locate exactly where that stress is stored. We typically see stress in areas like:
The upper neck and brainstem, which affect sensory integration, balance, and vagus nerve function
The mid-back and diaphragm, tied to breath control and emotional processing
The low back and sacrum, which impact motor development and postural control
These patterns are called subluxations—areas where the nervous system is overworking or underperforming. By identifying and tracking these patterns over time, we can better understand how stress is impacting your child’s ability to adapt to their environment.
Why it matters: A stressed nervous system can’t regulate emotions, process sensory input, or focus effectively. Knowing where that stress is stuck gives us a roadmap for personalized, nervous system-based care.
2. How Well Your Child’s Body Is Adapting to Stress
Not all stress is bad—life is full of it! But what matters is how your child’s nervous system is adapting to that stress. Is their body stuck in “go mode” (sympathetic overdrive)? Or are they able to shift into “calm mode” (parasympathetic function) when needed?
This is where our Heart Rate Variability (HRV) scan comes in. HRV measures the balance between stress and recovery, providing a window into how adaptable your child’s nervous system truly is.
Low adaptability on an HRV scan may show up in real life as:
Difficulty with change or transitions
When the nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight, even small stressors (a loud sound, a routine change, a scraped knee) can feel overwhelming. CLA scans help us see whether your child’s body is stuck in survival mode—and how much energy they have left in their “gas tank” for learning, growing, and thriving.
Why it matters: A child with low adaptability may seem fine on the outside—but be running on fumes internally. Understanding this stress load early allows us to intervene with supportive, restorative care.
3. Which Systems Are Out of Sync (And How That May Affect Daily Life)
The nervous system doesn’t work in isolation. It integrates multiple systems—muscles, organs, emotions, digestion, sleep—into a synchronized whole. But when stress patterns interfere with that integration, different systems can start to go offline, leading to a wide range of challenges.
This is where our surface EMG and Thermal scans come into play. These scans measure:
Muscle tone and energy output (sEMG): Is your child’s body overworking to maintain posture, balance, or control?
Temperature and nerve flow (Thermal): Are there imbalances in autonomic function, such as digestion, immunity, or sleep regulation?
For example:
A child with high muscle tone in their neck and shoulders may have difficulty sitting still or may tire quickly during physical activity.
Imbalanced temperature readings along the spine could reflect digestive stress, immune challenges, or poor sleep patterns.
These insights help us connect the dots between your child’s behaviors or symptoms and the underlying neurological function.
Why it matters: Rather than treating surface symptoms, we can focus on restoring harmony and communication between all systems—starting with the nervous system.
What Families Have Shared About Their Experience
While each child is different, families who begin care after CLA scanning often report significant changes, including:
Improved sleep quality and duration
Better focus and attention in school or at home
Reduced emotional reactivity and fewer meltdowns
More regular digestion and appetite
Overall calmer energy and better transitions throughout the day
These improvements don’t happen overnight, but they are the natural result of a nervous system that is more balanced, adaptable, and efficient.
Why This Matters Right Now
The world is full of sensory, emotional, and environmental stress—and our kids are feeling it more than ever. From academic pressures to tech overload to disrupted routines, many children’s nervous systems are in a constant state of overwhelm.
The good news? Kids are incredibly resilient—especially when we support their nervous system early and consistently.
At Solstice Chiropractic, we don’t guess—we test. Our scans give us a precise picture of where your child is starting from and how we can guide their care for optimal healing and development.
Call to Action
If your child struggles with sleep, digestion, emotions, attention, or sensory overwhelm, let’s look beneath the surface. Our Insight CLA scans at Solstice Chiropractic provide the answers you’ve been searching for—and a game plan to help your child thrive. Schedule your family’s consultation today and take the first step toward calm, connection, and confidence.
