Primitive Reflexes are normal reflexes that are essential during early stages of life in the womb and for fetal development. They are also important in the birthing process and outside the womb for optimal growth and development. The purpose of these reflexes is to protect us from danger. As we develop and become accustomed to life outside the womb the advanced brain integrates them allowing us to continue to grow and develop. When a reflex is retained beyond its normal integration, it interferes with the normal organisation and functioning of the nervous system. This can result in a myriad of growth and development problems and can prevent us from reaching our full potential. Some common presentations of retained primitive reflexes are behavioural problems, learning difficulties, poor posture and altered perception. |
It is thought that a large percentage of the population have retained primitive reflexes. The exact number is difficult to estimate, however, at least 95% of people checked at Total Chiropractic have a retained primitive reflex. The earlier a child integrates a primitive reflex, the better it is for the child. The interference to the nervous system is also easier to correct in young children. It is never too late to have retained primitive reflexes corrected and integrated. Even adults who have retained primitive reflexes for a long time will experience amazing changes to the central nervous system and how they function in life. All of the retained primitive reflexes have their own specific correction that needs to be done for the brain to integrate the reflex. Once the reflex is integrated it will not normally return. Correcting retained reflexes is a simple procedure that results in astonishing changes in the way individuals interact with the world around them. |
The corrections and integration of retained primitive reflexes often require a multi-disciplinary approach. Firstly, the structural faults need to be corrected in the adult or child with chiropractic care. After this, fine tuning of the nervous system often needs to be taken care of as well. It may be necessary to see a behavioural optometrist, sound therapist, neuro feedback therapist and/or naturopath. Additionally movement programs like ‘brain gym’ or ‘gymbaroo’ will help integration of the reflexes. |
There are 5 major reflexes, each having their own important effect on neurological development before integration. If they are retained, each can have negative effects on further growth and development. |
Fear Paralysis Reflex:
The fear paralysis reflex, also known as the withdrawal reflex, is developed 18 days after conception and is normally integrated at birth. If there is interference to the nervous system during pregnancy and/or birth this may result in the newborn retaining the fear paralysis reflex. Interference can be structural trauma (e.g. a fall during pregnancy, intrauterine constraint, birth trauma, suction or forceps); emotional trauma (e.g. death in the family during pregnancy, foetal distress); biochemical trauma (e.g. medications taken during pregnancy, birth induction); or genetic predisposition. When this reflex is retained it may inhibit the integration of the other reflexes because it is the first one to be integrated. Therefore it can cause the nervous system to become disorganised. The fear paralysis reflex operates via the parasympathetic nervous system, which is intimately involved with the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve can become mechanically restricted in the neck, chest and abdomen when the reflex is retained leading to additional mechanical restrictions within the spine and organs. |
Common presentations of children and adults who have retained this reflex include: being easily stressed, hypersensitive to noise and chemicals, allergies, difficulty learning to speak, withdrawal (quietly or noisily), altered sleep patterns (usually too little sleep), easily scared and shy, separation anxiety, panic disorders and being generally over-reactive to change. I treated an 8 week old baby who would scream until she stopped breathing each time she was placed in the car. After I the correction, she was able to integrate the fear paralysis reflex and immediately stopped having this reaction. The reaction was absent even in the car trip home from the clinic. |
Once corrected, the fear paralysis reflex can integrate and the adult or child is generally calmer, happier, more relaxed in all situations and more decisive. However, the child may experience tiredness temporarily (for up to 3) weeks as their nervous system settles. |
Moro Reflex:
This reflex is more commonly known as the startle reflex. It can be activated by a loud noise or sudden movement or other excessive information stimulating the baby’s senses. The moro reflex begins to function 9-12 weeks after conception and is normally fully developed at birth. It is the baby’s generalised alarm reflex, which provides protection against danger before the brain is developed enough to determine what is and isn’t dangerous. If the Moro reflex does not integrate within 3 to 6 months, it becomes an uncontrollable overreaction over riding the developed higher brain function (where decisions are made). It over stimulates the ‘fight or flight’ response leading to hypersensitive senses. The result is often difficulty socialising and accepting or receiving affection. In addition, the person is often labeled ADD or ADHD, highly excitable, hyperactive, over reactive, does ‘out of character’ things and is aggressive due to this reflex short cutting the nervous system involuntarily. As the Moro reflex stimulates the ‘fight or flight’ response it also over stimuates the adrenal glands, which can fatigue over time. This has an adverse effect on the immune system and can lead to chronic illness and allergies. |
Parents of children will often comment that their child never went through the ‘terrible two’s’ or that they never stopped going through them. This period is an important developmental period of life. When the Moro reflex is retained, the child has not passed through this process fully. Therefore, following correction of this reflex, it is common to for individuals to experience emotional ups and downs (usually in the form of feeling moody, short tempered or demanding), while they are passing through this developmental stage. It is a short term side-effect with positive long term changes for the adult or child. |
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR):
The ATNR reflex begins about 18 weeks after conception and should be fully developed at birth. This reflex appears to assist the baby’s active participation in the birthing process. It is involved in the coordinated movement of the baby’s neck, arm and leg motion (in conjunction with the head). It is apparent when a baby rotates its head to one side and the arm and leg of the same side extends outward. Later the ATNR plays an important role in hand-eye coordination and object and distance perception. |
This reflex is normally integrated around 6 months of age. If it is retained, it can make coordinated crawling, walking and tasks involving left and right sides of the body difficult. Writing can be messy, ball skills poor and balance upset. In addition, it can also result in a child or adult being easily distracted. This is because the ATNR reflex helps to ‘lock in’ vision onto anything that catches the attention. Visional tracking may also be disturbed, as well as the establishment of hand, leg and/or hearing dominance. Hand writing often results in excessive pressure being used and a clenched fist pencil grip, which can lead to poor quality writing and fatigue. The child or adult may compensate by having good speech but be unable to express well in written form. In an adult a retained ATNR reflex can result in recurrent overuse symptoms or injuries in the shoulder due to the muscles around the shoulder contracting every time the head is rotated. |
Once integrated, the muscles around the shoulder begin to work independently to the neck movement. This removes unnecessary structural stress around the area and allows the muscles to function normally. Hand eye coordination and visual tracking also improve, as well as tasks coordinating right and left sides of the body. |
Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR):
The TLR begins 12 weeks after conception. It is involved with the vestibular system in the inner ear and helps in the development of a sense of balance. It also interacts with the other senses. |
There are 2 parts to this reflex. In a baby or young child it can result in a ‘floppy’ child who appears to have low muscle tone or a ’rigid’ child creating stiff, jerky movements (depending on which part has not been fully integrated). If this reflex is retained after the child is starting to walk, the child cannot acquire good upright posture and security on their feet and usually takes longer to learn to walk. They may also have difficulty judging space and where their centre is. This can result in lots of falls, poor coordination and impaired vision and hearing. Another very common symptom that the adult or child often suffers is motion sickness due to the detrimental effect on the vestibular system. |
After correction, adults often report feeling more ‘grounded’ as their balance improves. When this reflex was corrected on me, I was immediately able to travel without motion sickness (and I can now read as a passenger). In a baby it helps resolve the ‘floppy’ and ‘rigid’ child, as well as improving walking development and steadiness on the feet. |
Spinal Galant Reflex:
This reflex is developed 18 weeks after conception and helps develop hip movement, which is thought to aid the birth process. It is present in the newborn and is normally integrated by the end of the first year of life. The Spinal Galant reflex is activated by stroking the lower back. If both sides of the spine are stimulated at the same time, it activates the involuntary voiding reflex causing urination. |
If this reflex is retained beyond the normal integration time, stimulation to the lower back region by anything (e.g. chairs and clothing) will cause involuntary contraction of the muscles. Therefore, it can cause the child to wriggle around and not sit still. Because it is often a constant irritant, the child’s concentration and short term memory can suffer. If it is retained only on one side, it may affect posture and walking resulting in a limp or asymmetrical gait. This can contribute to scoliosis development. If it is retained on both sides, it often creates an inability to sit upright in a young child, poor bladder control and trouble with toilet training (resulting in the child becoming a bed wetter). This is due to the bed sheets or bed activating the voiding reflex. |
Due to the influence on the L5/S1 complex in the spine, it tends to increase structural stress and make the area susceptible to stress fractures in a child athlete. After correction in an adult, it is often reported that there is a big improvement in mobility through the lower back (with less stress symptoms occurring). In a child, bed wetting often resolves completely and sitting and general posture improves, creating less stress through the whole spine. |
There are many more reflexes that are integrated as the brain develops. Retained primitive reflexes inhibit different parts of the brain that need to develop further. If you think back to your child’s early development, the questions you could ask yourself are:
- Did they skip any developmental stages?
- Did they crawl, bunny hop or head bang?
- Did they have difficulty socialising?
- Did they have difficulty learning to speak, walk or toilet train?
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| If you have any concerns or if you feel that your child may have retained primitive reflexes, you can see a chiropractor who specialises in primitive reflexes. This will your child to reach their full potential in life, with much less stress on their nervous system. Don’t forget to think about your own developmental stages and emotional reactions to situations. It is never too late to reduce stress on the nervous system and have your whole body functioning optimally. |
Written by:
Sara Winchester, B.Sc(HM), M(Chiro), Dip (Sports
Chiro), Cert(AK). Cert (Webster) |
