PANDAS and PANS are conditions where the body's immune response triggers sudden, dramatic neuropsychiatric symptoms in children. These conditions can be frightening for families, and finding effective support alongside your child's medical care matters. At Van Every Family Chiropractic Center, we offer gentle, nervous system-focused care that supports children dealing with these challenging conditions.
PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) involves sudden onset of OCD and/or tics following a strep infection, driven by an autoimmune response that affects the brain. PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) is a broader category that includes sudden neuropsychiatric symptoms triggered by various infections or environmental factors, not just strep. In both, an overactivated, highly sensitive nervous system is part of what your child is experiencing.
How PANDAS and PANS Shows Up
PANDAS and PANS rarely look the same from one child to the next, but there is a common thread. Sudden OCD behaviors and tics that were not there before. Rage episodes, panic attacks, and mood swings that swing higher and lower than anything you have seen from your child. Handwriting that falls apart overnight, sleep that fills with nightmares and bedwetting, and a new sensitivity to sound, touch, and light. Some children also lose ground physically, an unsteady gait or fine motor skills that seem to regress overnight. All of it points back to the same overactivated, highly sensitive nervous system.
What Is Actually Causing It
PANDAS involves sudden OCD and tics following a strep infection, driven by an autoimmune response that mistakenly targets the brain. PANS is the broader diagnosis: the same sudden neuropsychiatric picture, but triggered by other infections, illnesses, or environmental factors rather than strep alone. In both, the immune system's reaction to a trigger leaves the nervous system in a state of high alert, and that dysregulation is a big part of what is driving the behaviors and physical symptoms you are seeing.
Our Approach
We begin with a thorough history and consultation, along with INSiGHT neurological scanning (thermal, HRV, and sEMG) to objectively assess how your child's nervous system is functioning and where stress patterns from the infection, the immune response, or the flare itself may be stuck. This gives us a clear picture of the neurological burden driving your child's symptoms, not just the behaviors you can see.
Using Koren Specific Technique (KST) and Talsky Tonal Chiropractic (TTC), our doctors work with the lightest possible touch, evaluating the upper cervical spine, cranial bones, and the areas affecting vagal tone. PANDAS and PANS kids are often highly sensitive, so we build a calm, predictable environment, give your child choices about their own care, and adapt every visit to how they are feeling that day.
What to Expect
Because flares can be unpredictable, progress is rarely a straight line, but many families notice their child settling a bit within the first few visits, with steadier improvement as care continues alongside their medical treatment. Because our techniques are so gentle, there is no added discomfort layered on top of what your child is already dealing with, and we stay flexible as their symptoms shift week to week.
What Parents Often Notice
A calmer demeanor after adjustments. Gradual improvement in neuropsychiatric symptoms, better sleep, and less physical tension. Parents often describe their kids handling daily activities with less friction, and flare ups that feel less intense and easier to move through over time.
We track progress through regular neurological re-evaluations and stay in close touch with your child's medical team, adapting our approach to how your child is feeling each visit and coordinating our observations with the rest of their care.
Take the First Step
If your child is caught in a PANDAS or PANS flare, our doctors in Royal Oak are glad to talk through what calming, gentle care could look like.
Common Questions
Does chiropractic care treat PANDAS or PANS?
Is chiropractic safe for children with PANDAS/PANS?
How does chiropractic complement medical treatment?
How many visits will my child need?
Will you communicate with our child's other doctors?
Related: Seizure Disorder Support · Anxiety & Stress · ADHD & Focus Issues · Sleep Disorders · Sensory Processing Disorder
