If you are looking for a POTS chiropractor in Royal Oak, start with how we see it. We said it plainly: "It's not a weak heart. It's a nervous system reacting to the wrong information." Old stress can leave the body braced, and standing up becomes one demand too many.
Why do people with POTS feel off when they stand?
We explained it as a problem of information. The brain reads signals from the joints and tissues of the spine, especially the neck, to know where the body is and how upright you are.
We said, "Your brain also has an internal GPS." It uses what it reads to decide "how hard to squeeze your blood vessels and how fast to run your heart when you stand." Your brain and spinal cord hang inside a multi-layered system of connective tissue, anchored at the top of the neck and skull and at the base of the spine. We compared it to guitar strings under tension: "When it tightens in one area, it tightens the whole system." And when those areas hold old tension patterns, we said, "So your brain is trying to regulate you based on bad information."
What does a braced posture look like?
A braced body often shows it in posture: head forward, shoulders rounded and a tight upper back. We see this in our Royal Oak office, and we said, "I see teenagers with a posture of someone three times their age."
We gave a simple picture: "Think of your head like a bowling ball on a stick." Every inch it drifts forward, the load on the neck and upper back multiplies, and the nervous system works overtime all day to hold you up. The upper back is also where the fight or flight nerves branch out. Willpower is not the answer here. "Telling them to sit up straight doesn't work for long because it's not a willpower problem." It is tension in the body that is still holding.
Why does old stress stay in the body?
The body holds a pattern until it gets a signal that it is safe to let go. We said the amount of tension it holds is proportional to whatever overwhelmed it.
The trouble is timing. "The original threat can be long gone, months ago, years ago," and the body can still be holding on because it never got that safety signal. When something intense is followed by something else, the first pattern gets buried under the next one. That is how we end up with layers: "Layers of old stress stuck in the body just waiting on permission to let go."
What goes into the stress bucket?
We use a bucket to explain it, and every layer counts. We said, "I think of it like a stress bucket." Each layer is still sitting in it, taking up processing power even when the body is not actively thinking about it.
The layers we named include a stressful pregnancy, a hard birth with forceps, a vacuum, a C-section or a long labor. They also include early childhood stress or illness, a concussion, a fall, a car accident, a surgery, mono, Lyme, COVID, grief, burnout and years of running on empty. They stack, often for years before the first symptom shows up. "When that bucket gets full, there's less room left to adapt to everyday life." Something as basic as standing up becomes one demand too many.
Many people can point to the moment it all started: after COVID, after mono, after a concussion, after the baby. We said that moment is real and it matters. But in our experience, "the event is usually the last straw, not the whole story." For more on how we talk about this, see our page on POTS and dysautonomia. We also have a free POTS guide, so ask us about it.
Looking for a POTS chiropractor in Royal Oak?
Van Every Family Chiropractic Center is at 4203 Rochester Rd in Royal Oak. All three of our doctors, Dr. Anna Saylor, Dr. John Johr and Dr. Zach Conner, see pregnant patients, babies and children along with adults. You can read about each one on our meet the doctors page.
Families come to us from Troy, Ferndale, Berkley and Clawson, as well as from Royal Oak itself. Learn more about our Troy and Ferndale connections. To get started, call or text (248) 616-0900 or book online.
Frequently asked questions
Is POTS a weak heart?
No. We explained that POTS is not a weak heart but a nervous system reacting to the wrong information. The brain reads signals from the spine, especially the neck, to decide how hard to squeeze blood vessels and how fast to run the heart when you stand. When those signals are distorted, standing feels off.
Can one event like COVID start POTS?
Many people point to a moment: after COVID, after mono, after a concussion, after the baby. We said that moment is real and it matters, but in our experience the event is usually the last straw rather than the whole story. Earlier layers of stress can sit in the body for years first.
Why doesn't sitting up straight fix posture?
We said it doesn't work for long because it is not a willpower problem. It is tension in the body that is still holding. A head that drifts forward adds load to the neck and upper back, and the nervous system works all day to hold you up.
Do you see families at your Royal Oak office?
Yes. All three of our doctors see pregnant patients, babies and children, along with adults, at our Royal Oak office. Families come from Troy, Ferndale, Berkley and Clawson too. To ask about a visit, call or text (248) 616-0900 and we will help you find a time that works.
