By Dr. Jeremiah Aden, DC | Aden Chiropractic | Bainbridge Island, Washington
Living with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) can be physically exhausting, emotionally overwhelming, and incredibly isolating. But for individuals and families facing unexplained neurological symptoms, there is hope—and there may be more options for support and recovery than you realize.
At Aden Chiropractic on Bainbridge Island, Washington, we believe every patient deserves to be heard, respected, and taken seriously—especially when dealing with conditions that are difficult to diagnose, understand, or treat.
For many people living with Functional Neurological Disorder, the hardest part isn't just the physical symptoms. It's the uncertainty, the frustration of not having clear answers, and sometimes the feeling that nobody truly understands what they're going through.
If this sounds familiar, I want you to know something important:
Your symptoms are real. Your struggles deserve recognition. And even when recovery feels out of reach, improvement may still be possible.
What Is Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)?
Functional Neurological Disorder is a condition involving changes in how the brain and nervous system send, receive, and process signals.
A helpful way to understand FND is to think about the difference between the structure of the nervous system and how it functions.
In some neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis or certain strokes, there may be identifiable structural damage to the nervous system. With FND, the difficulty involves how neurological functions are being carried out, rather than necessarily reflecting structural damage.
This does not mean the condition is imaginary, intentionally produced, or simply caused by anxiety.
FND is a recognized neurological diagnosis. Neurologists can identify it through specific clinical findings, including patterns of movement, weakness, or other symptoms that demonstrate altered nervous-system functioning.
Symptoms can include:
Muscle weakness or episodes of paralysis
Tremors, spasms, or involuntary movements
Difficulty walking, standing, or maintaining balance
Functional seizures, sometimes called dissociative seizures
Numbness, tingling, or altered sensation
Speech or swallowing difficulties
Visual disturbances
Fatigue, chronic pain, and difficulty concentrating
Symptoms that fluctuate unpredictably throughout the day
Some individuals experience mild symptoms that come and go. Others face significant limitations that affect their ability to work, drive, exercise, care for their children, or perform ordinary daily activities.
FND can occur alongside other neurological and musculoskeletal conditions, which makes a thorough evaluation especially important.
The Hidden Hardships of Living With FND
One of the most difficult aspects of Functional Neurological Disorder is that the symptoms are often invisible to others.
Someone may appear perfectly healthy while sitting at a restaurant, yet struggle to walk across the parking lot afterward.
A person might wake up feeling relatively normal, only to experience weakness, tremors, or overwhelming fatigue later that afternoon.
For some patients, the unpredictability itself becomes one of the greatest challenges.
The Emotional Toll of Not Being Believed
Imagine visiting multiple healthcare providers, undergoing extensive testing, and repeatedly hearing that your MRI, bloodwork, or other diagnostic studies are normal.
While reassuring in some respects, those results don't make your symptoms disappear.
Unfortunately, some individuals with FND have been told that their symptoms are "just stress" or that nothing more can be done.
That experience can be devastating.
People living with FND may begin questioning their own bodies, withdrawing from social activities, or feeling reluctant to seek additional medical care.
A normal imaging study does not mean someone isn't suffering.
It also doesn't automatically establish an FND diagnosis. Proper diagnosis requires a careful neurological assessment and appropriate consideration of other conditions.
The Impact on Families, Careers, and Relationships
FND doesn't affect only the person experiencing symptoms.
It can affect spouses, children, parents, friends, and coworkers.
A previously active parent may suddenly struggle to pick up their child. Someone who once enjoyed running, hiking, or golfing may become afraid of falling. A person who has built a successful career may find that unpredictable symptoms make maintaining a normal work schedule extremely difficult.
There may also be financial pressures from medical appointments, missed work, transportation, and rehabilitation.
And then there's the emotional burden of wondering whether life will ever feel normal again.
These challenges deserve compassion—not judgment.
Why Neurological Conditions Are Personal to Me
My interest in neurological conditions extends beyond my professional work as a chiropractor.
Both my mother and my sister have experienced Bell's palsy, a condition involving dysfunction of the facial nerve that can cause sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of the face.
Watching family members experience a neurological condition changes your perspective.
Facial weakness can affect far more than appearance.
It may interfere with smiling, blinking, eating, speaking, and expressing emotion. Some people experience discomfort around the jaw, ear, or neck, while others struggle with the emotional impact of looking in the mirror and seeing a face that no longer moves the way it once did.
For families, there can be uncertainty about recovery and whether symptoms will improve.
These experiences have influenced how I approach patients who are dealing with difficult neurological and musculoskeletal symptoms.
I believe patients deserve more than a quick examination and a reminder to wait and see. They deserve careful assessment, honest explanations, appropriate referrals, and a treatment plan that considers their quality of life.
Can Chiropractic Care Help People Living With FND?
For individuals living with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), chiropractic care may offer valuable complementary support by addressing musculoskeletal pain, improving mobility, reducing muscle tension, and supporting overall physical function.
FND can affect how the brain and nervous system coordinate movement, sometimes contributing to muscle guarding, stiffness, altered movement patterns, and chronic discomfort. Chiropractic care focuses on identifying and addressing these associated physical challenges, potentially helping patients move more comfortably and participate more fully in daily activities and rehabilitation.
At Aden Chiropractic on Bainbridge Island, our individualized approach may include:
Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care: Addressing neck stiffness, joint restrictions, and mechanical discomfort.
Graston Technique & Soft Tissue Therapy: Helping manage muscle tightness and restricted movement.
Low-Level Laser Therapy: Supporting pain management for certain musculoskeletal conditions.
TMJ & Cervical Care: Addressing associated jaw tension, neck pain, and muscular discomfort.
Functional Movement Analysis: Identifying mobility limitations and guiding therapeutic exercise.
While chiropractic care is not an established treatment for FND itself, it may play a meaningful supportive role in improving comfort, mobility, and quality of life alongside specialized neurological rehabilitation.
At Aden Chiropractic, we believe that even small improvements in movement, pain, and everyday function can make a significant difference. Our goal is to help patients explore appropriate conservative care options and find opportunities for meaningful progress.
1. Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care
The upper cervical spine, particularly the region surrounding the atlas (C1) and axis (C2), plays an important role in head movement and contains muscles, joints, and sensory structures that contribute to neck comfort and movement control.
Patients with neurological conditions may also develop secondary muscle guarding, cervical stiffness, and headaches.
When clinically appropriate, carefully selected cervical mobilization or manipulation may help certain patients with mechanical neck pain and restricted motion.
However, upper cervical adjustments have not been shown to reverse FND or decompress the facial nerve in Bell's palsy.
The facial nerve travels through the skull and facial structures, and its function cannot be assumed to improve simply by adjusting the upper cervical spine.
For patients with complex neurological symptoms, treatment decisions require additional caution. High-velocity cervical manipulation may be inappropriate, particularly when symptoms are new, unexplained, or suggest vascular or neurological disease.
Our priority is always safety, comfort, and appropriate clinical decision-making.
2. Laser Therapy for Associated Musculoskeletal Discomfort
Low-level laser therapy, sometimes called photobiomodulation or cold laser therapy, is used in certain rehabilitation settings to address pain and soft tissue complaints.
At Aden Chiropractic, I have experience incorporating laser therapy into conservative care for selected musculoskeletal conditions.
Some research suggests photobiomodulation may influence cellular signaling and certain inflammatory processes, although clinical results depend on the condition, device, treatment parameters, and quality of available evidence.
For someone experiencing FND alongside neck pain, jaw discomfort, or muscular tenderness, laser therapy may be discussed as an adjunctive option when appropriate.
It is important to understand that laser therapy has not been established as an effective treatment for FND itself. Evidence for restoring facial nerve function in Bell's palsy is also insufficient to recommend it as a replacement for standard medical care.
3. Graston Technique and Soft Tissue Therapy
Patients with chronic neurological symptoms may experience substantial muscle tension and discomfort.
Some develop persistent tightness around the neck, shoulders, jaw, and upper back.
Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, including the Graston Technique, is one method chiropractors may use to address selected soft tissue restrictions and discomfort.
In my clinical experience, soft tissue treatment can sometimes help patients feel less restricted and more comfortable with movement.
For example, someone experiencing jaw tension or cervical muscle guarding may benefit from a conservative treatment plan that includes gentle soft tissue techniques, therapeutic exercise, and education.
However, the facial nerve is not simply trapped beneath tight neck muscles in typical Bell's palsy, and Graston treatment has not been shown to relieve facial nerve inflammation or treat FND.
Any soft tissue intervention should be individualized, especially when patients experience altered sensation, significant pain sensitivity, or neurological symptoms.
4. TMJ Dysfunction, Facial Discomfort, and Neck Tension
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects the lower jaw to the skull.
TMJ-related problems can contribute to jaw pain, clicking, headaches, facial muscle tenderness, and discomfort around the ears.
The jaw and upper cervical region also share important sensory relationships, including connections involving the trigeminal system.
This can make symptoms complex and occasionally difficult to localize.
It's important to distinguish these sensory and musculoskeletal relationships from the facial nerve itself, which primarily controls facial expression.
Treating TMJ dysfunction or cervical muscle tension may help certain associated symptoms, but it should not be presented as a way to repair cranial nerve VII or reverse facial paralysis.
For patients experiencing overlapping jaw and neck complaints, conservative treatment and collaboration with dental, medical, or rehabilitation professionals may provide meaningful relief.
5. Movement Analysis and Functional Rehabilitation
One of the most encouraging developments in neurological rehabilitation is the growing emphasis on restoring functional movement.
At Aden Chiropractic, we use Kinetisense 3D movement analysis technology to evaluate aspects of mobility, balance, coordination, and physical performance.
For patients who have difficulty moving comfortably, objective assessments may help identify certain physical limitations and establish measurable rehabilitation goals.
These assessments do not diagnose FND, and Kinetisense has not been validated as a specific treatment for the condition.
However, movement analysis may be useful for selected musculoskeletal and functional goals when incorporated into a coordinated rehabilitation plan.
For individuals with FND, specialized neurological physical therapy remains particularly important. It often emphasizes retraining automatic movement patterns, reducing excessive attention to symptoms, and gradually rebuilding confidence in everyday activities.
What Does Research Say About Recovery From FND?
There is encouraging research showing that meaningful improvement is possible for many individuals with Functional Neurological Disorder.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of rehabilitation trials involving 1,581 participants found that approximately 74% experienced clinical improvement following rehabilitation interventions.
That finding offers hope, although results varied considerably between studies, and improvement did not necessarily mean complete recovery.
Importantly, these studies evaluated rehabilitation approaches—not chiropractic adjustments, laser therapy, or Graston Technique.
Research also suggests that people who have experienced symptoms for a long time may still benefit from treatment, even though earlier diagnosis and intervention are generally preferable.
There is no universal recovery timeline.
Some patients make substantial progress. Others experience periods of improvement and relapse, while some continue to live with significant disability despite appropriate care.
A realistic treatment plan should recognize all of these possibilities.
Hope does not require promising a cure. Sometimes it begins with finding one meaningful improvement that makes everyday life a little easier.
What Treatments Have the Strongest Evidence for FND?
Because FND affects people differently, treatment should be individualized.
The most supported approaches include:
Specialized neurological physical therapy: Helps retrain movement patterns, improve walking and coordination, and restore confidence in physical activities.
Occupational therapy: Supports daily activities, independence, energy management, and practical strategies for work and home.
Psychological therapy: Certain approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy, may help patients manage symptoms and contributing factors. This does not mean the symptoms are imagined or that every patient has a psychological cause.
Speech-language therapy: May help individuals experiencing functional speech, voice, or swallowing symptoms.
Neurological follow-up: Ensures that the diagnosis remains appropriate, additional conditions are addressed, and treatment is coordinated.
Supportive musculoskeletal care: May help manage coexisting pain, stiffness, and mobility limitations when clinically appropriate.
Patients should not feel pressured to choose between neurological care and conservative musculoskeletal treatment. These approaches can sometimes complement one another, provided that each treatment has a clear purpose and realistic expectations.
What If You've Been Told Nothing More Can Be Done?
Perhaps you've already visited several specialists.
Maybe you've tried medications, undergone imaging, participated in physical therapy, or spent months searching for answers.
Perhaps you're tired of explaining your symptoms to another healthcare provider.
I understand why someone in that position might feel discouraged.
But an unsuccessful treatment doesn't necessarily mean every potential avenue for improvement has been explored.
It may be worth asking whether:
Your diagnosis has been explained clearly and supported by appropriate neurological findings.
You've had access to rehabilitation professionals experienced specifically in FND.
Coexisting conditions such as TMJ dysfunction, headaches, neck pain, or other musculoskeletal problems have been evaluated.
Your treatment plan includes achievable goals that matter to your everyday life.
Your healthcare providers are communicating and working together.
A second neurological opinion or specialized rehabilitation referral might be appropriate.
Not every treatment will help every patient. And additional treatment is not always necessary or beneficial.
But a thoughtful reassessment can sometimes uncover opportunities for better symptom management, greater independence, or improved quality of life.
Our Approach at Aden Chiropractic on Bainbridge Island
At Aden Chiropractic, our philosophy is centered on understanding the person—not simply the diagnosis.
For patients with complex neurological histories, that means taking time to discuss symptoms, reviewing relevant medical findings, evaluating musculoskeletal complaints, and determining whether chiropractic care is appropriate.
When needed, we encourage collaboration with neurologists, primary care physicians, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals.
Our clinic offers a range of conservative musculoskeletal services, including:
Chiropractic evaluation and individualized spinal care
Upper cervical and general spinal assessment
Instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy, including Graston Technique
Cold laser therapy for selected musculoskeletal complaints
TMJ-related musculoskeletal assessment
Kinetisense 3D functional movement analysis
Therapeutic exercise and mobility rehabilitation
These services are not presented as cures for FND. Their potential value is in addressing appropriate coexisting musculoskeletal problems and supporting broader functional goals.
If a patient needs specialized neurological care beyond our scope, helping them find the appropriate next step is part of responsible care.
A Personal Message to Anyone Struggling With Neurological Symptoms
If you are living with Functional Neurological Disorder, recovering from Bell's palsy, or facing neurological symptoms that have changed your everyday life, I want to leave you with this thought:
You deserve to be listened to. You deserve answers grounded in evidence. And you deserve a healthcare team that doesn't give up on helping you find the best possible quality of life.
Having watched both my mother and sister experience Bell's palsy, I understand how unsettling neurological symptoms can be for patients and their families.
As a chiropractor, I also recognize that there are limits to what any single treatment or profession can accomplish.
Sometimes the most valuable thing we can offer is relief from a secondary source of pain. Sometimes it's helping someone move more comfortably. And sometimes it's recognizing that another specialist or a different rehabilitation approach may offer the best opportunity for progress.
Recovery isn't always a straight line.
Progress may come in small steps, and setbacks do not erase the improvements you've made.
There may still be meaningful ways to improve your comfort, function, and quality of life—even when the journey has been difficult.
Looking for Supportive Chiropractic Care on Bainbridge Island or in Kitsap County?
If you're experiencing persistent neck pain, jaw tension, muscle tightness, or movement limitations alongside a neurological condition, Aden Chiropractic may be able to help evaluate and address appropriate musculoskeletal concerns.
We proudly serve patients from Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Kingston, Suquamish, Silverdale, and surrounding Kitsap County communities.
Aden Chiropractic
Dr. Jeremiah Aden, DC
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Website: https://www.adenchiro.com
Phone: 206-451-4213
Medical disclaimer: This article is educational and does not replace individualized medical diagnosis or treatment.
