Sleep And Walking Improved In A Two-Year-Old With Chiropractic

In the May 4, 2011, issue of the scientific periodical, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health, appears a case study documenting chiropractic care helping a two-year-old boy who was having trouble walking after having recovered from a broken leg.

In this case, the boy had suffered a broken tibia in his leg by falling down some stairs. The boy received medical care and was placed in a cast. The cast was removed after 8 weeks when the fracture had healed. After removal of the cast, the boy was experiencing trouble walking and was subsequently brought into a chiropractor to see if he could be helped.

The boy’s mother reported that prior to his accident, her son was able to walk normally. She noticed that after the accident, her son had trouble walking on the leg that was not broken and that he now had a toe-in positioning of both feet while standing and walking which were not present prior to the fracture.

A chiropractic examination was performed including asking the boy to walk and run. The doctor noted that when walking the boy had a greatly exaggerated toe-in gate which made it difficult for the boy to keep his balance. When running, the boy did not use his right hip or knee, but instead used his body mass to move that side of his body. He did, however, use the left side normally, even though that was the side of the fracture.

It was determined that vertebral subluxations were present in the boy’s thoracic and pelvic regions, and a course of corrective adjustments was initiated to correct the subluxations. On the first visit, the parents, who were under care and were anxious to get their son adjusted, mentioned that their pediatrician expressed concerns about getting the boy adjusted. After being reassured that the adjustments given to their son were specifically designed for the child’s size, care was initiated.

On the second visit, the parents reported that their son was walking somewhat better and he had slept normally for the first time in a while. By the fifth visit the boy was walking much better and the only noted abnormality in his gait was when he was running. By the 14th visit, the boy had no problems with either walking or running and he had slept normally ever since his first adjustment.

In their study conclusions, the authors explained their results by stating, “This case study described a pediatric patient with a healed tibial fracture. During the time of casting, compensation led to fixations in the spine, pelvis and lower extremity. Chiropractic care helped to restore the childs normal gait, range of motion, and sleeping patterns.”