Severe Constipation Resolved with Chiropractic

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health Chiropractic published the results of a case study on February 3, 2025, documenting the resolution of a case of severe constipation in an infant after receiving chiropractic care. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, "Constipation has been defined as a delay or difficulty in defecation, present for two or more weeks, sufficient to cause significant distress to the patient."

The author of this study begins by noting "Constipation can compromise the quality of life for a child and can also put stress on the parents." The author then continues by emphasizing the seriousness of this problem by saying, "The risk factors for children in cases of constipation include psychosocial stress, poor diet, obesity and poor treatment of the child. Many of these children will continue to deal with constipation even into adulthood. Common treatments include laxatives, dietary changes, impaction procedures, enemas, and behavioral modification."

In this case, a 2-month-old infant was brough to the chiropractor by his parents. The infant boy had been suffering with constipation since his birth. The infant boy was unable to unable to have a bowel movement without using an enema or other assistive devices. The infant’s mother was using these interventions to elicit a bowel movement every six days since her son was born.

The infant was born via forceps delivery in a hospital after a long labor. The delivery resulted in bruising on his face and skull. The boy had to remain in the hospital for 10 days in the NICU due to difficulty breathing. The boy’s pediatrician had recommended a barium enema with a lower GI series, but his parents wanted to try more natural approaches before submitting their child to medical procedures.

A chiropractic examination of the boy revealed a restricted motion of the infant’s neck. His parents confirmed that the restriction was present since birth. The results of the examination confirmed the presence of spinal subluxations in the infant’s spine. With the finding of subluxations, specific forms of chiropractic care were started. The infant was initially seen twice per week.

The study reports that between week 1 to week 4 of his chiropractic care care, the infant began having three unassisted bowel movements per week. By the sixth week, the infant was having five bowel movements each week. Shortly thereafter, the study reports that the infant boy was experiencing a bowel movement each day.

The researcher summed up this case by stating, "Chiropractic care over the course of 10 weeks was performed for this patient and they had positive outcomes. The patient increased his bowel frequency to daily and his cervical range of motion was restored." She continued by explaining, "The principle aim of this study was the correction of vertebral subluxation to improve the quality of life of this infant. The subluxations determined on this patient were associated with severe constipation and moderate restriction of range of motion in the cervical spine."