Infant with Cerebral Palsy Helped by Chiropractic

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published the results of a long-term case study on December 12, 2023, documenting the positive results of chiropractic care for an infant with Cerebral Palsy. This study followed the status of the child over a five-year period.

The study begins by explaining that "Cerebral palsy (CP) is known as a group of syndromes or symptoms rather than a disease all in itself, resulting from brain damage. It appears most commonly in infants of low birth weight and affects two to four of every 1,000 births." The authors note that CP is a non-progressive condition, caused by damage to the central nervous system. A variety of symptoms can occur from CP with the most common effects being altered motor function, a change in coordination, and developmental or learning delays.

Typical medical care for CP is to address the disabilities and developmental or learning delays. Some CP patients require braces, walkers, medication for seizures or other devices to help with disabilities. It is estimated that the average cost of caring for a CP patient over their lifetime is $921,000.

In this case, a 3.5-week-old male infant was brought to the chiropractor 10 days after having been released from the hospital. The baby boy was delivered at home 37 weeks into the mother's pregnancy with the assistance of a midwife. At birth, stained amniotic fluid was noticed, which can be indicative of a baby under stress due to a lack of blood and oxygen flow. The baby appeared to be blue and had a low heart rate. Emergency medical services (EMS) were called and arrived 30 minutes later.

The infant boy arrived at the hospital 70 minutes after birth. He was kept in the hospital for 18 days on 10 different medications. It was determined that the stained amniotic fluid was the cause of the infant's hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy leading to his cerebral palsy. It was later determined that the boy's blink reflex was not present, so he was considered legally blind. The parents were told that the prognosis for their son was poor as he might be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life and never able to walk, talk, or feed himself.

A thorough chiropractic examination was performed where it was noticed that many normal reflexes were missing. The examinations of the boy's spine revealed the presence of subluxations. Age and condition appropriate chiropractic adjustments were started. In addition to the chiropractic care, the boy was also receiving care from occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech therapists.

The initial progress for the boy was slow. However, as his care continued, the boy started to show improvement. At 16 months of age, the boy started walking and his speech started at 24 months of age. Chiropractic care continued for several years before a five-year update was made.

At five years of age, the study reports that the boy had only minor visual signs of cerebral palsy. The boy could walk with some noticeable gait irregularities. His vision was now normal. He was able to speak with a minor impairment. He was also in a pre-school for mentally challenged children because of his developmental delays. He could also run and play with his brother and sisters.

In summing up this case, the authors of this study stated, "Chiropractic care with co-management in this case produced positive outcomes in the development of this patient's childhood milestones and quality of life." They also added, "Thankfully this patient's parents were dedicated to doing everything they could to help him lead as normal a life as possible and he is not wheelchair bound. This child is living a much greater quality of life than he was originally told he would; he was a lively five-year-old, not a wheelchair-bound child."