Chiropractic Care of a Child Following a Jumping Injury - Case Study

In the August 11, 2008 issue of the scientific periodical the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research is a case study of a 17-month-old male infant who was injured and brought in for chiropractic care. In this case the little boy was brought in for chiropractic care with foot pain.

The evening before the chiropractic visit the child had jumped off his father's back while he was lying on the floor. Immediately after this event, his parents noticed that he stopped walking and seemed to grab his right foot as if he was in pain. Because of their concern, the parents brought their child to the emergency care facility for treatment. X-rays were taken and the mother was told that her son must have, "done something to his foot and just needs to rest it."

In looking for a better answer, the parents brought their child to a chiropractor the next day. The young boy was carried into the chiropractic office and was holding his leg in pain. He would not stand and was scared to let anyone touch his leg. Upon chiropractic examination there was much pain, but no unusual findings for the foot, knee or hip of the young boy.

Upon checking the spine and pelvis it was determined that the boy had subluxations of the top bone of the neck, (atlas) and the right pelvic bone. Chiropractic adjustments were initiated to correct the subluxations.

In the next few days the parents brought the child to medical doctors and an orthopedic specialist who said the child had a knee strain and a hip problem and told the parents just to rest the child. The boy's parents were confused by the conflicting suggestions but decided to continue the chiropractic care.

On the 4th visit the mother reported that her son had begun to walk again, but was limping and using furniture to get around. By the fifth visit the child was walking fine in the morning but limping by the afternoon, and was starting to run at times. By the tenth visit, the mother reported the child was walking just fine and did not seem to have any additional problems walking.

In the conclusion, the author wrote, "This case provides supporting evidence on the effectiveness of chiropractic adjustments in decreasing pain and improving function in the lower extremities in a child less than 2 years old following a fall."