The day after I received my license to practice chiropractic, a frantic mother came to see me. Her 1 ½ year old son was unable to stand, balance, or walk on his own. He could crawl and he could pull himself up, but he could not walk.
This mom had spent the past month or two taking him to every medical doctor, physical therapist, and specialist that she could imagine—no one seemed to have the answers. Finally, one of the specialists requested to have a Needle EMG test done to test the nerve conductivity to his legs. The doctors had concluded that most likely this boy was not getting strong enough nerve flow to his legs and they may have a much more serious condition to work with.
Panicked, this mother knew in her heart that nothing was wrong with her son and that there had to be a better option than shoving needles in her son’s legs in order to test his nerve functionality. That’s when this mom ended up on my doorstep. Desperate for help, she was willing to try anything in order to help her son walk for the first time.
I did an orthopedic, neurologic, and chiropractic physical exam on the young boy. I found that there was one part of his sacrum (tailbone) that was rotated out of alignment and choking off the motor portion of the nerves that ran down his legs. This was most likely the cause of the decreased strength and stability in his lower extremities.
After the exam, I explained my findings to his mom. I told her that I could re-align his sacrum and take pressure off his nerves, however, I couldn’t promise her that he would walk as a result of my treatment. But I certainly was hopeful!
The mom willingly gave me consent to adjust her son. I used very gentle pressure using only my fingertips and very precisely re-aligned his spine. I sent them home and told his mom to let him rest for the remainder of the day and I gave them instructions to come back and see me in three days.
Two days after that first visit, I opened an email from that mom. She had attached a video of him walking for the first time! Fast forward seven and a half years and that little boy is happy and healthy and has not had one issue with walking or the nerves in his legs ever since.
I often get asked why babies and kids need to see a chiropractor. Kids don’t necessarily have pain when their spine or joints are misaligned. Quite often they manifest as “developmental issues” instead. This mom saved so much time, money, and pain for her son by having me check him to see if there were any other options.
If your child is struggling with developmental issues including (but not limited to) difficulties with rolling over, cross crawling, walking, standing, balancing, and talking, your child might be a candidate for chiropractic care. The best way to know if your baby is a candidate for my care is to schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation. This way we can sit down, discuss your child’s specific symptoms and I can help determine which treatment option will be most beneficial. If you feel like you’ve tried everything, please do not give up hope. I welcome you to contact me to explore a gentle, natural alternative treatment option with proven results.
Dr. Kristin Moore, DC is a prenatal and pediatric chiropractor at Align Healing Center in Danville, CA. She offers a complimentary 15-minute consultation to the readers of ALIVE magazine. Call Dr. Kristin at (925) 362-8283 to schedule your appointment.
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