Chiropractic Improves Quality of Life for Child with Cerebral Palsy: A Case History

A research article published on August 24, 2010 in the scientific periodical, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health, documented the case of a severely disabled sixteen year old girl suffering from Cerebral Palsy with muscle spasticity and sleep disturbances. She was unable to sleep through the night which was causing her family much distress.

The case study noted that the girl was severely disabled and was confined to a wheel chair and was severely physically and cognitively impaired. The girl could not communicate and was unresponsive to others. She had been fed through a feeding tube and she appeared to be in discomfort and occasionally made screeching sounds. At the age of seven, surgeons placed metal rods in her back fusing her spine from just below the neck down to the base of her spine.

The mother of this girl brought her to the chiropractor for correction of subluxations in the hope that chiropractic care might somehow help her daughter improve her quality of life. The authors noted that the examination was difficult but they did determine that there were subluxations that could be safely addressed at the top and bottom of her neck, C1 and C7 respectively.

Care was initiated at a frequency of twice per week. Since the young girl was unable to give feedback, and since she was frightened due to so many invasive medical procedures in the past, the chiropractor eased into care slowly starting with very light adjustments to accommodate this unique situation.

The results showed that by her sixth adjustment, the patients mother reported that she was sleeping normally and uninterrupted throughout the night. Subsequent testing done on her ninth visit showed an improvement in her muscle spasticity as measured by specific instruments.

In this case the expectations would not have been a total recovery. However, the goal would have been to reduce the subluxations found as much as possible to allow the nervous system to function at a better level without the interference due to subluxation. Under these circumstances, even small improvements can seem monumental to the patient and their family. The conclusion of this study by the authors noted that "The patient and her family were able to return to a normal sleep schedule as well as enjoy improved quality of life."