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The Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research published a case series on August 19, 2019, documenting the improvement under chiropractic care of two patients who were suffering from Post-Concussion Syndrome. Neither of the two patients described in this case series had their health complaints until after having head trauma.

The study author begins by describing concussion. “Concussion is a form of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that is described as a head trauma resulting in disorientation, impaired or loss of consciousness lasting 30 minutes or less in combination with a number of unspecific neurological and cognitive symptoms.”

In the first case, a 16-year-old girl went to a chiropractor. Her chief health issues were dizziness, ringing in the ears, headaches, and brain fog for 3 months following a concussion injury. The girl reported that her symptoms began after she fell from a horse and struck her head on the ground. Immediately after the fall, she was taken to the ER but was discharged after a CT Scan ruled out intracranial bleeding. Two months after her fall, she was still missing school and she was unable to read or study for more than 20 minutes. She was also suffering from severe headaches which affected her activities.

The second case in this series involved a 30-year-old woman who was suffering with chronic migraine headache and vertigo following an automobile accident. After the accident, she was taken to the ER and was diagnosed with a concussion and cervical sprain injury. Since her accident, she was suffering with daily migraine headaches and dizziness.

Both of these patients underwent a chiropractic examination and spinal x-rays. Based upon the analysis of the findings, it was determined that both had various forms of subluxation and specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were performed.

In the case of the 16-year-old, she reported continual improvement. After the 5th week of care, she reported a 60% improvement in dizziness, 100% improvement in headaches, and 60% improvement in concentration.

In the second case, the 30-year-old woman reported that she noticed relief starting just after her first adjustment. By the 12 visit, she reported an 80% improvement in headache intensity and that she no longer suffered with dizziness. She also noted that the frequency of the migraines had drastically reduced.

In their conclusion the author wrote, “The preceding case series describes the improvement in 2 female patients with post-concussion syndrome utilizing (chiropractic.)”

The title above is from a study published in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health on June 13, 2019, that documented the improvement under chiropractic care of a child who was suffering with migraine headaches in addition to also having been diagnosed with autism and ADHD.

According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is said to be a “developmental disorder” because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of life.”

The American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic guide, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), states that people with ADS generally have three components. Those are: 1. Difficulty with communication and interaction with other people, 2. Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, 3. Symptoms that hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life. In the U.S., it is estimated that 1 in 68 children are identified as autistic. Internationally, the number is lower with 1 in 132 having autism worldwide.

In this case, an 11-year-old by was brought to the chiropractor by his parents. The boy’s chief health complaint was sharp, burning and fast headache attacks would only last for a second. These headaches would occur about 30 times per day and would appear through different parts of the boy’s head. His headaches began between 8 and 10 months prior and were now affecting his daily activity and quality of life.

The boy had been taken to a number of medical specialists who had run a variety of medical and imaging tests. All the tests came back normal. The boy had also medically diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

A chiropractic examination was performed which consisted of physical inspection, palpation, orthopedic testing, thermographic heat studies and spinal x-rays. Based on the findings of the examinations, it was determined that the boy had multiple areas of subluxations. With the consent of the parents, specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were started on the boy at the initial rate of 2 times per week.

The study reports that the boy’s headaches improved as chiropractic care continued. Additionally, specific autism tests know as the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist or ATEC were done to monitor any change in his autism issues. The results of the various parts of the ATEC showed that there was improvements in the subscales of sociability, and health/physical behavior, as well as an overall improvement in the total ATEC score.

The researchers also used a specific questionnaire that scores the parent’s quality of life. Many studies have shown that a caregiver to an autistic person suffers greatly and has a significant decrease in their quality of life. This study showed that in this case, the actual quality of life of the parent improved significantly as their child underwent chiropractic care.

In their conclusion the authors highlighted the results by saying, “This case report provides supporting evidence on the positive outcomes of chiropractic care for children with autism. We also brought to the forefront parental satisfaction with a child’s chiropractic care and the compromised QoL of a parent caring for a child with autism.

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published a case study on January 24, 2019, documenting the improvement with chiropractic of a young girl who had been suffering with irregular bowel movements.

If a child is 4-years-old or older, and has already been potty trained but still soils his or her pants with stools, the term for this condition is encopresis. By the age of four, children should be able to control themselves enough to not have this issue occur except under rare or extreme circumstances. Medical treatment for encopresis typically involves medications, some behavioral modifications, and dietary changes.

It is estimated that approximately 1-2% of children under the age of ten suffer from encopresis. Boys are much more commonly affected by this condition with 80-90% of all cases being in males.

In this case, a 9-year-old girl was brought to the chiropractor for an evaluation of an issue not related to encopresis. It seems the girl’s gymnastics coach had observed that her hips were uneven. The girl’s health history included having asthma, for which she had received allergy shots. She also had suffered for elbow dislocations before she was 4-years-old. Additionally, her history did record that she was suffering with irregular bowel movements. She was taking 4 Colace pills per day to regulate her bowels. It was later revealed that she was having accidents where she would soil herself and her clothing.

A chiropractic examination with spinal x-rays was performed. From the examination, it was determined that there were multiple areas of vertebral subluxation in the girl’s spine, affecting her nervous system. Based upon the findings of the examination and x-rays, specific age-appropriate chiropractic adjustments were used to address the subluxations.

During the course of chiropractic care, gradual improvements were seen with the girl’s regularity of bowel movements and with the incontinence she was experiencing. After one month of care, it was reported that the girl was virtually “accident free.” Beyond the one-month point of her care, the girl was no longer having accidents and was able to sleep in normal panties for the first time ever. After a two month follow-up, there was no longer any reports of the problem and the girl was leading the life of a normal 9-year-old.

In their discussion about the mechanism of how chiropractic could help this girl’s case the authors wrote, “Chiropractic adjustments act as a physical means to correct vertebral subluxations and reduce dysfunction in the body.” They continued, “When this dysfunction is removed and musculoskeletal stresses are reduced, afferent input to the central nervous system is regulated, decreasing the sympathetic hyperactivity. This mechanism may be attributed to how chiropractic adjustments help alleviate fecal incontinence in this case study.”

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition, known as the DSM-5 or DSM-V, was changed in 2013 to include several disorders under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). According to the National Institute of Mental Health “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is said to be a ‘developmental disorder’ because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of life.”

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published a report on December 3, 2018, titled, “Autism & Chiropractic: A Selective Review of Literature.” The objective of the report was, “To evaluate current research on chiropractic in the management of children with a diagnosis of autism.”

The authors of this report described the criteria needed for the diagnosis of autism. “The presence of two of the following four behaviors is a strong indication of a positive diagnosis of autism: 1) extreme attachment to routines and patterns and resistance to changes in routines, 2) repetitive speech or movements, 3) intense and restrictive interests, and/or 4) difficulty integrating sensory information or strong seeking or avoiding behavior or sensory stimuli.”

In reviewing existing literature on chiropractic and autism, the authors found 11 studies on the subject. The studies involved a variety of chiropractic techniques and all resulted in a variety of positive results.

These 11 studies involved a total of 205 children who had been diagnosed with autism and in one study, related problems such as developmental delay syndromes. Eight of the studies were case studies which followed the cases of individual children who had been diagnosed with autism and where helped by chiropractic. Most of the studies utilized a standardized test called the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), to document the improvement of the children while under chiropractic.

The common thread of the studies that were reviewed was that all the subjects were under chiropractic care for the correction of vertebral subluxations. In most of these studies, the focus of that correction was at the upper cervical area involving the top bone in the spine known as the atlas. Several of the studies specifically mentioned that they were not treating autism but were evaluating how the correction of subluxations affected the patients who were suffering with autism.

The Association of Chiropractic Colleges defines the practice of chiropractic as it relates to subluxation by saying, “Chiropractic is Concerned with the preservation and restoration of health, and focuses particular attention on the subluxation. A subluxation is a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health.”

In the reports conclusion the authors wrote, “Based on the papers that point to the upper cervical area of the spine for evaluation and correction, attention to this area may be a good source for initial conservative treatment for those who present with developmental dysfunctional disorders along the autism spectrum.”