Children, traumatic brain injury and Upper Cervical

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of disability and death in children and adolescents in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the two age groups at greatest risk for TBI are age 0-4 and 15-19.

Among those ages 0 to 19, each year an average of 564,000 children are seen in hospital emergency departments for TBI and released.

Traumatic brain injury is frequently referred to as closed head injury when the skull has not been fractured. Society in general, including some health care providers, have the mistaken notion that in order for a person to have traumatic brain injury, he or she must suffer coma, skull fracture, lacerations and broken bones, or at least have been rendered unconscious. However, many brain injuries occur from motor vehicle accidents in which a person suffers a whiplash injury, or from more minor blows to the head that do not cause loss of consciousness.

Many of those children seen in hospital emergency departments and then released continue to have symptoms years and sometimes even decades later. The most common symptoms are:

• Cognitive problems (Inattention, memory loss, mental confusion, etc.)
• Headaches/Migraines
• Fatigue
• Insomnia/Sleep Disorders
• Dizziness/Vertigo
• Anxiety/Depresson
• Speech Problems
• Neck and Back pain

A Natural Approach

Dr. Erin Elster an upper cervical chiropractor and former WCA researcher of the year posted several case studies about the effects of upper cervical misalignments on children who suffered head injuries resulting in traumatic brain injuries or mild spinal cord injuries. Here are summaries of two examples below:

An 8-year-old male fell hard on the school playground hitting his head. He had moments of tingling in his arms and legs when he fell and was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury by his physicians. He also began suffering from loss of bowel control and urgency and found himself rushing to the bathroom multiple times per day to avoid an accident. When the bowel problems continued 6 months later, his mother brought her son in for an upper cervical evaluation upon recommendation by a friend.

During this boy’s intial evaluation, an upper neck injury was discovered during digital infrared imaging and radiographic diagnostics. Most likely, the severe blow to his head caused the displacement of his skull slightly from his upper neck, injuring his spinal cord and causing the bowel malfunction. After his initial neck correction, normal bowel activity was restored quickly.

Here is another example…

A 6-year-old boy suffered a traumatic head injury when a television fell off of a cabinet and landed on his head while he was lying on the floor. The T.V. fell on top of his face causing multiple fractures around his eye. He required multiple surgeries to reconstruct his eye socket and his sinuses. Post-surgery, after the fractures had healed, his mother began to notice that her son’s personality and behavior had changed. He also had constant double vision and suffered continuous headaches as a result. They consulted with numerous physicians and neurologists who surmised these symptoms were permanent from the head injury and stated there was nothing they could do.

Upon recommendation from a friend, this mother brought her son in for an upper cervical chiropractic evaluation. An upper neck injury was discovered, most likely stemming from the head trauma. Within a few weeks of care, all double vision and headaches were absent and his mother described his personality as returning to normal.

To find an upper cervical specialist in your area go to http://www.NUCCA.org/ or if you are in the Chicago, Illinois area click the button below to schedule a consultation: