• Goodsell L
• Schneider J

• Adolescent
• Cerebral Palsy
• Electromyography
• Female
• Quality of Life
• Sleep Wake Disorders
• Subluxation
• Thermography

Objective: To report on a female patient with cerebral palsy who presented for chiropractic care.

Clinical Features: Sixteen year old female with a history of cerebral palsy and findings of vertebral subluxation resulting in poor sleep habits and muscle spasticity. She was non-ambulatory, communicative and non-responsive, and due to these complications she had been fed through a feeding tube and had a complete liquid diet since birth.

Interventions and Outcomes: Over a period of six months, a specific, conservative chiropractic adjustment regimen for the correction of vertebral subluxation was administered to the patient, explicitly the motion palpation technique utilizing a specific seated cervical adjustment. The patient exhibited a considerable decrease in sleep disturbance. Static surface EMG and thermal scanning were performed using the Insight® surface EMG and thermal scanning technology. Improvements were noted in surface EMG scanning over the six months of care and thermal scanning revealed a dynamic pattern.

Conclusion: While under chiropractic care, subjective and objective improvements resulting in physical changes for the patient and quality of life improvements within her family were documented in a patient with cerebral palsy and sleep disturbances.

Author Keywords: chiropractic, vertebral subluxation, quality of life, cerebral palsy, sleep disturbance, surface EMG, thermography

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