• Davis J

• Constipation
• Digestive System
• Gonstead Technique
• Infant
• Male

Objective: To present a case report of the successful chiropractic care of an infant with chronic constipation.

Clinical Features: An 11-week-old male was presented for chiropractic consultation.  The primary complaints were constipation and excessive crying. The patient's difficulty with pushing and grunting to achieve a bowel movement was associated with crying. The patient's constipation affected his eating and sleeping habits.  Medical care consisted of leg exercises, abdominal massage, gripe water, and Mylicon. Over 8 weeks, the infant had only 5 bowel movements which his mother attributed to prune juice intake and suppositories twice a week.

Intervention and Outcome: Over a period of 10 weeks, the patient attended a total of 14 visits using Gonstead technique to reduce vertebral subluxations. The result was an improvement in the child's constipation by having several bowel movements per day, which was congruent with the bowel movement frequency of unaffected children.

Conclusion: This case report highlights the possible effectiveness of alleviating complaints of constipation in neonates vis a vis chiropractic adjustments to sites of vertebral subluxation.

Author Keywords: constipation, chiropractic, vertebral subluxation, infant, neonate, adjustment, Gonstead Technique

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