• Dorough A
• Vallone S

• Ankyloglossia
• Bottle Feeding
• Breast Feeding
• Infant Food
• Open Access Document
• Pediatric Chiropractic

A myriad of problems may cause feeding difficulties for the neonatal and infant population. However, the effect of mechanically induced stress, strain, and trauma on the infant and its impact on their ability to feed at breast or by bottle is poorly understood or researched and often goes unrecognized, and therefore, uncategorized. This commentary’s aim is to evaluate mechanical trauma associated with the birth process as it contributes to feeding dysfunction as opposed to the current trend to consider most dysfunctional oral motor mechanics the result of a posterior tongue tie.

The authors will also briefly review and summarize the relationship between mechanical craniovertebral dysfunction and/or posterior tongue tie as a cause for infant feeding dysfunction based on the best current research. The relevance of this discussion is to promote further observation and research to reach a clear diagnostic understanding of the infant’s feeding difficulty as each, on its own, can disrupt oral motor function. Ankyloglossia, and the more recently delineated posterior tongue tie, and their accompanying compensations are hypothesized to result in a concomitant dysfunctional range of motion at the cranio-cervical junction and/or the cervical spine.

Aurhor keywords: pediatric chiropractic, cranio-cervical junction, birth trauma, feeding difficulty, breastfeeding difficulty, posterior tongue tie, tethered oral tissues (TOTs)

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