Resolution of Intention Tremor Following Chiropractic in an Infant

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published a case study on February 25, 2019, documenting chiropractic bringing about the resolution of intention tremors in an infant.

In describing what a intention tremor is, the authors of the study stated, "Kinetic tremor is a type of action tremor which is typically perceived while a limb is actually moving. If the movement is part of a goal-directed behavior, the tremor is termed an intention tremor; otherwise it is called a simple kinetic tremor."

When a person is suffering from intension tremors, the tremors seem to get worse as the person is getting closer to their target. For instance, if a person with intension tremors is trying to touch their nose, the tremor gets worse as their hand gets closer to their nose.

In this case, a 20-month-old boy was brought to a chiropractic clinic by his parents. The boy's mother reported that her son’s tremors occurred when reaching for toys or while eating dinner. She also reported that her son was speech delayed for which he had an appointment for a speech-hearing evaluation two weeks from his initial visit to the chiropractor.

The history revealed that the mother had a difficult birth with significant medical intervention. Additionally, the mother could only breastfeed her son for a week due to lack of milk production. Other than his birth, the boy’s development seemed within normal, and there were no issues with allergies or colic.

A chiropractic examination was performed which included a postural inspection, static and motion spinal palpation, spinal ranges of motion, and thermographic heat studies along the spine. From the findings of the examination, it was determined that subluxations were present. Age specific chiropractic adjustments were started to address the subluxations detected with the examination.

The outcome of the care documented in this study showed that, at the time of a re-evaluation seven weeks into the chiropractic care, the objective findings including the thermographic heat studies showed vast improvements. Additionally, the boy's parents reported that using a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being no improvement and 10 being total resolution of all problems, they rated their son as a 9 out of 10 at that point.

The boy's parents noted that their son's overall quality of life, behavior, attention, activity levels, co-ordination, appetite and other symptoms had improved significantly. He also demonstrated higher energy levels and a reduced frequency of colds or infections. In less than two months after starting chiropractic care, the boy was able to speak in three word sentences.

"Chiropractic care focuses on the detection and treatment of the vertebral subluxation by interaction with the spinal cord," stated the researchers in their conclusion. They continued, "This case provides an instance in which multiple symptoms of cerebellar dysfunction in a pediatric patient have improved because of the application of chiropractic care."