This
5-month-old baby was brought in for an upper cervical
evaluation because of gastrointestinal problems since birth.
Four weeks after he was born, he was prescribed zantec for
reflux. By 6 weeks, he was hospitalized due to blood in his
stool. It was determined that he was allergic to his
mother's milk and should no longer be breastfed. However,
the reflux continued, even on formula. Eventually, he was
also prescribed prilosec. In addition, the baby cried
constantly with a high-pitched type of scream, which his
mother interpreted as pain. Both parents were exhausted and
frustrated because their son was in constant pain,
screaming, and he hardly slept.
During this baby's
initial evaluation, an upper neck injury was discovered
through digital infrared imaging and laser-aligned
radiographs. While the mother described her son's birth as
normal, she had noticed that his head seemed to tilt upon
his neck and that he only liked to lay on his stomach with
his head to the left.
After the baby's
initial neck correction, his squealing/screaming was
markedly decreased according to his mother. In addtion, the
amount of spitting up decreased and he seemed happier. Two
weeks later, he began sleeping through the night except for
awakening 1-2 times to feed. All high-pitched screaming had
stopped. He fed normally and didn't spit up. His mother
described her child as a "happy, normal baby" now
compared to the child she had known before.
