Arching in a Young Child
A mother in America emails: “My son was born with a sacral dimple at 25 weeks. He’s has had such a hard time with arching his back, reflux, vomiting, and screaming at times to no end. We are really looking for some kind of help please.”
I called her anticipating to hear the typical newborn arching scenario but was shocked when she said he was three-years-old. Hold on, it gets worse—he cannot walk. Please sit down and take a deep breath—he cannot even crawl.
That pushed every one of my buttons about how the pediatric profession ignores the soft-tissue structural aspect of health. Infants are saddled with many issues as professionals draw a blank. I referred her to an excellent therapist three hours from her home and gave her hope that help is on the way.
His arching started soon after birth. In my perfect world, therapists would have started therapy immediately.
Countless doctors have told her that the reflux is causing his arching. Even though he has been on many reflux medications, neither the reflux nor the arching has abated.
Six years of infant research with over 500 babies told us that the arching caused the reflux. She feels frustrated because no one is addressing the cause or has a plan to correct the problem.
The pediatric profession has a term describing arching: Sandifer’s Syndrome. Pediatricians in the Philadelphia area have never discussed this condition with any of my patients.
We discovered that arching is the root cause of many fussiness conditions. When the dorsal fascia is pulling the cranium to the sacrum, it can affect many key structures. When the arching clears, the fussiness conditions can then fade away with the standard infant techniques.
His mother fears that he will never have a “normal” life and is even more concerned about his future after she and her husband pass. I am hopeful with treatment now, but I believe that newborn therapy would have changed the family’s picture dramatically.
Gillespie Approach–Craniosacral Fascial Therapy Articles on Health Conditions
