Since tight bodies do not function well, pediatricians need to identify tightness or soft tissue restriction to better serve their patients.
An eight-year-old boy presented with a dysregulated nervous system. He was taking medication for his ADHD.
On examination, his whole craniosacral fascial system was tight: legs, pelvis, diaphragm, neck, throat, and head (a zero-second brain cycle, potentially leading to ADHD). Aside from this aspect, which may be unknown to them now, pediatricians need to become aware of the tipoffs for potential tightness.
First clue: Dad said that he had a hard birth. He was an emergency cesarean section at 35 weeks. At three pounds and nine ounces, he was in the NICU for a week.
Second clue: He had all of the fussy-baby issues and was never happy.
Third clue: He was very active in sports, but he told me something very telling about his tightness. After he was done playing, he complained of many aches and pains. That should never happen to an eight-year-old child.
Fourth clue: When I checked his major muscles, they were all tight. Pediatricians can easily check for muscle tightness.
A pediatrician missed these signs and just put this boy on ADHD medication. In trying to find the root cause of his problem, I saw his condition differently.
The first visit of therapy consisted of freeing up his craniosacral fascial system to a 50-second brain cycle. I felt that his muscles were so tight that he needed weekly deep tissue therapy while I was working with him.
I also pointed out his poor posture to dad where his back was in a C-curvature. In all fairness, with his tight muscles and fascia, he probably had difficulty maintaining correct posture.
His only sin was that he had a traumatic birth and did not receive appropriate treatment then. If dad follows through with the soft tissue therapies, I believe that his son will do well.
I do not believe that you can drug children or anyone into health. Pediatricians need to look at the whole child to find the root cause of a problem.
What happens during the first 40 weeks is so critical. I believe that the work at birth would have made a world of difference for this child.
