My daughter was born with left torticollis. We did physical therapy with her for the first year, but didn’t have major success. At 12 months, we started CFT. After just 1 week, she took her first steps and we worked to get her walking more than crawling at around 13 months. I know that 13 months isn’t late, but the transition was a lot longer most likely due to the tort and her really tight pelvis. She seemed to have this awkward “twist” in her body that just could not be resolved through “traditional” stretches. Our OT has worked with her now through the past year…. we started to incorporate more PT, a chiro and she even had a shot of Botox to her left trapezius muscle to try and loosen things up. All of those things did tend to improve the tort, but didn’t make it go away completely. In July, we saw a surgeon in Atlanta, GA (Dr. Fernando Burstein) who performed a release of the SCM muscle. He was able to locate scar tissue that had formed (most likely in utero) BEHIND the SCM muscle. 1 week later, we resumed CFT….
I am a firm believer that CFT played a crucial part in getting my daughter to the “almost complete” stage, but waiting as long as we did (1 year) had a couple knocks against us. She had developed habits (man, nothing else makes me crazier than saying her tilt is habitual), the scar tissue went unchanged for so long and (the most important), she was not a cooperative patient. She fought and fussed and screamed and would not willingly let CFT do all the “fixing.” Her OT calls her a “wild cat” b/c she’s so strong and can claw her way out of all kinds of holds (except she was uncharacteristically calm the day we traveled to see Dr. G)……
If only we had gotten to her prior to when we did….. who knows if surgery would have even been necessary. However, because I could drive myself nuts with never knowing, I would like to thank Dr. G for your dedication and for teaching Kelly all of these techniques. I’m debating on another trip to see you just for the “all clear” and REALLY hope that we are on our way to torticollis being a thing of the past.
Another thing I wanted to point out is that our therapist told me long ago that kids who kick and fuss and carry on mysteriously stop once there is nothing to be released anymore. Considering Avery is over the top, I laughed at this…. Well, I will say, for the past 2 weeks…. I’ve not even heard a whimper, whine or cry EVERY time she’s been stretched, when I’ve done it…. She put up a little fight with Kelly on Friday at first, but before we knew it — Kelly was feeling her neck/spine/hips/feet and she didn’t even stop watching tv. I don’t even believe it.
Sign up for Gillespie Approach Training Opportunities
2024 Foundation Trainings
Gillespie Approach Foundation Training is designed for students to work with children and adults.
- February 1–3 | Austin, TX
- March 14–16 | Gilbert, AZ
- April 11–13 | Melbourne, FL
- June 6–8 | Colorado Springs, CO
- July 18–20 | Bozeman, MT
- September 5–7 | Surrey, UK
- October 17–19 | New Hampshire
- November 14–16 | Greenville, SC
2024 Infant Trainings
Gillespie Approach Infant Training is designed for students to work with infants.
- February 4–6 | Austin, TX
- March 17–19 | Gilbert, AZ
- April 14–16 | Melbourne, FL
- June 9–11 | Colorado Springs, CO
- July 21–23 | Bozeman, MT
- September 8–10 | Surrey, UK
- October 20–22 | New Hampshire
- November 17–19 | Greenville, SC
New to Gillespie Approach–Craniosacral Fascial Therapy?
Read a collection of articles handpicked by Dr. Barry Gillespie to help you grasp core information and understand training and treatment options.
Make a Gillespie Approach Appointment to Get the Help You Need
Catch Every Story! Get a Free E-book and Infographic With Your Email Newsletter Subscription
Explore Gillespie Approach–Craniosacral Fascial Therapy Articles Based on Hundreds of Health Conditions and Anatomical Regions
Enjoy Many Powerful Testimonials for Babies, Children and Adults
From fussy babies experiencing breakthroughs and children excelling in school to adults emerging triumphant over mystery health conditions, get inspired by these heartwarming and soul-stirring testimonials.
