Patients with tics need to be evaluated around the function of the craniosacral fascial system.
A thirteen-year-old boy presented with a medical diagnosis of Tourette syndrome. His tics started at five or six years of age, and he was currently taking tic medication.
He had anxiety, neck pain, and difficulty focusing and concentrating. He also had poor posture, as he continually slumped over.
Since he had reoccurring throat “infections,” he recently had his tonsils removed. His mother said antibiotics were not working, but his throat just appeared red on the doctor’s examination.
His birth history had one defining aspect that I believed explained the conditions above. He was born with the umbilical cord tightly wrapped around his neck where the nurse had to dig into his skin to loosen it.
His mother distinctly remembered that he was blue and took his first breath at 2–3 minutes. Since he appeared to be fine later, the medical team minimized that event.
He presented with a zero-second brain cycle and fierce fascial strain in his neck and throat. His fascial web released well at the first visit as his brain cycle opened to an amazing 100 seconds.
His mother was getting ready to start orthodontics for him, having already taken diagnostic radiographs. I suggested to hold off because his nervous system needed to be regulated first where his lifetime sympathetic mode (flight or fight) had to flip into parasympathetic mode (calm and relaxed).
The medical fallacy of “unwrapping the cord at birth and your child is fine” must be exposed. He was living his life as if the cord was still wrapped tightly around his throat. The fascia held the memory of that trauma, which can cause major lifetime issues.
I expect this boy to improve nicely over a series of visits as the strain releases in his neck. I believe the cord wrapped is a huge red flag that the birth profession must address with urgency.
Gillespie Approach Training is a needed tool for all birth professionals.
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