Why breathing and back pain led back to the cranium.
A competitive athlete — she played volleyball, ran track and field, and competed in powerlifting — came to see me with about seven months of pain, back weakness, and difficulty breathing while running. She hadn’t found an answer despite trying other approaches.
Her history included recently receiving permanent dental retainers.
What I found
My examination connected her dental work to cranial mechanics and neuromuscular function — similar to what I’ve seen in other cases involving new orthodontic hardware.
What I did
She worked with her orthodontist to have the wire retainers removed and switched to removable retainers. I also addressed the cranial findings I’d identified.
What changed
Her family reported significant improvement in her pain, back weakness and breathing difficulty following this combination of changes.
Breathing difficulty during exercise has many possible causes, most of them unrelated to the cranium or dental work, and this case doesn’t change that. What it illustrates is a pattern I’ve seen more than once: new orthodontic hardware changing cranial mechanics in a way that shows up in seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Related reading
Read about the relationship between the cranium, face and jaw, or see more real patient cases.