Why I ask about birth history, not just injuries.
A 13-year-old boy came to see me with 10 years of mid-back pain. His family had taken him from chiropractor to chiropractor with no lasting results.
When I asked about head trauma, his parents couldn’t think of any. When I asked about his birth, the answer was different: he had been stuck in the birth canal for many hours, a difficult and stressful delivery. He was born appearing normal — a typically shaped head, no obvious external signs — but that appearance didn’t rule out an underlying restriction.
What I found
On examination, I found that his nervous system wasn’t communicating normally with his muscles — broadly weak, as though every muscle I tested was on a dimmer switch rather than a normal on/off response. I considered his cranial bones significantly restricted.
What I did
I performed cranial adjusting, including endonasal work, and needed an additional visit to complete what I felt needed to be addressed.
What changed
At follow-up a month later, his family reported he was still doing well, with no return of the back pain.
My clinical model is that restricted cranial bones can place tension on the meninges — the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord — and that this tension can be felt at a distance from the head, including in the back. That’s a clinical model based on my experience, not an established mechanism. What this case illustrates is why birth history matters as much as injury history: a birth can be difficult without leaving any visible sign.
Related reading
Read about cranial adjusting for children, or see more real patient cases.