Case Studies

EG 14 year old with cerebral palsy: E had severe scoliosis and such internal rotation of his legs, that he was unable to walk without complete support under his torso.  Osteopathic manipulation over the course of the following 4 months improved E’s spinal,  hip and leg motion, and  he was able to walk with only one-finger of support.  Over the following year with ongoing visits, he continued to improve, and is now able to walk over 60 yards with no support at all. 

JM 8 year old with PTSD: At age 4, J was adopted from an extremely abusive home situation, and experienced such severe anxiety that she was unable to attend school or  sleep alone in her bed at her foster home. She refused to separate from her foster mother at night and awoke frequently, experiencing night terrors.  Her initial exam revealed an overwhelming sympathetic tone that she couldn’t control voluntarily. Using Osteopathic cranial techniques, J was taught over the ensuing months to regulate her nervous system, and is now attending school and sleeping in her own bed.  She recieves treatments every 4-6 weeks, and continues to improve.

3 year old with esotropia ”lazy eye”:  LM had been through several months of eye patching to correct a case of “lazy eye”, without significant improvement. His history was one of a difficult delivery requiring forceps, and was born with esotropia, or “crossed eyes”.  Gentle cranialsacral Osteopathy every two weeks increased the motion of his sphenoid bone, allowing the entrapped muscle and nerve more freedom of movement, and allowing the affected eye to return to a near normal position. Within several months, the condition continued to improve to the point that his surgery was cancelled. LM is still followed by his Ophthalmologist to ensure the condition doesn’t worsen.

LD  42-year-old female with a 10-year history of trigeminal neuralgia:  LD had developed severe right facial pain over 10 years prior to her evaluation, with occasional flares of more severe pain, making eating impossible. Her only history of trauma was a car accident many years before, and a tooth extraction 2 weeks prior to the pain. An osteopathic exam revealed dimished cranial motion through her right zygoma and occiput, and a contractured sphenomandibular ligament, also on the right side. Through cranial manipulation over the period of the next three months, she experienced near resolution of her pain (from 8/10 to 2/10), and with additional treatments, she is currently pain free with only occasional flares.

AR 32-year-old with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue: 2 years prior to her initial exam, AR had been thrown from a dirt bike injuring her tailbone.  This began a cycle of not being able to sit or sleep normally, and developed eventually into debilitating pain. She was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. She found it impossible to engage in the normal activities needed to raise her family. Upon examination the patient had significantly decreased motion in her coccyx and sacrum with fibrotic changes throughout her spine, as well as multiple trigger points. Through several months of Osteopathic manipulation motion was restored to her entire spine, including her sacrum. AR’s pain began to improve and eventually, she was able to enjoy sleeping in her bed for the first time in over two years. Her improvement has continued and she now regularly performs housework and cares for her children again. With the restoration of normal motion, her chronic fatigue improved as well and she has since enjoyed pain free periods, allowing her to stop regular narcotics.