Infant Helped by Chiropractic After Birth Trauma

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published the results of a case study on May 27, 2025, documenting the improvement through chiropractic care, in a variety of health issues, of a newborn who suffered severe birth trauma. According to the study authors, "Birth trauma has been defined as an event occurring during labor and delivery that results in threatened or actual serious injury or death to the mother and / or infant." The title of the case study best describes the level of health concerns for this infant. "Positive Health Outcomes Following Chiropractic Care in an Infant with Birth Trauma, Clavicular Fracture, Subluxation, and Breastfeeding Dysfunction."

Clavicular fracture is a break in the clavicle. This type of injury is not uncommon during the birth process. The Nationwide Children's Hospital describes this condition by saying, "Clavicle, also known as collar bone, fractures are the most common injury sustained by newborns during birth. A clavicle fracture is a break in the collar bone and occurs as a result of a difficult delivery or trauma at birth."

Typical medical care for a clavicular fracture is a "wait and see" approach, as the medical perspective does not consider this issue to be overly serious. However, when there is enough trauma at birth to cause a clavicular fracture, there are usually other health issues for both the infant and the mother.

In this case, a 16-day-old infant girl was brought to the chiropractor by her mother. The infant had suffered a right clavicle fracture that was attributed to birth trauma. The history for this case showed that the mother had a very difficult birth with labor lasting 35 hours. During the second phase of pushing, the infant's clavicle was broken. After the birth, the mother and infant were sent home with no care or recommendations as to the clavicular fracture.

The mother also reported that her infant daughter had difficulty breastfeeding and could not properly latch to her breast causing significant pain and irritation for the mother. The pain associated with the clavicular fracture and inability to feed properly resulted in the infant girl excessively crying and disturbance to her sleep.

A chiropractic examination was performed which revealed a reduced range of motion of the infant's head, along with sensitivity and swelling of the neck muscles. The infant girl would wince and try to swat away the hand when her clavicle was touched by the doctor.

With the mother's permission, specific forms of age-appropriate chiropractic care was started on this infant. The infant was initially seen twice per week. The study records that after about 10 visits, the infant girl's mother reported that her daughter's neck range of motion had significantly improved. The mother further reported her daughter was no longer experiencing latching problems during breastfeeding. The infant was also more comfortable when left to sleep and was more comfortable in her car seat.