K.I.S.S. Syndrome in Newborn Babies and Chiropractic

KISS Syndrome

The brain develops tremendous during the first 5 years of life; proper sensory input is important of its development and result in normal motor function. Upper cervical misalignment at birth severely affects the verticalization of the body and development of brain and motor function. This is called KISS (Kinematic Imbalance due to Suboccipital Strain).

The infant may show only minor symptoms in the early months of their lives, e.g. a temporary fixation of the head in one position, and may 'recover' spontaneously.


Major signs and symptoms:

• Tilted posture of the head, torticollis
• Head held in extension, unable to lie on the back
• Uniform sleeping posture; the child cries if the mother tries to change its position
• Asymmetric motor patterns, asymmetric posture of trunk and extremities
• Asymmetry of cranium, swelling of one side of the facial soft tissues

Associated signs and symptoms:

• Sleeping disorders; the baby wakes up crying every hour
• Extreme sensitivity of the neck
• Asymmetries of the gluteal muscles
• Asymmetric development and range of movement of the hips
• Colic with no known reason
• Constantly crying and visible discomfort without apparent infection
• Fever of unknown origin, lack of appetite

This is a correctable syndrome, and when caught early can leave no permanent effect to the child's normal neurological development.  Please seek the help of a pediatric chiropractor for any further questions. 

Treatment 
Manual therapy is a craft and therefore dependent on the individual. The soft correlation between manual findings and clinical symptoms make it more difficult to see the causal connection, even more so as these symptoms can be dealt with using different methods.
The manual adjustment is the most common, followed by an instrument adjustment.  This removes the neurological stress, re-balances the muscles and normal head position.  Usually a dramatic change can be seen directly after the appropriate adjustment has been given.

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