Chiropractic Manipulation of the Temporomandibular (TM) Joint, Ribs, Babies, and Children

"Chiropractic Manipulation of the Temporomandibular (TM) Joint, Ribs, Babies, and Children"

By: -- Leonard J. Faye, D.C.

In looking back on all the tapes in Dr. Faye's motion palpation and adjustment series, there seems to be a definite progression toward the more difficult. The tape on the TMJ, Ribs, Babies, and Children is to me the most complex and, appropriately, the final one in the series.

One of the virtues of Dr. Faye's presentations is that he can take the complex nuances of anatomy and mobilization techniques and simplify them in such a subtle manner that you're learning more than you have before without realizing it. Before he's through, the viewer not only knows the technique, but the reasons for the mechanical aberrations of the structures involved and the rationale behind the therapeutic technique

For years I've been adjusting the TMJ and for years I've been getting mixed results. As a result, I've become quite involved in finding different ways to adjust different jaws. With Faye's approach, I was introduced to something different -- just when I thought I'd seen it all. As might be expected, I put it in use the next day with excellent results.

Of all the portions of the tape, however, I was most interested in the palpation and adjustment of babies. A colleague I knew would be in the delivery and adjust his children before they were handed to their mother. While this made sense, I could never conceive of my hands being deft enough to mobilize these tiny, often wiggling bones.

Some time ago, a friend told me of a baby that was brought into his office in a state of opisthotonus. The infant had been in this condition since delivery and the parents were informed that, while unfortunate, they would have to accept the fact that their child would be profoundly handicapped for the rest of its life.

As a last resort (naturally), they decided to seek the help of a chiropractor. After careful palpation, an associate adjusted the atlas. There was an enormous "crack" and the baby instantly uncoiled to the tears and delight of everyone.

Such stories have only served to whet my appetite. Surely I should be able to offer such expertise to others. Not until I watched this tape did I feel that I might be able to develop a measure of skill in adjusting infants. While I've yet to fully implement some of the things described, at least I'm taking faltering steps in the right direction.

As a baby grows -- so does my confidence in my ability to adjust them. Yes -- I've adjusted my own children over the years and gotten excellent results. The problem is that I've never felt comfortable doing it. Dr. Faye has a way of demystifying things so that I could watch and feel that what he imparted could be easily applied. Of course, one of the advantages of a tape is that you can run it over and over until you're guided to the level of competence needed to properly perform the technique.

Dr. Faye demonstrates the same gentle care with the older children. In fact, the little boy used in the tape seemed to enjoy the whole procedure.

Finally -- the ribs are to me the most misunderstood biomechanical structures in the body. By nature they are rigid structures meant to encase and protect the vital organs and tissues relative to the thoracic spine. This rigidity is transferred to the vertebrae. It's impossible to palpate the integrity of the dorsals without being forced to evaluate all the structures articulating with this area of the spine. In spite of this fact, too many chiropractors are cognizant of only the vertebrae and not the subtle association of the ribs. This will never happen again after viewing this tape.

This is a fitting end to an extraordinary series. Beautifully conceived and photographed, these tapes represent the essence of what chiropractic is and what a chiropractor does. It's inconceivable to me that one can be a member of our profession without loving it; and if this is so it's just as inconceivable to imagine anyone dedicated to what he does without owning all of the tapes. After viewing all of them, my love for chiropractic hasn't increased -- it couldn't -- but my pride in the art of what I do seems to make me look at my hands more often with a sense of gratitude for the wonders they are capable of performing.

RHT