Circle No. 76: Pediatric Lesson 1 - Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex

A young mother called the other day saying she wanted an appointment for her five week old daughter. She said she had no specific issue other than a hesitancy to turn her head to the left while nursing.

 

When they arrived for the appointment, I saw a beautiful, well-nourished infant willing to be passed to me. I looked her in the eyes and softly welcomed her to Earth. She had good eye contact, eye tracking, active motion of all fours and was able to move her head and neck as well. Head was midline on the cervical spine and her CSR was light and smooth. No noticeable or palpable torticollis. The calvarium was well shaped and symmetrical.

 

I laid her on the towel covered pillow and listened from her feet and abdomen. Her abdomen seemed tense and focused at the umbilicus. With one hand posterior and one anterior, I could cover most of her spine from sacrum to thoracic spine posterior and most of her abdomen with anterior hand. I gently placed first two fingers on either side of umbilicus and settled in to witness her little body engage with the world. Within a minute or two her abdomen began to soften. My fingers felt gently drawn in as if to encourage me to stay—which I did—and her entire body became still. I have learned, and do always teach, that any time the body goes into a stillpoint, the position the body is in or what the patient might be thinking may be important to the healing process. As stillpoints do, they seem to go on and on and this one did too. It was a beautiful moment of stillness and trust. A good five minutes.

 

It is there in a point of stillness that the shifting "fulcrum of potency," as Sutherland would say, can begin to unfold. He called ever stillpoint a fulcrum and an opportunity for the body to shift and change. This moment was no different. 

 

As I widened my witness view of abdomen and umbilicus to supine body, I was drawn to very slow intentional movement, beginning at the chest and gracefully expanding to the arms, neck and head. Her tiny right arm slowly flexed at the elbow and shoulder. Her left slowly extended as if reaching for something precious far away. Simultaneously her head slowly began to track, as if watching a bird high up in the sky, slowly and gently to the left, reaching full lateral range of motion. Her mother was captivated saying she had not been able to do that. Then just as spontaneously all stopped; CSR and all bodily movement seemed suspended in time. 

 

I held my breath, looked and wondered as to the meaning of this sacred moment. I was witnessing her Inner Wisdom creating a living stillness moment; in the most efficient manner her new sentient form could abide.

 

The developmental reflex known as ATNR (Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex) was initiated by her Inner Wisdom to facilitate a change in a fascial restriction that had apparently originated at the umbilicus. This can happen after baby is delivered and the attending is then delivering the placenta. Tension sometimes happens at the attachment of umbilicus to the baby. The energy cyst as we call it, can manifest as strain patterns through the torso and neck musculature, sometimes limiting cervical ROM, and in this case affecting left sided nursing ability, both neck, mouth and tongue tone. Moms are great for recognizing subtle movement patterns in their new little sentient beings. I count on Moms for feedback noting any progress, changes (or not) from session to session. 

 

A couple minutes passed. She opened her eyes, looked around and went into a large full body stretch, a large liberating CS flexion moment every CS practitioner loves to see. A few minutes more exploring active assistive movements, supportive sitting, and a private little session nursing and we gratefully ended. Mom texted the following day she was nursing normally. On my request she sent me this picture she had taken and said we could share it.