Hi, my name is Christian Fludder, and I am an Advanced Paediatric Chiropractor at Kairos Chiropractic.
Over the years, I have come across many interesting cases; from bedwetting to sleeping concerns, to plagiocephaly and even hip dysplasia.
And you know one thing I really love doing? Helping others.
So I love to write up some cases.
See, with research, we quite often think about trials and reviews (and in fact, in Australia we cannot promote what we do unless its supported by evidence like this) however research has to stem from somewhere, and its usually the humble case study that gets things started.
Let me bring this forward in a different way. In 2023 I was one of the authors of a paper looking at two cases of hip dysplasia. They were both late-diagnosed, both had minimal response to bracing, and were both looking at surgery in a few years time. They both started treatment with us, and to everyones surprise, both cases had near complete resolution of their conditions. Yes, their hip asymmetry improved to normal levels.
Yes, these are just two cases, so not a good representation of the population on the whole. But what it did was open up an avenue that had not been considered. There are now other cases being published that are showing manual therapy to have a positive effect on hip dysplasia. Again – just cases. But these cases are the bricks to build the home with; it opens up the question of “how does this work?”.
In 2020, I co-authored a retrospective case series in the Journal of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, examining the relationship between deformational plagiocephaly and reduced cervical spine range of motion in 150 infants. This was a larger study that found that children with changes to the normal shape of their heads were more likely to have restrictions in their neck motion compared to their peers.
Again, it starts the conversation of the “how”. It brings forward a possibility that may not have been previously considered, and this might be something that someone somewhere needed to see to help their next patient as well.
I think thats what this is. Its not just about me helping you, but you helping the next person as well. This is why I love writing these cases.
CASES SO FAR!
Fludder, C.J. & Keil, B.G. “Is force an important factor for treatment effectiveness? A case report of improved neurodevelopmental changes in an infant after altered manual therapy application” Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic, 2025, 8:75-80
Fludder, C.J., Keil, B.G. & Neave, M.J. “Case Report: Morphological changes evident after manual therapy in two cases of late-diagnosed developmental dysplasia of the hip” Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2023, 10(1)
Keil, B.G. & Fludder, C.J. “The prevalence and predisposing factors of infant glenohumeral joint dysfunction: a retrospective study of 178 cases” Chiropractic Journal of Australia, 2020; 47: 65-71
Fludder, C.J. & Keil, B.G. “Deformational plagiocephaly and reduced cervical spine range of motion: a retrospective case series of 150 infants in a paediatric chiropractic clinic” Journal of Alternate Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2020; Jul 15;AT6232. ePub ahead of print.
Fludder, C.J. & Keil, B.G. “Routine Screening for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip by chiropractors: A case report of late diagnosis in an infant” Journal of the Canadian Chiropractors Association, 2020; 64(2): 144-155
Fludder, C.J. & Bourgeois-Bell, J. ” Chiropractic management of an infant with breastfeeding difficulty and poor weight gain: A case study”. Breastfeeding Review, 2020; 28(1): 21-28
Fludder, C.J. & Keil, B.G. “Instrument-assisted delivery and the prevalence of reduced cervical spine range of motion in infants” Chiropractic Journal of Australia, 2018; 46:162-171
Fludder, C.J. & Keil, B.G. “Presentation of neonates and infants with spinal vs extremity joint dysfunction” Chiropractic Journal of Australia, 2018; 46:79-91
Fludder, C.J. & Keil, B.G. “The prevalence of extremity joint dysfunction in neonates and infants within a paediatric chiropractic clinic” Chiropractic Journal of Australia, 2017; 45:359-367