Primitive reflexes are automatic movement patterns that develop in the womb and are present at birth. These reflexes are designed to help babies survive, feed, move, and interact with their environment during the first year of life. As a child’s nervous system matures, these reflexes should naturally integrate and be replaced by more coordinated voluntary movement patterns.
When primitive reflexes remain active beyond the expected age, they are often referred to as “retained primitive reflexes.” Retained reflexes can interfere with a child’s motor development, coordination, balance, posture, and overall movement patterns.
Some signs that may indicate retained primitive reflexes include:
- Delayed developmental milestones
- Difficulty with crawling or skipping the crawling stage altogether
- Poor coordination or clumsiness
- Challenges with balance
- Difficulty crossing the midline of the body
- Poor cross-crawl patterning
- Frequent W-sitting
- Toe walking
- Fidgeting or difficulty sitting still
- Challenges with posture and body awareness
One of the most important movement patterns children develop is the cross-crawl pattern, which emerges during crawling. Cross-crawl movements help the left and right sides of the brain communicate effectively and form the foundation for future coordination, balance, learning, and athletic performance.
At our clinic, we perform primitive reflex testing as part of a comprehensive pediatric chiropractic assessment. By identifying retained reflexes and movement pattern deficits, we can develop individualized treatment plans designed to support healthy neurological development.
Pediatric chiropractic care may include gentle adjustments, movement-based exercises, sensory integration activities, and developmental play strategies that encourage reflex integration and improve motor control. The goal is to help children develop more efficient movement patterns, improve coordination and balance, and reach developmental milestones with confidence.
Early identification and intervention can have a significant impact on a child’s physical development and overall function. We assess primitive reflexes as young as newborns and all the way into adulthood. If you have concerns about your child’s movement, posture, coordination, or developmental milestones, a pediatric chiropractic assessment may help uncover underlying neurological and biomechanical factors contributing to these challenges.
What Are Tethered Oral Tissues and How Can Chiropractic Care Help?
Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs) refer to restrictions within the mouth caused by tight or restrictive connective tissue attachments known as frenums. The most common types include tongue ties (ankyloglossia), lip ties, and buccal ties.
These restrictions can affect how an infant feeds, breathes, swallows, and develops movement patterns throughout the body.
Common signs of tethered oral tissues may include:
- Difficulty latching during breastfeeding
- Difficulty feeding from a bottle
- Painful breastfeeding for mom
- Poor milk transfer
- Clicking sounds while feeding
- Excessive gas or reflux symptoms
- Prolonged feeding sessions
- Preference for one breast or one arm when bottle feeding
- Torticollis or head-turning preferences
- Tension throughout the neck, jaw, and body
What many parents don’t realize is that tongue ties are not simply a mouth issue—they are often a whole-body issue.
During development in the womb, babies with tethered oral tissues frequently compensate for restricted tongue movement by creating tension patterns throughout the body. These compensations can continue after birth and may contribute to tight neck muscles, jaw tension, head preference, difficulty turning, body asymmetries, and challenges with motor development.
As children grow, unresolved tension patterns may contribute to:
- Poor posture
- Mouth breathing
- Forward head posture
- Difficulty with coordination and balance
- Delayed motor milestones
- Feeding and swallowing challenges
- Speech concerns
- Persistent neck and jaw tension
Pediatric chiropractors trained in the assessment of tethered oral tissues can help identify these compensatory patterns through a comprehensive evaluation of posture, movement, muscle tension, and nervous system function.
Chiropractic bodywork before and after a tongue tie release is often recommended to help optimize outcomes. Gentle pediatric chiropractic care, craniosacral therapy, and soft tissue techniques can help reduce tension throughout the jaw, neck, diaphragm, spine, and pelvis, allowing the body to adapt more efficiently to improved oral function.
Bodywork also helps prepare babies for a frenectomy by improving mobility and reducing compensatory tension patterns that may have developed over time. Following a release procedure, continued care can support healing, improve movement quality, and help reinforce new feeding and swallowing patterns.
Because tethered oral tissues affect much more than feeding alone, a collaborative approach involving lactation consultants, dentists, pediatric chiropractors, and other healthcare providers often provides the best outcomes for infants and growing children.
If you suspect your child may have a tongue tie, lip tie, or buccal tie, an early assessment can help identify potential challenges and provide support for healthy feeding, development, posture, and overall function.
Why Chiropractic Care Before and After a Tongue Tie Release Is Important
When parents discover their baby has a tongue tie, one of the first questions they ask is, “Should we have it released?” While a frenectomy (tongue tie release) can be an important step for many infants experiencing feeding difficulties, it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
A tongue tie doesn’t just affect the tongue—it can create tension patterns throughout the entire body.
The Whole-Body Impact of Tongue Ties
During pregnancy and early development, babies with tethered oral tissues (TOTs) often compensate for restricted tongue movement by using other muscles in the neck, jaw, shoulders, and body. These compensation patterns can contribute to:
- Difficulty latching during breastfeeding
- Neck tightness and torticollis
- Head-turning preferences
- Jaw tension
- Reflux-like symptoms
- Body asymmetries
- Difficulty settling or sleeping comfortably
- Delayed motor milestones
Over time, these compensations can become deeply ingrained movement patterns.
Why Chiropractic Care Before a Tongue Tie Release Matters
Before a frenectomy, gentle pediatric chiropractic care and bodywork can help reduce tension throughout the baby’s body and improve mobility in the neck, jaw, spine, diaphragm, and pelvis.
By improving overall body function before the procedure, babies are often better prepared to adapt to their new range of tongue movement. This can help support:
- Improved breast and bottle feeding mechanics
- Better latch quality
- Reduced muscle tension
- More efficient feeding patterns
- Improved comfort during and after the procedure
Think of it like preparing the body for a new movement pattern. If tension and restrictions are not addressed beforehand, babies may continue using the same compensations even after the tie has been released.
Why Chiropractic Care After a Tongue Tie Release Matters
Following a tongue tie release, babies suddenly have access to movement they may never have experienced before. While the restriction may be gone, the nervous system and muscles still need time to learn how to use that new mobility.
Post-release chiropractic care can help:
- Reduce residual tension patterns
- Improve neck and jaw mobility
- Support healthy tongue function
- Encourage proper feeding mechanics
- Promote symmetrical movement patterns
- Improve overall comfort and regulation
Many parents notice improvements in feeding, head movement, posture, and body awareness when chiropractic care is combined with post-release exercises and support.
A Team Approach for the Best Outcomes
The best results often come from a collaborative approach involving a pediatric chiropractor, lactation consultant, pediatric dentist, osteopath, and other healthcare providers when appropriate.
A tongue tie release addresses the restriction itself, while chiropractic care helps address the compensation patterns that developed because of it.
By supporting the whole body before and after a frenectomy, we can help babies feed more efficiently, move more freely, and build a stronger foundation for healthy growth and development.
If your baby is struggling with feeding difficulties, body tension, head preference, or you are considering a tongue tie assessment, a pediatric chiropractic evaluation may help determine whether underlying tension patterns are contributing to their challenges.
Planning a tongue tie release for your baby? Chiropractic care before and after can make a real difference.
At DC Chiropractic in Markham, our team offers gentle, evidence-informed pediatric chiropractic care to help your baby prepare for and recover from a frenectomy supporting better feeding, movement, and comfort every step of the way.