The Pull-to-Sit Test is a simple but crucial test that assesses an infant’s neurological integrity and neck muscle strength. This test is often done on infants between 4 to 10 months of age.
The Pull-to-Sit test is a precursor sign for many different types of neurological delays. Neurological delay involves conditions such as Autism, ADHD, Motor Delay Syndrome and cerebral palsy.
This test is easy for parents to do. They are encouraged to bring their findings to a healthcare professional for further discussion and examination.
To perform the test, have the infant lie on their back. Grasping their arms, carefully pull the child up into a seated position. Normally when doing the maneuver, the righting reflex will activate, engaging the neck muscles to control the head and bring it up in line with the torso.
The righting reflex controls the unconscious position of the head. Its design is to help keep our brain and body in relative balance with each other. The righting reflex is a primitive reflex that first appears between 0-2 months of age.
Primitive reflexes are neurological building blocks used to create many of our movements. General movements such as rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, talking and walking, rely on primitive reflexes to initiate the skill. A primitive reflex is the “spark” that fuels the development of the movement.
An infant begins to achieve posture control of their head when they are around four months old.
When performing the Pull-to-Sit test, if the child’s head lags, this shows neurological delay. A “head lag” will look like the baby is looking up at the ceiling when pulling him/her up. It can also present with the head flopping forward when in the seated position.
Neck muscles are generally weak for the first couple of weeks after birth. This is due to infants having a larger head-to-body ratio than the average adult. As the infant’s body matures, gross motor skills develop to control muscle movements.
Gross motor skills involve the larger muscles of our torso, arms and legs that allow us to perform a wide array of physical activities. They involve whole-body movements that become automatic.
Gross motor skill development follows a top-down sequence. We gain control of head movement first and work downward through the upper torso, arms, pelvis and legs. If there is “head lag” there is some type of interference occurring in neuromuscular development. A vertebral subluxation of the upper cervical spine contributes to potential delays in neuromuscular development.
A vertebral subluxation is when the two top bones of the spine shift and lock out of place. This misalignment adds pressure to nerve tissue and interferes with how it functions. Nerves control our movement, regulate all body organs, sense everything we feel and relate us to the outside world. A properly functioning Nerve System is paramount to the growth of a healthy child.
The Nerve System can develop at its greatest potential if, in part, the communication routes between the nerves are free of impairment. Nerve fibers transmit electrical signals between nerves to send and receive messages. A vertebral subluxation disrupts nerve communication. Patterns of muscle development can falter due to this disruption.
Chiropractic aims to correct the vertebral subluxation through a specific adjustment. A specific Chiropractic adjustment improves the biomechanics of the spine and nerve function. Nerve messages that control muscle movement, organ regulation, sensation and perception can function more optimally when a vertebral subluxation is corrected. Potential lags or delays in neuromuscular development can be improved.
Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby.