Reflux Relief in Wall Township NJ

If your baby struggles with frequent spit-ups, arching their back in discomfort, fussiness after feedings, or trouble sleeping, they may be experiencing infant reflux. While it’s often brushed off as "normal" or something your baby will "outgrow," reflux can be a sign of underlying neurological and cranial imbalances that make feeding and digestion difficult.
At our chiropractic clinic in Wall Township NJ, we take a neurologically-based approach to treating reflux by addressing the root cause—nervous system stress and cranial misalignments that affect the vagus nerve, digestion, and muscle tone in the esophagus. Dr. Anthony Pellegrino is the only pediatric chiropractic Diplomate in Monmouth and Ocean County and one of the few chiropractors in New Jersey certified in pediatric craniopathy. Because of our expertise, many pediatricians and IBCLCs refer babies to us for gentle, effective care that helps reduce reflux, improve digestion, and make feeding more comfortable.
Understanding Infant Reflux: More Than Just Spit-Up
Reflux occurs when stomach contents flow back into the esophagus, causing discomfort, frequent spit-up, and irritability. While some degree of reflux is common in newborns, persistent or severe reflux can be a sign of dysfunction in the nervous system and cranial structures that control digestion.
Common signs of reflux include:
- Frequent spit-up or vomiting
- Irritability and crying after feedings
- Back arching and stiffening during or after meals
- Gagging, choking, or coughing while eating
- Frequent hiccups
- Sleep disturbances
- Difficulty latching or feeding aversions
The most overlooked cause of reflux is neurological imbalance. Many babies experiencing reflux have nervous system stress and cranial misalignments due to birth trauma, especially after interventions such as C-sections, vacuum extraction, forceps, or prolonged labor.
These stressors can cause subluxations (misalignments) in the spine and cranial bones, leading to poor vagus nerve function, weak esophageal muscles, and difficulty digesting properly.
How Chiropractic & Craniopathy Help Relieve Infant Reflux in Wall Township NJ
Rather than just managing symptoms with medications, our approach targets the root cause of reflux by restoring proper function to the nervous system and cranial structures. Unlike most chiropractors who focus solely on the spine, we also specialize in craniopathy, which is crucial for relieving tension in the vagus nerve and digestive system.
At Absolute Chiropractic, we use:
- Neurologically-Focused Pediatric Chiropractic Care: Gently corrects subluxations in the upper spine and nervous system, improving vagus nerve function and digestion.
- Craniopathy (Cranial Adjusting): Addresses cranial misalignments that can affect swallowing, breathing, and esophageal function. Many babies with reflux have cranial tension from birth that needs to be gently corrected.
We are also trained in craniosacral therapy, which informs our care approach, ensuring the most gentle and effective techniques are used for infants.
By reducing nervous system stress, optimizing cranial alignment, and improving vagus nerve function, we help babies digest more efficiently, experience less discomfort, and significantly reduce spit-up and reflux symptoms.
Why Do Pediatricians & Lactation Consultants Refer to Us for Reflux?
Dr. Anthony Pellegrino is the only pediatric chiropractic Diplomate in Monmouth and Ocean County, giving our office an unmatched level of expertise in treating infant reflux naturally. We are one of the only practices in New Jersey offering certified craniopathy and neurologically-focused chiropractic care together, which sets us apart in helping babies with reflux and digestive distress.
Because of our reputation, many pediatricians and IBCLCs trust us to help infants who are struggling with reflux, feeding challenges, and overall discomfort. If you’ve already tried changing formulas, probiotics, or reflux medications with little success, we offer a safe, effective, and drug-free approach that gets to the root cause of your baby’s reflux.
Help Your Baby Find Comfort & Relief From Reflux
Reflux can be exhausting for both babies and parents, but you don’t have to struggle alone. If your baby is dealing with spit-up, discomfort, or feeding challenges, we’re here to help.
Schedule a consultation today by calling (732) 945-5033 or booking online.
Let’s help your baby feel better so you can both enjoy more peaceful, happy moments together!
- Breastfeeding Challenges (especially gagging and latching issues)
- Cranial Asymmetries
- Plagiocephaly
- Ear Infections
- ADHD
- Epilepsy and Seizure Activities
- TMJ/TMJD
- Migraines
- Learning Disabilities
- Traumatic Brain Injury

Dr. Anthony Pellegrino is certified in pediatric Sacro Occipital Technique and well-versed in craniopathy and the management of the above conditions and more.
What is Craniopathy?
Craniopathy is the science and art of restoring proper function to the cranium. Chiropractic craniopathy, which is different from Craniosacral Therapy, is an advanced aspect of the Sacro Occipital Technique (S.O.T.). The focus of craniopathy is the movement and position of the 22 interlinked cranial bones and their impact on the function and adaptability of the central nervous system. Cranial misalignments, or subluxations, can distort the function of the nervous system as well as create cranial and facial asymmetries such as plagiocephaly, eyes being unlevel or uneven, ears appearing rotated, and more.
Cranial adjustments involve assessing the moveable sutures of the cranium and the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) between the cranium and the rest of the central nervous system. After the exact pattern of misalignment is analyzed, the doctor will apply gentle pressure to the cranial bones with the patient’s breath that will allow their “release” and reposition.
Craniopathy is especially helpful for babies and young children for many reasons. Because their cranial sutures have not fully fused, the impact of the adjustments can be massive and alter the trajectory of development for the better. Also, because 80% of the central nervous system lies in the cranium, allowing for proper function can impact growth and development.
The most common reason for cranial subluxation in a baby is difficulty in the birth process. Even a “natural” birth can cause cranial subluxations. However, the more medical intervention during the birth process, such as Pitocin, epidural, vacuum extraction, and especially C-section, the more likely a more severe cranial subluxation can be present.
In an infant, these subluxation patterns can not only affect growth and development, but can also impact the shape of the skull, the development of a child’s palate, and affect breastfeeding, latching, and more.
Craniopathy for Tongue Tie
Tongue and lip ties can drastically limit the comfort, growth, and development of infants. On the surface, a tie restricts the movement and function of the tongue and palate which can impact breastfeeding. However, underneath the surface, that tissue connects throughout the body all the way down to the toes and can impact the function of different systems including digestion.

In many cases of tongue and lip tie, chiropractic and craniopathy together can help create “slack” in the tissue and significantly improve function without the need for surgery. In more severe cases, revision by a pediatric dentist may be necessary.
If a revision is performed, chiropractic and craniopathy are always recommended for recovery. While babies often see symptomatic improvement almost immediately following a surgical revision, because that tissue connects throughout the body, a side-effect of the surgery can be instability throughout the spine and cranium both structurally and functionally.
Think about it like this. You would never want to train for a marathon with a giant rubber band tying your knees together. You would have to take very short steps and would have to work incredibly hard to train. The tongue or lip tie is like that rubber band. Cutting the rubber band really frees the body to be able to function better. However, if your body was used to functioning with the rubber band around it, it would take retraining the muscles, ligaments, and brain to be able to achieve proper running stride. Retraining the muscles, ligaments, and brain – that is what chiropractic and craniopathy do post revision.
Craniopathy for Plagiocephaly
Plagiocephaly, or flat-head syndrome, is when a baby develops a flat spot on one side of the head or on the whole back of the head. This can be for a number of different reasons. Commonly, a child may need more “tummy time” to develop the musculature on the back of the neck and cranium. Also, if a child’s neck range of motion is limited, or they prefer to turn their head one-way vs the other, it can cause a flat spot on the side of the head that is towards the floor when laying still. Both reasons, difficulty during tummy time and restricted/preferred range of motion in the neck, can be caused by spinal subluxations and should be addressed by a pediatric chiropractor before or after plagiocephaly has developed.
If the cranium is involved, chiropractic and craniopathy together can make massive changes in cranial shape. Ensuring proper tension of the internal tissue within the cranium and proper movement of cranial sutures can help redevelop proper symmetrical head shape.
Commonly, we will see a child who has been prescribed a helmet by their pediatrician to help regain head shape. Chiropractic and craniopathy can still help these children! In fact, if your child is already wearing a helmet, when under care at Absolute Chiropractic, we recommend that you tell their pediatrician that your child needs to be “remeasured” for changes to helmet shape twice as frequently (cut the time in half between visits). Because, in our experience, children under chiropractic and craniopathy care respond much more quickly than those who are not, decreasing the time between head measurements ensures that the child’s helmet is always appropriate for their head shape.

OFFICE HOURS
Monday
10:00am - 1:00pm
3:00pm - 6:30pm
Tuesday
3:00pm - 6:30pm
Wednesday
10:00am - 1:00pm
3:00pm - 6:30pm
Thursday
10:00am - 1:00pm
3:00pm - 6:30pm
Friday
Closed
Saturday & Sunday
Closed
Absolute Chiropractic
2100 NJ-35
Sea Girt, NJ 08750