Baby On Board: Your Child's Need for Chiropractic Care

By Dr. Molly Casey

For newborns and infants, the path to good health begins with a natural drug-free approach. Well, chiropractic care provides just that. Like adults, newborns and infants can benefit in a variety of ways from spinal alignment through chiropractic adjustments. Let’s not forget they were curled up in a tiny ball for nine months being sloshed around while Mom went about her life -- so you’d be a little out of alignment, too!

Understandably, folks can get a little freaked out when they hear that. Their tune generally changes once they learn a bit more. Consider this “life-changing” testimonial about the baby who suffered ear infections, began chiropractic at 5 months, and hasn’t had ear problems in the four months since -- all without antibiotics.

So let’s get into it.

Babies and Chiropractic

You don’t all of a sudden get a spine at age 18, 23 or 47 -- or that moment when you first come into the chiropractor. The problems with your spine didn’t suddenly appear, even though the symptoms may have. Cause (problems) and effects (symptoms) are two different things. In most cases, the problem exists long before symptoms appear in the form of pain.

So when did you develop that spine, and when could it have started malfunctioning? While you were developing in the womb and the years thereafter. In theory, if you had the spine, could it have not been adjusted back then as well? The answer is yes!

Newborns, babies, and kids can all get adjusted, but not the same as adults. In the same way chiropractors don’t adjust every adult the same, we don’t adjust little ones the same way we adjust an adult. An adjustment is based on need. Someone in great pain is adjusted accordingly, and differently, than someone who’s not hunched over and unable to straighten up. Same concept with babies and kids; it’s that simple. The most noticeable difference is the level of force required to move the joint is very light in a baby -- as opposed to a 250-pound man. There are also adjusting tools that have specific settings for newborns and infants. It’s common that parents experience that first; they become worry-free when they realize the gentility of the process.

4 Signs Your Little One Needs a Chiropractic Adjustment

There are myriad reasons that your child may need help from a chiropractor, not the least is that it’s part of a regimen for long-term health. Although chiropractic shouldn’t be limited to only those situations in which symptoms are present, here are a few of the more common reasons chiropractic should be strongly considered for your little one.

• Use of forceps in delivery - Sometimes, deliveries are a bit wild. If forceps were used in the delivery process, it’s likely that, at some point, the spine was subjected to different levels of torque. That easily could have resulted in improper spinal movement and restrictions that impact function, regardless of whether you feel symptoms exist.
• Colic - Persistent crying that seems to have no cause and does not let up, and interrupted sleep, is common. The nervous system can be overloaded from stimulation based on spinal joints that are stuck or not moving properly.
• Difficulty breastfeeding - When newborns have trouble latching during breastfeeding, it can often result from discomfort or pain from the feeding position or inability to get into proper position because of improperly moving joints.
• Head tilting/limited range of motion - Having a little one who only turns one way, whose head tilts off to one side or the other, or who turns more to one side than the other, are signs that there may be spinal joint restriction.

Chiropractic adjustments for newborns and infants are gentle, natural and effective. Just like adults, chiropractic improves the quality of life. Ask the doctors of chiropractic at The Joint if your little one may be in need of an adjustment and what is the next best step!

You can also learn more by visiting their Parent’s Guide to Chiropractic -- it’s packed full of frequently asked questions, benefits and testimonials from parents just like you!

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this page are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this post is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your chiropractor, physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this page.