Why do infants and toddlers need chiropractic care?
Whether it’s sleep issues, tummy issues or colic, many parents have reported that their babies have found relief after visiting a chiropractor. Toddlers begin to face physical stresses during their growing years, thus needing chiropractic care.
How can babies benefit from chiropractic treatment?
Boost Recovery after Birth
Gentle manipulations in certain key areas of your baby’s body can help to ease tension and strain, as well as correct nerve problems that may arise after a C-section or natural birth. The birth process can be traumatic for both mom and baby and affect the nerves in the body.
Soothe Colic Symptoms
Colic can have many causes and your baby might be diagnosed with colic by your paediatrician if all other medical conditions have been ruled out, explains Douween. “Colic may be linked to an immature or underactive gastro-intestinal system, leading to indigestion and gas build up. An immature digestive system might not cope with the gas build up, which is a natural result of digestion, leaving the gas trapped in the gut to cause bloating and pain. Your baby might also pull his knees up and strain to move the gas with little success.
Enhance the Immune System
Apart from proper nutrition and rest, the immune system relies on a healthy spine, says Douween. “Our nervous system runs through our spine and any misalignment can cause the nerve pathways to become irritated. This will affect all systems in the body,” she adds.
“Our immune systems are made up of lymph nodes; the thymus (which is a lymph organ in the neck responsible for releasing cells to boost the immune system) and our spleen, which are all connected to the brain by nerves running through the spine.
Reduce General Fussiness
It’s not always easy for parents or doctors to pinpoint the exact issues that might be causing little ones to become fussy and irritable. However, once sickness has been ruled out, chiropractic sessions can help.
Support Physical Development
A baby is born with primary spinal curves (known as sacral and thoracic kyphosis) and in the first year of life, the spine doubles in length while the secondary curves (neck and lower back lordosis) form, explains Douween. This is a lot of change in a little body in such a short amount of time! “When your baby starts lifting his head the neck curvature forms; when he learns to sit, the lower back curvature forms. However, without proper alignment during these important milestones, there’s a chance that your child’s spinal curvatures may not develop properly.” This could hamper your child’s physical development and slow the rate at which he reaches his milestones.
How can toddlers benefit from chiropractic treatment?
Children May Experience Sleeping Difficulties
Tension, discomfort, and dysfunction can make falling and staying asleep difficult. By alleviating these issues, chiropractic care can improve children’s sleep and help them to get the rest that they need to function effectively.
Attitude and Behavior Resolution
As anyone who has dealt with an overtired child will testify, better sleep can improve a child’s outlook and conduct. In addition, reducing problems in the neurological system by treating subluxations can also foster better attitudes and improved behavior.
Better Immune System Function
Like the rest of a child’s body, their immune system is immature. Subluxations that impair neurological function can interfere with the proper function of the immune system. Correcting these misalignments with expert chiropractic care supports the child’s immune system and facilitates its effective function.
What should I expect in our first visit?
The first thing Dr. Livergood will do is to conduct a thorough history of your child’s health and any complaints. This is followed by a complete physical examination of the child’s spine. He is trained to evaluate pediatric spinal problems, and will use gentle, specific skills to find and adjust any involved spinal areas.
Chiropractic care is tailored to the individual and their particular spine, and children are no exception. We offer specific, gentle adjustments appropriate to the infant and child’s spine and cranium.
Spinal adjustments for infants and young children involve very light fingertip pressure to correct spinal misalignments. This amount of “force” is often not more than a finger touch. This is usually sufficient to restore mobility to spinal joints which have become locked and are causing interference to the normal nervous system function. Occasionally, the adjustments will make a ‘popping’ sound when the spinal joints are moved; however, this is not always heard when children’s spines are adjusted. Other techniques involve the use of hand-held instruments which offer specific and gentle correction.
Is it safe?
The risks of a child suffering notable injury from a spinal adjustment are extremely minimal. Chiropractors have been adjusting children’s spines for more than 100 years and have an excellent safety record.
A recent study done by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) in the United States, Canada, and Europe showed that only a few children (out of more than 10,000 visits) experienced minor discomfort and fussiness. The remaining children in the study had no adverse reactions to the adjustment. These preliminary data tells us that chiropractic care for children may be one of the safest forms of health care available. Australian ICPA chiropractors will be participating in a similar study as well.