Can Chiropractic Care Help Infants?

Trained chiropractors can identify and treat spinal/joint dysfunctions that cause non-musculoskeletal conditions in children. There is, however, a lack of scientific evidence measuring the effectiveness of chiropractic care for newborns. According to a study, it is shown that chiropractors treat children, but their individual opinions about this practice vary based on the condition they are treating. A Canada-wide survey of pediatric chiropractic suggests 40% of children visit chiropractic clinics for musculoskeletal conditions, 24% to prevent injuries, 7% for headaches and so on. Overall, pediatric chiropractors acquire the necessary training and degree to treat children younger than 18 years. Let’s understand how.

Who are Pediatric Chiropractors?

First things first, Canada doesn’t have a recognized pediatric specialization in chiropractic. However, pediatrics is an integral part of the four-year chiropractic curriculum, along with pre and antenatal care. Treating pediatric patients is part of Canada’s chiropractic care, where the chiropractor adjusts the application of force and other techniques to support the child’s needs and comfort. 

Chiropractors use their knowledge about the immature skeletal system, congenital and developmental defects, genetics and embryology to treat children. Besides spinal manipulation techniques, pediatric chiropractors may also collaborate with other healthcare providers to provide comprehensive care to the infants. 

Which chiropractic techniques help children?

Chiropractors apply super-gentle, non-invasive techniques to children of all ages, from infants to adolescents. They examine the child’s spinal alignment to detect any subluxations or misalignments, which are often the underlying cause of various health problems. Once detected, they use a combination of adjustment techniques to reduce the subluxation and restore the child’s ability to function and move to their full potential. 

Low-force adjustments

The chiropractor uses a handheld device for gentle and precise adjustments with minimal pressure. It addresses pediatric issues like colic, poor posture or bedwetting.  

Gentle spinal manipulations

Chiropractors may use their hands to apply the gentlest pressure to the child’s spine to correct misalignments. It can potentially improve your kid’s immune function, sleep, mood and body pain (if any).

Cranial-sacral therapy

Chiropractors often use this gentle form of body work to release muscle tension and restrictions, allowing the child to move painlessly. It helps with problems like sleep disturbances, developmental delays and colic. 

Myofascial release therapy

This soft tissue therapy gently stretches and manipulates the fascia, reducing tension, improving mobility and promoting relaxation. It helps with various childhood issues like muscle weakness, postural problems, fine motor delays and migraines. 

Chiropractors may incorporate other complementary techniques like soft tissue therapy, exercises and movement therapies, depending on the infant’s recovery needs. The Doctors of Chiropractic decide the techniques after assessing the child’s age, weight, injuries, structural development and recovery needs. So, every child receives unique treatments tailor-made to align with their specific needs. 

What are the Benefits of Pediatric Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic care focuses on the spine’s health. Newborns or infants are no exception. Various factors can lead to misalignments in the child’s spine and nervous system function. These misalignments, if left untreated, interfere with the normal development of babies. 

This is where the role of pediatric chiropractors comes into play. 

They fix the spinal misalignment using the gentlest force to improve the baby’s movement efficiency, structural framework and overall wellbeing. 

Here are the key benefits to expect from children’s chiropractic care.

The baby sleeps better.

Chiropractors use non-invasive, gentle spinal adjustments to ease pinched or irritated nerves. The techniques ease the child’s nerves and improve the overall function of the nervous system. A healthy functioning central nervous system reduces restlessness and improves the infant’s sleep quality. 

The sleep patterns may improve with optimum sleep-wake cycles, making things easier for both the mother and child. They may also take less time to fall asleep, accompanied by less frequent waking in the middle of the night.

Spinal development gets stronger 

For newborns and infants, chiropractic care plays an integral role in developing an optimal spinal alignment. Chiropractors identify and correct the misalignments in the child’s spine with gentle adjustments. They mainly use the fingertips to apply a subtle pressure on the child’s spine to bring it back to its normal position. 

The birthing process, low birth weight or premature birth are some of the reasons why the child’s spine may be underdeveloped. Pediatric chiropractors strengthen the natural curves of the spine with gentle mobilization techniques and adjustments, helping the child adopt a proper posture. 

The spinal column protects the spinal cord, which transmits thousands of nerves between the brain and the rest of the body. Thus, chiropractic adjustments fix the spine’s alignment and allow the nervous system to function optimally.  A well-functioning nervous system is responsible for the child’s overall well-being and health, including motor control, organ function and sensory perception. 

A healthy spine is also important for the child to move efficiently. Pediatric chiropractors focus on developing strong spinal muscles, which allow a full range of motion and flexibility. 

Immune function enhances

The spine and nervous system together regulate our immune function. Infants have a developing immune system and are more susceptible to germs, pathogens and illnesses. Spinal misalignments or pinched nerves due to inflammation can hinder the communication between the brain and the immune system, which makes the child prone to colds, allergies and other illnesses.

Chiropractors use low-level force to adjust the spine and restore its optimum position. Once the misalignments are fixed, it eases the nerves and enables it to communicate with the immune system effectively. This clear communication is crucial for the immune system to function optimally, protecting the child from germs.

Digestive issues in babies reduce

Newborns may show signs of digestive problems like excessive spitting up or vomiting milk, or constipation. Gentle spinal adjustments can restore the optimal functioning of your child’s digestive system. 

The spine houses thousands of nerves connecting the brain with major systems of our body, including the digestive system. So, any injury to the spine or spinal misalignments disrupts the communication between the brain and gut, leading to various digestive health problems even in infants and newborns. Chiropractors realign the spine and relieve nerve pressure with soft adjustments. As the spine returns to its normal structure, the nervous system starts functioning optimally, followed by the digestive system. 

The adjustment technique for infants resembles gentle stretching and massaging. The pressure pediatric chiros apply to children is very subtle, ensuring the child’s comfort and the treatment’s effectiveness at the same time. 

Poor posture is corrected

Good posture in infants lays the foundation for a healthy musculoskeletal development in adulthood as well. A poor posture, on the other hand, can lead to musculoskeletal imbalances, motor skill development delays and increased risk of conditions like plagiocephaly. 

Pediatric chiropractors address the misalignments in the infant’s spine with subtle adjustments to fix their posture. They may assess for muscle tightness (in conditions like torticollis) that could contribute to postural problems and apply gentle stretching/massage techniques to release tension in tight muscles and promote a more balanced muscle tone. 

Correcting and strengthening spinal alignment in infancy empowers the child to move around in the further developmental years safely, efficiently and comfortably. A happy spine is the key to a healthy lifestyle, irrespective of your age. 

Breastfeeding gets easy for both mother & baby

Musculoskeletal imbalances in the infant can interfere with their ability to latch, suck and swallow effectively. Newborn chiropractic care focuses on detecting and fixing these misalignments and improving the baby’s ability to suckle efficiently. Research suggests that neuromuscular dysfunction may disrupt the infant’s ability to suckle and that chiropractic adjustments may help manage breastfeeding difficulties. 

The birthing process is quite traumatic for the child as their body undergoes a lot of twists and turns while coming out of the womb. These movements may cause misalignments in the baby’s soft cranial joints, which in turn affect how babies feed. Chiropractors use very gentle cranial adjustments to resolve the misalignments and ensure successful feeding times for both mothers and the baby. 

Conditions like torticollis can restrict the child’s neck movement to one side. This prevents the baby from latching on to both breasts, leading to inadequate feeding. Chiropractors resolve this issue by applying gentle techniques to release tension and improve the baby’s neck mobility. 

Flat head syndrome is easily corrected

Also known as plagiocephaly, flat head syndrome is a condition where the child develops a flattened area on one side of their soft skull. It usually develops when a baby spends most of their time lying on one side of the skull. 

How do newborns with flat heads benefit from chiropractic?

Flat head syndrome, or Plagiocephaly, develops during the first few months of life. The baby’s skull bones are soft at this stage and are susceptible to even the slightest amount of pressure if exerted for a long period of time. The infant usually develops this condition from lying in the same position for a long time. 

Chiropractors apply gentle cranial adjustments to mobilize the soft skull bones and fix misalignments (if any) in the joints between the skull bones. 

Babies are born with torticollis, a condition where the neck muscles are tight on one side from birth. The tight neck muscles cause the baby to turn their head in one direction, putting constant pressure on one side of the cranial bones, leading to flat spots. 

Pediatric chiropractors use gentle neck mobilization techniques along with soft massage therapy to release the tension from their neck muscles. As they start moving their head on both sides, pressure reduces on the flattened area. 

When To Take an Infant to a Chiropractor?

“How do I know if my baby needs a chiropractor?”

This is a common question we encounter at our chiropractic clinic in Brampton. 

Infants who are above 1 year old can benefit from a chiropractic adjustment. Here are some other signs your child may benefit from chiropractic adjustments.

• Colic– Intense, uncontrollable crying without any clear cause. 
• Sleep disturbances– Restless sleep, difficulty falling asleep and frequent night wakings. 
• Digestive problems– Frequent vomiting, constipation and frequent passing of gas.
• Breastfeeding problems– Struggles to attach to the breast.
• Flat head syndrome– The back or side of the baby’s head appears flattened on one side.
• Developmental delays–  Baby’s head flops backward when pulled to a starting position. 
• Limited range of motion in the neck- Baby’s head tends to tilt in one direction.
• Persistent cold, allergies & infections- The child is frequently suffering from the said problems. 

The traumatic birthing process can stress an infant’s spine, leading to various health disorders. You can get your child’s spinal development checked by a trained chiropractor at an early stage. This can help you identify if there is any misalignment in the spine, which can potentially cause further health disorders in the child. 

Choosing a Reliable Brampton Chiropractor for Infants

So yes, an experienced pediatric chiropractor can treat sleeping problems, digestive issues and other problems in infants through gentle adjustments. The adjustments are very gentle, such that the child barely feels anything. Chiropractors use their fingertips to gently massage the tensed muscles or ‘adjust’ the spinal misalignments. 

Note: Chiropractic treatments for infants are different from those of adults. The force and pressure are soft enough to fix the misalignments without injuring the soft, developing bones and muscles of the baby. 

If you want your baby to get evaluated by a licensed chiropractor, look for clinics near you, such as Physiotherapy First. This is a multidisciplinary clinic where the chiropractor may collaborate with other healthcare providers, such as massage therapists or physiotherapists, to provide comprehensive care to the infant.

sid@easydigi.ca

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