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4 Reasons to Take Your Child to a Chiropractor

Children playingA question I often get asked in my practice is “how early should someone receive a chiropractic adjustment?” I answer this question with a smile and simply say, “the earlier the better—‘if the twig is bent, so grows the tree!'” Spinal alignment and optimal nerve function is important for everyone but it is especially true for babies and children. Did you know that a child’s nervous system will develop 50% faster during the first year of life than any other time? That is huge! This is when the nervous system is working out all the “kinks” and determining the functional standard for years to come.

Below are four reasons to have your baby’s spine checked by a trained and licensed chiropractor. The biggest one of all I will say, first and foremost, is delivery in general. Birth is a beautiful, yet traumatic event for mother and baby. Even the most natural births can commonly lead to misalignments of the spine. There is a tremendous amount of force (an estimated 60-90 lbs.) placed on the baby’s neck no matter what method of delivery was used. Studies show that up to 95% of newborn babies have a misalignment of their neck. For this reason, I encourage all of my pregnant patients to bring in their little ones for a spinal check as soon as they feel ready!

Signs Your Child May Benefit from a Chiropractic Adjustment

1. Excessive Crying - Crying often comes with the territory of a newborn but excessive crying or non-rhythmical crying may indicate something more going on. Crying is the only tool a newborn has to offer to tell their parents something is amiss. It is common for a baby to always want to be held but it also could be that they are physically more comfortable in certain positions. This may be due to pain that they are desperately trying to tell you about! Consider chiropractic care to remove any pressure on the nervous system.

2. Torticollis - A common reason that patients will bring their patients into see me is because they have noticed their baby favors turning to one side versus the other side. This clearly indicates a restriction or limitation in their neck and therefore it is uncomfortable to look in the opposite direction. It often leads to “flat-head” syndrome which can be improved with chiropractic visits.

3. Latching Difficulties or Spitting Up - Breastfeeding is something I promote heavily due to its immense immune boosting factors and multitude of benefits for the mama and baby. It is not always easy though. Several factors are at play here but one I’d like to mention is a misalignment in the top of the neck. This fixation causes improper range of the motion and can prevent a baby from latching properly. There is also a relationship between the top of the neck and the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve controls a baby’s involuntary ability to suckle, swallow, and digest milk and nutrients properly.

4. Ear infections - Studies show that 80% of children treated with a series of chiropractic adjustments were ear infection free for a period of 6 months. This is because chiropractic care reduces pressure on the nerves that directly control drainage of the ear. Furthermore, chiropractic care aligns the cranium and spine, allowing the ear to drain naturally.

Chiropractic care is safe, gentle, and effective for patients of all ages! Other conditions that chiropractic care can help with include ADHD, bed wetting, asthma, allergies, sleep issues, colic, and growing pains. Remember, it is much easier to maintain a healthy spine as a child than a neglected one as an adult!

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