Why Take My Child To a Chiropractor?
What can chiropractic do for your child? Why do millions of parents bring their children to Doctors of Chiropractic every year? Is it only for highly dramatic health conditions? Is it only for when my child is hurting? Not at all!! Chiropractic’s purpose is to remove interferences to the natural healing power running through the body. When that power is unleashed the healing that results may be profound.
Chiropractic care has been shown to be helpful in a number of issues relating to children including otitis media, torticollis, upper respiratory syndrome, ADHD, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Sleeplessness, Bedwetting, pediatric headaches, and infantile colic to name a few.
If you are interested in learning more about specific research ongoing in the field of chiropractic and pediatrics, follow this link to: http://www.chiro.org/pediatrics/ABSTRACTS/Kids.shtml.
How Can a Young Infant’s Spine Be Traumatized?
While an infant’s spine normally develops perfectly by the end of pregnancy, it is what occurs around the time of birth and in the months thereafter that can upset the normal functioning of the spine. Specifically, Spinal segments can be pushed out of place or jammed by the position of the baby in the womb, or can suffer similar problems during labor from the trauma of the trip through the birth canal, or from the birthing process itself. Medical research has identified the fact that many problems early in a child’s life can come from birth trauma.
Spinal problems can also occur as a result of the frequent falls suffered by young infants in the first months of life. A fall from a bed, a sudden stop in an automobile, or any significant unsupported movement of the head and neck in an infant can induce excessive movement in the spine causing vertebral subluxations. At the other end of the spine, the act of learning to walk, and the number of simple falls encountered in this way, can induce trauma to the lower spinal segments and to the large sacroiliac joints of the pelvis. Young children learning to walk also fall and hit their heads. These apparently innocent, frequently occurring events can also create spinal subluxations.
That is why at Restoring Health and Wellness Center, we offer a Well Baby Check to any of our pregnant moms who have been under care during their pregnancy as early detection can make all the difference for the developing child.
It is also very important to have ongoing Well Baby Checks by a chiropractor when your baby reaches such important developmental milestones such as holding their head up unaided, sitting up, rolling over, crawling, cruising and walking, etc.
How Can Parents Recognize Childhood Spinal Problems?
Unless a child has an obvious problem, it can be difficult for parents to recognize when a child has spinal subluxations and needs to be evaluated. Just as it is difficult for someone other than a dentist to evaluated if a child has cavities, similarly it is not always easy for someone other than a chiropractor to determine if your child has a spinal problem. There are some signs parents can look for, however, which can be indicators of a child with a spinal problem.
Common indicators of spinal problems may include:
- Child’s head consistently being tilted to one side
- Restricted head or neck motion to one side
- Erratic sleeping patterns with the child sleeping only one – two hours at a time
- Feeding difficulties in a young infant including a young infant preferring to breastfeed only on one side.
Correction made early to the developing spine has been shown to be safe as 85% of Americans see chiropractic care for their children and it has been demonstrated to be safe and effective in correcting spinal distortions as well as aiding the body in healing a number of conditions such as colic, irritability, ear infections, ADHD, enhanced immunity as well as others.
Click here to contact Dr. Jonathan Sweeney, D.C. for a consultation to see how we could help your child get well again. We are glad to answer your questions and work on an individual plan for your specific needs.
