Is it safe to take my newborn to a chiropractor?
Short answer? Yes! But let’s break it down.
The adjustment for an infant is very specific and gentle. Most people think an infant gets adjusted the same way adults do, but this is far from the truth! The amount of pressure required to adjust infants is equal to what you would use to check the ripeness of a tomato. There is no popping and cracking, and many times they will sleep right through the adjustment!
You may be wondering, “But why should you take your newborn to be checked by a chiropractor if they aren’t in pain? They don’t have any problems yet, right?” The Journal of Osteopathic Medicine provided a study that showed 99 out of 100 newborns have a spinal subluxation. What is a subluxation? – A misalignment of the spine that causes a disconnect in the communication between your brain and body. It is very important to remove these subluxations early on since newborns are growing and developing so quickly both physically and neurologically. Sometimes they can cause pain and discomfort, but a lot of times we don’t feel them and they can lead to dysfunction in different areas of the body since the nervous system controls everything.
When a baby has subluxations, it can lead to:
- Colic
- Reflux
- Constipation
- Poor latching
- Torticollis
- Ear infections
- and many more
So how do these subluxations happen? Birth can actually be a pretty stressful and traumatic process for both mom and baby, that is often written off as a ‘normal’ birth. If you have ever seen a ‘normal’ cesarean section, you know what I’m talking about. There is usually some type of pulling or twisting which can cause a lot of stress in the upper neck. In cases where a vacuum or forceps are used, this stress is even more severe.
How do I know if my child has these subluxations? We have nerve scans in our office, that determine where the areas of stress are in the spine and nervous system. These scans are safe for everyone, even newborns and pregnant moms, and only take information from the body – they don’t put anything in.
Dr. Jake has checked many babies only hours after birth to ensure they start their lives developing properly and thriving from day one!
If you have questions or are wanting to get your newborn or child scanned to see how well their nervous system is functioning, reach out to us, we would love to connect with you 🙂
