Infants and Chiropractic

Congratulations! Being parents ourselves we can imagine how filled with happiness you must be with the arrival of your new baby. We know that you are somewhat in awe of the responsibilities of being a new parent and perhaps even a little frightened with the possibility that you may not know all you need to know to be a parent. We can tell you from experience that these feelings are normal. We can also tell you from experience that there may be one aspect of your new baby’s well-being that you haven’t considered and is important. Besides being parents, We are chiropractors with special training in the evaluation of babies and children. If you would like to learn more about the impact a chiropractor could have on your child’s development, read on.

Who needs Chiropractic?

Everyone needs chiropractic, babies and children included! Count the number of times your child has fallen in the last week, the last month, and the last year. Their developing spine and nervous system is under tremendous amount of stress each and every day.

It is important to understand that the doctor of chiropractic does not treat conditions or diseases. The expertise of the chiropractor is in checking the child's spine for misalignments that impair nervous system function therefore affecting overall body function. The bones of the spine, the vertebrae, house and protect the spinal cord. The spinal cord is an extension of the brain and carries information from the brain to the body parts and back to the brain again. Subluxations interfere with the nerves' ability to transmit this vital information.

At this point you may be thinking this information is very interesting - but it doesn't apply to our child because our child had a very uneventful birth and looks and acts in a healthy manner. We are glad that your child is thriving but it is our responsibility to tell you that you should still have your child checked. The reasons are many and include:

1. Spine problems just like Dad's brown eyes and Mom's curly hair can be passed from parent to child.
2. Babies have heavy heads relative to the strength of their neck muscles and this predisposes them to neck subluxations.
3. Babies can experience what we call macro-trauma. They have a 50% chance of falling on their head at least once in the first year of life.
4. Babies can also experience micro-trauma. This is cumulative of dozens of small jars, falls, and upsets that occur in learning to sit, crawl, stand, etc.
5. The birthing process itself is always a stress on the child's structure.

Here are some compelling reasons to have your newborn baby checked by a chiropractor:

A. Chiropractors check for SUBLUXATIONS which are tiny misalignments of the spine, cranium, and pelvis which cause upset to the normal functioning of the baby's nerve system. These subluxations by their very nature are harmful and no other health professional is trained to detect them. Subluxations in the young do not result in pain. They can go completely unnoticed by the parent or they may express themselves subtly (as in decreased immune response or decreased alertness) or they may express themselves overtly (as in the case of colic or ear infections).

B. Subluxations detected and corrected in the young will not only benefit the function (physiology) of the child but also the actual growth of the tissues and organs. The analogy that is most meaningful to myself is that of a growing onion. The onion grows from a tiny seed and concentric layering occurs as growth progresses. If there is a small piece of grit or sand close to the center of the onion, the distortion caused by that foreign speck will be experienced in the outer layers.

C. Some subluxations, if not corrected in the first year of life can never fully be corrected. Within the cranium at birth there are supporting membranes. These can be distorted by abnormal molding of the cranium caused either by unbalanced forces on the cranium before the birth or by forces introduced during the birthing process. The reality is that these membranes grow into solid bone about the time of the baby's first birthday. If the correction is not made in the first year, it will be impossible to fully correct the problem later.

D. Subluxations should be detected and corrected as soon as possible because if they are not permanent damage to the joints themselves will occur. Research by Dr. Tapio Videman shows that if joints (for example the spine) are stuck together for more than two weeks, there will be some irreparable damage done to the joint surfaces at the cellular level.

Call our Winnipeg office to have your child checked by a chiropractor today! 204-254-1313