Chiropractic care for infants has been growing in popularity over the past few years. More and more parents are seeking out chiropractic care for their little ones, especially as they begin to show signs of infantile colic or other conditions that can cause pain, fussiness, and sleeplessness.
What is Chiropractic Care?
Chiropractic care is a form of alternative medicine used to treat back pain, neck pain, and headaches, as well as other neuromusculoskeletal problems. Chiropractors adjust spinal alignment by manually manipulating the spine.
Chiropractic care has been proven to benefit adults, but many people are unsure about its benefits for infants. In fact, chiropractic care can be very beneficial for infants.
Pediatric Chiropractors
Pediatric chiropractic care is a specialized field of chiropractic that focuses on infants and kids. They are trained in the unique needs of children and have extensive knowledge about the growth and development of kids.
Chiropractic is a natural form of treatment that focuses on the health of the spine and nervous system, which is essential for proper development in children. Chiropractic care can help with many childhood ailments, including asthma, allergies, ADHD, and colic.
Pediatric chiropractors have a passion for helping kids live healthy lives by alleviating their pain and discomfort. They also focus on educating parents on how to support their children’s health by providing them with proper nutrition and exercise as well as tips on how to decrease stress levels in their daily lives.
Pediatric Chiropractic Services
Chiropractors specialize in treating children from birth through adolescence with gentle, non-invasive techniques that focus on improving the alignment and function of the spine, pelvis, and extremities so that the body can regain its natural ability to heal itself without using medications or surgery.
There are no known side effects of chiropractic adjustments on infants or adults. Chiropractors are trained in how to adjust babies without causing any harm to them. Chiropractors also use very gentle techniques when working on babies and children. Chiropractic adjustments help reduce inflammation, which can cause pain in the joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Infants
The following are some of the most common reasons why parents choose to bring their babies to see a chiropractor:
1. Chiropractic Care Can Reduce Risk Of SIDS
It’s estimated that about 1 in every 200 babies will die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in their first year of life. SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants between 1 month and 1 year old — but this number could be reduced if more parents were aware of the benefits of chiropractic care for infants!
A study published in The Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics found that chiropractic adjustments can help reduce the risk of SIDS by 50%. This finding was based on medical records collected from over 174,000 births at one hospital in New Zealand between 1997 and 2008. Researchers found that infants who received more than one adjustment during their first week were most likely to experience a reduction in SIDS risk than those who had fewer adjustments or none at all.
The results indicate that infants who received chiropractic care were less likely to die from SIDS or other sleep-related deaths than those who did not receive chiropractic care. Chiropractic care also lowered the risk of SIDS by an average of 35 percent compared with conventional medical treatment alone.
2. Chiropractic Care Can Help Relieve Colic
Your baby has colic if she cries for three hours or more a day, at least three days a week, for more than three weeks. A baby with colic might also have trouble sleeping through the night or be fussy after feeding. She may vomit frequently and have diarrhea or constipation.
Chiropractic care can help relieve colic by reducing inflammation and improving nervous system function. Many chiropractors will treat colicky babies with gentle spinal adjustments and other holistic treatments including nutritional counseling, exercise therapy, hydrotherapy and massage therapy.
If you are concerned about your baby’s crying pattern or if you think he or she may have colic, contact our office today to schedule an appointment with one of our pediatric chiropractors!
3. Chiropractic Care Improves Sleep Quality For Infants And Babies
A healthy spine is essential to a healthy body and mind. When there is any misalignment in the spine, it can affect how the nervous system functions, which in turn affects how your child sleeps at night. Chiropractic treatment can help align the spine and relieve tension on nerves, which will make your child more comfortable while they sleep.
Babies are born with their first vertebrae in place but need to develop more as they get older. The way they move around helps them develop the rest of their spine naturally over time. If you notice any unusual movements (such as rolling around on only one side or having trouble rolling over), then it could be a sign that something isn’t right with your baby’s spine!
4. Chiropractic Helps Relieve Allergies In Infants And Children
Chiropractic care is often used to treat allergies because it addresses the underlying cause of the symptoms. When you look at the symptoms of an allergic reaction, you will see that they are not just physical — they also affect your mental state as well. This can make it difficult for parents to know how best to treat their child’s allergies without looking into alternative treatments like chiropractic care.
The most common allergy symptom is sneezing or coughing due to an irritation in the nose or throat area. This irritation can be caused by various things including dust particles and pollen from trees, grasses and weeds. When these irritants come into contact with your nose or lungs over time, your body builds up an allergic reaction to them which causes you to sneeze or cough until you remove yourself from that situation.
5. Chiropractic Care May Improve Autism Symptoms
Autism is a developmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction skills. It’s estimated that 1 in 88 children have autism, which is more than double the rate from just ten years ago. Chiropractors have been providing care to children with autism and other developmental disorders for years. They believe that chiropractic adjustments can help children with autism improve their motor skills, speech, and overall sensory processing.
Chiropractic may also help reduce symptoms associated with autism by improving muscle tone, reducing inflammation in the body and increasing joint mobility. The following are some common symptoms that may be relieved with chiropractic care:
- Restricted movement or abnormal posture
- Resistance to being touched or held by others
- Irritability or frustration when routines are disrupted or changed; tantrums
- Repetitive behaviors such as rocking, spinning objects around their fingers or flapping their hands
- Lack of eye contact or avoidance of looking at others when talking
The Wonders of Chiropractic Care
In nearly all cases, parents want the best for their children. They want them to grow up happy, healthy, and free of pain. Chiropractic care is a viable option to be reckoned with because it can help children avoid unnecessary drug use and more traditional forms of treatment. Given this, then yes, more parents need to know about the merits of chiropractic care so that they can make an informed decision.
“Story From Dr. Matthew Phinney”
Dr. Phinney happened on a career in Chiropractic, while on a rugby tour to New Zealand, he injured two discs in his neck during a match. The damage was so severe he was ruled out of any competition by team Doctors, and told that his career as a rugby player was essentially over. The limited ability of conventional medicine to understand and treat his injury left a strong impression on him.A chiropractor was able to help him later to restore function in his body, and get him back into competition. It was then Dr. Phinney decided to pursue a career in healthcare.
