Pediatric Chiropractic Care

If you've been injured and you sought relief from a chiropractor, chances are you remember how much better you felt after your visit. Multiply that relief by going on a regular basis, and you're not only feeling better, but you're also helping to prevent future issues. So often, when we think about chiropractic care, we assume it is just for adults -- for those who have chronic pain or who got hurt in an accident. But did you know that chiropractic care can be beneficial for newborns and children in general?

Think about it for a second... whether big or small, we all have a spine. And if that spine is misaligned, a variety of health issues can arise. Whether birth is cesarean or vaginal, there is a lot of pushing, pulling, and squeezing involved, which can be enough to significantly misalign the spine and cause a host of other issues. 

Given this experience, more parents are taking their newborns in for regular chiropractic treatments. But, it's important that parents ask a lot of questions to make sure the chiropractor you're child is seeing is qualified to work with newborns and younger children.

One of the biggest questions we get is about the amount of pressure a newborn will experience during treatment. That's completely normal as you wouldn't want to see someone pressing down really hard on your baby's back. In general, the pressure placed on your child is far less than that which was felt in utero and during childbirth. We liken it to the pressure you'd apply when checking a tomato at the grocery store.

Chiropractic care for newborns and young children involves using a very gentle type of treatment that carefully manipulates their spine without causing harm or injury. Sometimes specialized adjustment instruments (made just for newborns) are used during treatment if there are areas of your baby's spine that appear abnormal.

So how do you know if your baby could benefit from a chiropractic adjustment?

Everything a baby does, and everything we adults do too, stems from neurological development. Babies are designed to adapt, develop, and learn, and this enables them to benefit much more quickly from chiropractic care. Babies also handle pain differently than adults do. For example, if an infant experiences pain in one arm, they will switch to their other arm. The pain tells the baby to stop, and since that’s their most prominent frame of reference, they listen and make the change.

If your little one is experiencing any of the following, consider a chiropractic consultation.

• Constipation
• Bed wetting
• Chronic ear infections
• Immune deficiency issues
• Difficult or medically induced birth
• Birth defects
• Failure to thrive
• Weak latch and other nursing issues
• Asthma and allergies
• Breathing difficulties
• Trauma or injury
• Recovery from an illness
• Acid reflux

At Pure Life Chiropractic, we are blessed to have Dr. Jenn Nyberg who is dedicated and highly experienced in working with newborns and young children. Call us to schedule an appointment — 541-343-5633.