Chiropractic care for infants and children is a safe and effective form of treatment for various dysfunctions of the spine and nervous system. Sixty percent of post-natal brain growth occurs in the first year of life and by age 5 the spine doubles in length. Dysfunction of spinal joints can inhibit proper nervous system functioning and
development during this time.
What does treatment entail?
The chiropractic adjustments used on infants are very gentle and involve targeted pressure over the spinal joints with no more force than would be used to check the ripeness of a tomato. In children, the adjustments can appear similar to those used on adults but with much less force or an instrument called the Activator may be used to perform the adjustment.
Soft tissue techniques are also used in infants and children to address issues of muscle imbalance etc.
What causes joint dysfunction in infants and children?
Infants: Trauma related to in-utero constraint, prolonged or precipitous labour, assisted delivery (forceps, vacuum extraction), c-section, falls, mishandling etc.
Children: Overuse of technology (phones, tablets), poor ergonomic set-up in the classroom leading to improper posture, sports injuries, falls, car accidents
What are the signs that infants should seek chiropractic care?
-torticollis (persistent head tilt/rotation)
-excessive crying with no known cause
-favouring one breast over the other during feeding
-inability to latch
-infrequent bowel movements
-discomfort during tummy time
