Pediatric Chiropractors: How They Can Help Your Baby

Pediatric Chiropractors are specially trained to help babies and children. This is such an exciting time for parents, but it can also be a fairly stressful time. Whether you have a happy healthy baby, or a newborn dealing with colic, reflux, or constipation, there are a number of reasons why it’s worth having your little one checked by a pediatric chiropractor following their birth.

It’s not all about back & neck pain!

You’re probably wondering why a baby would need to be adjusted by a pediatric chiropractor when they don’t have back or neck pain, right? Well, there are a myriad of things that chiropractors can help with aside from the typical back pain. Chiropractors focus on making sure your nervous system is free of interference so that everything in your body can work properly. Remember, everything in your body is controlled by your nervous system and any interference of that nervous system may cause some dysfunction in the body. The nervous system primarily consists of your brain and spinal cord, which is protected by your skull and spinal column. When there are misalignments or restricted movement in your spine, it can put pressure on the nerves traveling out to the rest of your body. Our goal as chiropractors is to correct those misalignments and fixations so that there is no longer nerve interference impeding the signals being sent from the brain to the body and vice versa.

Why should babies be checked by a chiropractor?

So back to the original question, why would a baby need to be checked? For starters, birth is an incredible process that puts a significant amount of stress on the new baby’s body, especially their little head and neck. Whether they’re birthed through the birth canal or by cesarean, or even with forceps/vacuum, there is going to be some amount of stress placed on their body as they make their entrance into the world. This can cause those misalignments we talked about previously, which can impact how their nervous system is functioning overall. As they start to grow and develop, you may see symptoms such as colic, acid reflux, constipation, ear infections, or various other concerns. All of these things can stem from improper nervous system function and may resolve with the care of pediatric chiropractors. For these reasons, we always recommend that all babies be checked by a pediatric chiropractor, whether it’s to address a concern the parents have or to prevent issues from arising in the future.

What’s an adjustment like for a baby & how early can they be seen?

Whether or not you’re familiar with an adjustment, you’re probably wondering what it’s like for an infant to be adjusted. Adjustments by pediatric chiropractors for babies are completely different from the kinds of adjustments adults receive. We use the amount of pressure you would use to check the ripeness of a tomato to perform the adjustments. It’s incredibly gentle and does not involve any twisting or cracking. Oftentimes babies sleep right through their adjustments! So, how early can a baby be checked by a chiropractor? The answer may surprise you — they can be seen the day they are born. Some chiropractors will even do house calls to make it easier on new parents.

If you’re considering taking your baby to a chiropractor, make sure the chiropractor has additional training in pediatrics.

Dr. Shadley and Dr. Tom Centofanti are chiropractors at Roots Chiropractic in Mt Lebanon, PA. They specialize in pregnancy, postpartum, pediatric, and family wellness. www.rootschiro.com

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