Why Do Babies See A Chiropractor?

I’ve been seeing a lot of babies in practice recently, and I am often asked “why does a baby need to see a chiropractor?”

My off the cuff answer is “they have a spine too”, but what does that really mean? So, I thought this week I would use this example to expand our conversation about chiropractic and what is possible when your spine is adjusted.

Let’s take that baby as an example, or actually let’s think about you. When you were conceived two cells met and a rapid process of growth and development happened. Fun fact, if you grew at the same rate for the entire pregnancy as you do in the first month, you would be born weighing 9 tonnes!!!
Anyway, as these cells grow and develop, organs in the body start to form, and guess what the very first organ to form is? It is the one that coordinates and controls all the other organs. Yes, the brain and spinal cord.

Your nervous system is the first thing to form in the body, because it is the most important thing,  which controls every other part of you.

Therefore, it is easy to see and understand that if there is a problem with the brain and spinal cord (and 12 little nerves called the cranial nerves) then there can be other problems down the line for your health. A simple example of this we see a lot in adults, is a problem with their lower back causing a change and slowing of bowel habit. The back problem is causing a bowel problem because the nerves in your lower back coordinate your lower digestive system.

Back to the baby. Birth (for all you men out there) is not a straightforward process. Even the easiest of births can cause trauma and pressure on the skull and spine. And even assisted births create pressure of the skull and spine. And what sits in the skull? The brain. And what is in the spine? The spinal cord.

Therefore, any issues with the skull alignment or alignment of the spine can affect the health and well-being of the baby.

As a chiropractor I see a lot of babies for feeding issues, digestion, and sleep. I suppose you could call these colic symptoms. And while as a chiropractor I cannot formally say I can help or fix colic or related symptoms due to limited research around the topic; the babies I see often get fantastic results when I work with them to gently correct the spinal and skull alignment. Thus, allowing the brain and spinal cord to communicate and coordinate well.

Don’t panic! There are no big cracks and pops with kids. Just very gentle pressure and encouragement.

So, you can see that having a spine and skull aligned properly will help your brain and spinal cord communicate and coordinate your entire body better. Getting your adjustments is so much more than just pain. And for the little ones I see, it can be life changing.

With love,

Tom