Some people may be tentative about taking a baby to a chiropractor. In fact, it’s safe for newborns, within the first few weeks after birth, to receive chiropractic care. Family Chiropractic Center uses soft pressure to make gentle spine alignments. Dr. Staley uses his pinky fingers to add slight pressure that helps restore normal nervous system function and promote the body to heal itself.
Why would a baby need chiropractic care? Being born is stressful! When a baby is born and passes through a very small canal or incision, the spine of the baby is stressed. While doctors and hospitals evaluate a baby’s systems at birth, the spine is generally overlooked in most cases. In addition, during the first weeks of life, the limited movement experienced by babies can lead to problems. When babies are held, when they’re lying down in the crib, or when they’re nursing, they are generally in the same position. This continual position can lead to problems in the upper back and neck of the infant, creating the baby’s first subluxation in the neck and upper back. Readers might want to refer to the Back pain section of this website for more information on chiropractic subluxations.
What to look for. There are various symptoms that might suggest chiropractic care could be beneficial for an infant. If your baby cries inconsolably for hours at a time, has a rigid body, or appears uncomfortable despite being fed and changed, these are symptoms of a colicky baby and one that could benefit from chiropractic care. Other symptoms are the inability to turn the head fully both ways, nursing on only one side, or decreased sleep and appetite – all of these are behaviors might improve with chiropractic care. Dr. Staley is very experienced in delivering gentle chiropractic adjustments to correct and alleviate these symptoms and provide the opportunity for parents to relax and even sleep!
