Our previous blog post about why children of all ages should see a chiropractor is a really good read for those with children and grandchildren, or those friends that have never had a chiropractic experience. As part of this I think it’s important to debunk one common misconception about chiropractic when it comes to smaller children and babies (at least how it’s done at our office)…

Often people say “I would never take my baby to a chiropractor and let them crack their neck” – well neither would I! The image of a chiropractor doing a flying, Rambo style karate chop to anyone’s spine (let alone a small baby’s neck) makes me cringe and it’s disappointing to come across so many misconceptions about infants and chiropractic care. Let’s just clarify now – Chiropractic care for infants and small children is VERY different to adults, and the idea of using the same techniques for adults on such a little spine would be unacceptable to myself and any other well-trained chiropractor.

Here at Precision, correcting a child’s spine is a very gentle process. In a newborn it almost looks like we are cuddling them, and often mum or dad cuddle them while we gently work to correct spinal imbalances. We use gentle pressure (as much as you would use to remove a contact lens or rogue eyelash from your eye) to restore the proper alignment and function of the spinal joints and nerve system. Check out our explanation on why this is important in those early months here.

A wonderful variety of kids come through this office, ranging in age from a few weeks old to lanky teenagers who have suddenly become taller than me. I am often out of the office visiting newborns for patients who wish to get their infant checked within the first few weeks of birth. My own youngest was adjusted within one hour of birth. Why? Because reducing interference to the nerve system allows the body to work at its best and I wanted my son’s little body to feed and sleep as well as it could (for my wife’s sake as much as his!) When it comes to infants, why wouldn’t you want to reduce any strain on the system as soon as possible? Especially when it’s provided in a completely safe and natural way, allowing the baby’s body to be fully in control without any external influence. As we’ve mentioned before, while peer reviewed literature on these topics is still growing, there is already a huge supply of published case studies that point towards positive outcomes following chiropractic adjustments in infants and children.

There are further details about chiropractic care for kids in our earlier blog post, but I believe this clarification around infants is particularly important given the misconceptions that are out there. If you do want to understand more, feel free to book a Complimentary Chat or get in touch with us.

Stay well,

Ed