I’ll admit I was a skeptic regarding children and chiropractic manipulations. I saw a chiropractor while pregnant with Zack to help him turn when he was breech – and it worked – who then suggested I bring him in when he was a few days old to ‘unwind’ him and adjust as needed.  Manipulate my little baby?  What possible benefit could it bring?  I was quite surprised to learn the answers and to help explain it to you; I interviewed our new DC, Dr. Celia Campoli.

Why would young babies and children benefit from adjustments?

Babies and children experience essential developmental changes in the first few years of life.  The greatest length development of the spine occurs between birth and the age of 2, with the largest lifetime growth of the brain between birth and the age of 6.  Babies and children have neuro-spinal systems that and adapt at an amazingly rapid rate … from the birth process, onto learning to crawl, walk, and run, children experience a remarkable amount of learning and growth!

At what age can you start adjusting?

We can start to adjust someone at any age!  With regards to babies, this can be just hours or days after birth.  While the birth of a child is a beautiful moment for a family to experience, the birth process itself can lead to physical trauma affecting the structure of the bones that protect the nerve system.  Since the nerve system controls every cell, tissue, and organ in the body, we want to make sure that it is operating without any interference in the system.

What about possible injury?  How do you adjust a baby?  Does it hurt?

Chiropractors undergo intense schooling and clinical training to learn the proper techniques for adjusting people of all ages, including babies and children, and to be aware of risk factors that could lead to possible injury.  Pediatric courses in the chiropractic curriculum teach adjusting techniques that are gentle and appropriate for adjusting babies and children in relation to their development, and growth, as well as common interference patterns.  A gentle and specific chiropractic adjustment does not hurt, and will often quickly relieve symptoms that children present with by normalizing the function of the nerve system.  The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (icpa4kids.org) is a great online resource for parents, with published wellness articles and chiropractic research pertaining to pediatric care.

Is this going to create a condition where the child will have to ALWAYS get adjusted?

This is a question that I get asked often … with the answer being Yes and No.  I welcome anyone to utilize chiropractic care in the way that suits the needs of your family.  Receiving regular chiropractic adjustments keeps you functioning at your highest and greatest potential.  I have been getting adjusted since I was 13 years old, and will continue to get checked and adjusted by my chiropractor on a weekly basis because I know how important it is to have the nerve system, the communication system of the body, free of stress and interference.  Similar to nutrition and exercise, it is consistency that will make the biggest difference and have the greatest impact on a person’s overall health.

How can adjustments affect brain health, such as sleep, crankiness, hyperactivity, etc.?

Speaking from experience, gentle manipulation is possible, and may occur quickly.  I injured my knee while pregnant, and the Chiropractor I was seeing manipulated my knee, right into the knee cap with the activator ’gun’ even in the acute state and my recovery time was shorter.

Thanks Dr. Celia for sharing.

Dr. Debbie Smrz, BSc, ND

Naturopathic Living