Chiropractic Care for In-Utero Misalignments
Quite often parents seek chiropractic care for their child due to physical trauma from an injury.
However, the spinal misalignments that may occur at the time of the injury will not necessarily result in immediate pain or symptoms. Parents would be wise to consider in addition to physical stress, emotional and chemical stress affect their children’s nervous systems and may also warrant a spinal check-up.
The earliest challenge a growing spine faces is the position it is forced to adopt in utero. Many women will have heard of fetal positions that can cause problems with labor (brow, breech, transverse, posterior, ascynclitic, etc). What is less well known is that these fetal positions can also cause problems in the baby’s spine as well.
Spinal segments can be pushed out of place or jammed by the position of the baby in the womb. If this position is less than optimal, it can result in a longer and more difficult trip through the birth canal, which can compound the spinal problems. In this way, even natural birthing methods can stress an infant’s spine and nervous system—not to mention interventions such as induction, forceps, vonteuse suction, or Cesarean section. The latter (which account for an alarmingly large percentage of births in Australia), while appear to offer a less traumatic birth for the child, can actually create additional traumas and compromises to the infant’s future health and well-being.
The cause of many newborn health complaints such as colic, reflux, breastfeeding difficulties, sleep disturbances, allergic reactions, and chronic infections can often be traced to nervous system irritation caused by spinal and cranial misalignments.
Since significant spinal trauma can occur at, or prior to birth, many parents elect to have their newborn’s spine checked right after birth. Many developmental milestones such as learning to hold up the head, sitting upright, crawling, and walking are all activities that are affected by spinal alignment and are important times to have a child checked by a chiropractor. Additionally, falls, sports injuries, playground bumps, heavy school bags and sitting all day in the classroom are all physical stresses to the growing child’s spine and nervous system.
How can I tell if my child has spinal problems? Because it can be difficult for a parent to recognize when a child’s spine is not working correctly here are some signs which can indicate spinal problems.
- disturbed sleeping patterns
- breastfeeding difficulties in the very young
- restricted head or neck movement to one side
- one shoulder higher than the other
Common childhood disorders can also be linked with spinal dysfunction.
- recurrent ear infections
- persistent sore throats and colds
- colic/reflux
- asthma
- scoliosis
- headaches
- bedwetting and/or constipation
- growing pains
- ADHD
Regular chiropractic check-ups can identify potential spinal dysfunction resulting from these stresses, and chiropractic adjustments may help to enhance future function and well-being.
Many common childhood ailments will respond to this safe, natural form of health care. More and more parents— especially those who are already chiropractic patients themselves—are seeking chiropractic care for their children.