The growing years are the most important years in the development of posture and even more importantly, the development of your nervous system.

Minor imbalances in the position or movement patterns of spinal bones may cause few obvious symptoms in children, yet these subluxations may have a significant impact on nerve function and therefore health ... both now and in the future.

Children with healthy spines are healthier children.

Chiropractic is safe, gentle and effective for people of all ages. Organise an appointment to have your children checked today.

Why Do Babies See Chiropractors?

Many people do not understand and are even surprised to find that babies, some only a few days old, have their spines checked by chiropractors. When the facts are explained however, it makes common sense.

Even under optimal conditions the birth process is potentially a very traumatic experience for the newborn. Delivery of the newborn often involves massive forces to the baby's neck. This is potentially the first opportunity for spinal damage to occur. A difficult delivery, or the use of forceps for instance, may further increase the stress on the baby's spine.

Severe birth trauma, when it occurs, may be apparent immediately. In many births however, there are no obvious manifestations of injury. Less apparent trauma to the baby's delicate spine and nervous system can considerably impair the health and development of the child. The most common and most significant birth injuries are neurological. This is particularly problematic because it is the time of greatest development of the nervous system.

In the German medical journal Manuelle Medizin, the authors Gutmann and Fryman reported examining a random group of 1258 babies within 5 days after birth. Of this group, 211 suffered from vomiting, hyperactivity and sleeplessness. Manual examination revealed spinal abnormalities in 95% of the group. The authors state that spinal adjustments "...frequently resulted in immediate quieting, cessation of crying, muscular relaxation and sleepiness." The authors noted that spinal subluxations in the upper neck area causes "... many clinical features from central motor impairment to lowered resistance to infections - especially ear, nose and throat infections."

Many conditions of infants respond very well to chiropractic care. Colic, irritability, allergic reactions, sleeping and feeding problems and even weakened immune function can often be linked to nerve irritation caused by spinal dysfunction.

Chiropractic care for babies and children works under the same basic premise as chiropractic care for adults. To put it simply: Spinal subluxations cause nerve irritation. Nerve irritation interferes with the body's ability to function normally. Poor function leads to ill health. Chiropractors remove subluxations.

Chiropractic adjustments for infants are extremely safe and gentle. The amount of force needed to restore balance to an infant's spine is usually no more pressure than an adult can tolerate on the eyeball.

Providing problems are not left too long, babies and children tend to respond more quickly than adults. Newborns in particular, don't have the layers of postural compensations arising when a problem has been tolerated too long. They usually adapt and heal more rapidly allowing the benefits of chiropractic care to occur at a faster rate.

Examination of the growth patterns of a child's spine reveals that the time of fastest spinal growth and development is of course in the first year of life, when the average length of the spine grows from 24 to 36 cm. It is also the time when the infant is learning to crawl and walk and therefore subjected to considerable stress. Additionally, this phase of the child's development involves the establishment of the important secondary spinal curves in the neck and low back. All of this makes the first 12 months such a critical period of spinal development and necessitates that chiropractic care begin soon after birth.

Beyond this first year, spinal growth and development continues right through until the mid 20's when development of the vertebrae in the lumbar spine is fully completed. Regular chiropractic check-ups during these growing years is of vital importance to ensure the many stresses of daily living, such as poor posture, knocks, falls, carrying schoolbags, sporting incidents etc are not causing spinal problems which may otherwise go unnoticed simply because there are no obvious symptoms.

Just as you don't wait until your children complain of toothache before taking them to a dentist, don't wait until they complain of backache before having their spines checked.

The most neglected factor in most children's health is their spine. Your children may have their first subluxations. Have they had their first adjustment?