Pediatric Care
Chiropractic care for babies and children is very different from what we can do with adults. Their bodies are much smaller, still growing and therefore not skeletally mature and so the treatments we use are tailored accordingly, using very gentle touch and a variety of manual therapy techniques (including massage and cranial sacral therapy techniques) to help ease any tension or restrictions that might be present, often only using a fingertip of pressure to massage the affected area.
Is pediatric chiropractic care safe?
Pediatric treatment is very gentle and safe. Often, babies will sleep through their assessment & treatment and quite enjoy the benefits of manual therapy/bodywork.
What conditions can you treat?
The most common issues parents bring their children to me for are:
At what age should I bring my child to see a chiropractor?
There is no specific age. It is never too early if you sense there might be an issue. The youngest child I have seen in my practice was 23 hours old. Her mother was a patient of mine and knew, given the challenging birth and the issues they were having with latching and breastfeeding upon delivery, that treatment might help. We were able to use some very gentle manual techniques to help her baby and they were able to successfully latch immediately following treatment.
Major motor milestones are another great time to have your baby assessed, particularly if you notice they are not meeting those milestones as expected or are developing a more asymmetric way of moving (ex. only rolling in one direction; using a “bum scoot” or an army crawl rather than crawling on hands and knees).
Another time you might consider bringing your child to see a chiropractor is if they have experienced a fall or injury through their play or activities. Limping, avoiding weight bearing, head tilting are all good signs that your child should be assessed.
Is pediatric chiropractic care safe?
Pediatric treatment is very gentle and safe. Often, babies will sleep through their assessment & treatment and quite enjoy the benefits of manual therapy/bodywork.
What conditions can you treat?
The most common issues parents bring their children to me for are:
- Feeding issues - breastfeeding/bottle feeding and managing tethered oral tissues (lip, tongue and/or cheek ties)
- Digestive issues including infant reflux and constipation
- Babies having trouble passing gas
- Concerns regarding motor milestones (rolling over, sitting, crawling, walking)
- Torticollis/head position preferences
- Growing pains
- General musculoskeletal complaints (sports injuries, postural strain, position avoidance etc)
At what age should I bring my child to see a chiropractor?
There is no specific age. It is never too early if you sense there might be an issue. The youngest child I have seen in my practice was 23 hours old. Her mother was a patient of mine and knew, given the challenging birth and the issues they were having with latching and breastfeeding upon delivery, that treatment might help. We were able to use some very gentle manual techniques to help her baby and they were able to successfully latch immediately following treatment.
Major motor milestones are another great time to have your baby assessed, particularly if you notice they are not meeting those milestones as expected or are developing a more asymmetric way of moving (ex. only rolling in one direction; using a “bum scoot” or an army crawl rather than crawling on hands and knees).
Another time you might consider bringing your child to see a chiropractor is if they have experienced a fall or injury through their play or activities. Limping, avoiding weight bearing, head tilting are all good signs that your child should be assessed.
