Why Would a Newborn Get a Chiropractic Adjustment?
Today’s “natural” childbirth methods can stress an infant’s spine. Colic, poor appetite, ear infections or erratic sleeping habits may be signs of spinal distress from the birth process. Adjustments for newborn babies are safe and gentle. They aim to optimize the function of their developing Nerve System.
Adjusting infants and children is nothing new to Chiropractic. Actually, it is as old as Chiropractic. Pediatric Chiropractic has been a part of Chiropractic for the past 120 years. DD Palmer, the Discoverer of Chiropractic, adjusted his grandson in 1906 when he was four days old. The second recorded adjustment was done by Dr. M. Kueck, who adjusted his daughter when she was only one day old in 1908.
Chiropractic has always understood that traumas brought on by the modern birthing process can effect a child's health. Our first subluxation doesn’t occur when we are 40 years old, but can happen when we are 4 minutes old. Quoting John H. Craven, DC, “Subluxations in the upper cervical region are often produced at the time of birth which causes cord pressure, making the child susceptible to all conditions that would irritate the nervous system.”
Our Nerve System controls every movement we make, senses everything we feel, regulates every bodily function and relates us to the outside world. In children, development is under the direction of the Nerve System. Before the body can lay down any structure, it must have the proper function in place from the start. Quoting from the Pediatric Chiropractic Textbook: “In the skeletally adult spine, the structure primarily dictates function with regards to joint movement. For the developing pediatric spine, the functional demands drive the formation of bones and joint surfaces.”
If we don’t have a properly functioning Nerve System, our development can stumble. Pediatric vertebral subluxations create fault lines in the development process. Correcting neurological obstructions sets your child up for better health outcomes. A Chiropractic adjustment for a newborn is about helping them reach their full potential.
- Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP
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Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby
