Cary Chiropractor Discusses Newborn Chiropractic Checkups

At Legacy Chiropractic in Cary we are so excited about the opportunity to check the spine of a newborn for the first time. Our vision is for all newborns to be evaluated by qualified pediatric chiropractors. Unfortunately, not enough parents have been educated about the importance and benefit of a newborn chiropractic evaluation. For all of our pregnant mom patients, we provide the newborn screening as a complimentary benefit as a follow up to their prenatal care.

Chiropractors are trained to look for misalignments of the spine which disrupt the health and function of the nervous system. These misalignments are called subluxations and are the product of the body failing to overcome physical, chemical, and emotional/mental stress. This article is written to specifically address the physical stress which can create subluxations in the newborn.

The earliest mechanical stress to a baby’s spine can happen in utero. In utero, the baby grows seven times faster than it does after it’s born. Because of the rapid growth, the fetus is most susceptible to mechanical forces that lean to constraining and molding pressures. This mechanical stress can be the product of the mothers tissues as they sheer, stretch, compress, torque and bend. Misalignment of the mothers pelvis during pregnancy can also increase the normal mechanical stress. All of these stress factors can affect the spinal development of the baby. The position of the baby in utero can also lead to alterations of the spine. Four of the most common positions are breach, face, brow, and transverse lie.

In addition to the in utero mechanical stress, the birth process can create new traumas. Every mom hopes for a smooth and safe delivery of their new baby but sometimes complications happen in the process. Even the best moms who do everything right can have unforeseen stress on the baby’s spine. Birth trauma can occur from delivery by hand, forceps, or vacuum extractor force. The position that most commonly injures the newborn’s neck are pulling traction while the neck is extended back, rotated, flexed or bent to the side. Dr. Gutmann, a medical/manual medicine doctor studied 1,000 infants with birth trauma. His study revealed that birth trauma from pulling forces often caused upper cervical subluxations. He speculated that the abnormal nerve function may lead to a lowered immune system in children and may be a contributor to common childhood sickness as seen in ear infections.

The best time to start planning chiropractic for your newborn is in mom before she conceives. Ensuring that her spine, pelvis and nervous system are functioning optimally will provide the best starting point for the baby. After the baby is born, the newborn screening consists of evaluating the structure and function of the baby’s spine. The chiropractor will evaluate the birth history, check reflexes, measure range of motion, and look for abnormal signs indicating nervous system stress. Specific attention will be brought to the spine as the chiropractor observes posture, palpates the spine, and uses a nervoscope to detect temperature changes associated with subluxations. The evaluation is very gentle and if any subluxations are detected they are corrected with an adjustment by hand. Chiropractic is very safe for patients of all ages and sizes. When adjusting infants and children the chiropractor takes great care to ensure that only the lightest force is used.

Chiropractic is beneficial throughout childhood. After the baby is born its spine will grow over double in size. Proper spinal development is imperative in the first six years of intensive growth. Children should be monitored and checked for vertebral subluxations so that their spines and nervous systems have the best chance to grow up healthy.

By John Ballam