Babies can benefit from chiropractic care following birth, in particular where the delivery was difficult or unusual. Or if intervention was used such as vacuum or forceps. During the birthing process, no matter how smooth/calm it was, the delicate structures in the neck and skull can be injured causing misalignments in the spine and tension on the spinal cord.

Left undiagnosed and untreated, this can cause pain, discomfort and can present as various other symptoms. There are some common ways you baby may display discomfort. You may notice the following;

• Discomfort or difficulty with changing clothes

• Discomfort lying on changing table

• Difficulty with tummy time

• Dislike of car seats

• Avoidance behaviours eg. persistent asymmetrical postures – always having head rotated or tilted

• Dislike being held on one side verses the other eg. when feeding

As part of our very detailed examination process, we will take the time to show you and educate you on signs of discomfort that your baby may be displaying. These will then be addressed as we commence chiropractic care for your baby. The care we provide is specifically modified to be gentle and appropriate for each child’s age, size and level of development. Unlike adult techniques, chiropractic adjustments for newborns look like relaxing stretches.

Worried about safety of Chiropractic
care and kids?

There was a study released in 2019 by Safer Care Victoria that investigated the safety of chiropractic care for children under 12. They found that in Australia there has never been a serious adverse event reported in the literature or in insurance claims involving the care of a child by a Chiropractor. The evidence of harm is low because Chiropractors modify their techniques to suit the age and developmental stage of the child.

You can read the article here: https://www.bettersafercare.vic.gov.au/publications/chiropractic-
spinal-manipulation-of-children-under-12