5 Most Common Questions Parents Ask About Pediatric Chiropractic Care
Understandably, parents have questions when they bring their newborn to any doctor visit. There are many reasons why parents seek my care for their baby; almost all are due to some sort of musculoskeletal (muscle and bone) issue. However, regardless of the reason for their appointment, these are the five questions I hear from parents.
1. What’s my baby’s condition or diagnosis?
As a chiropractic physician, I treat only the musculoskeletal system. So, answering this question is actually very simple. Regardless of the reason or concern the parents have, my job is to evaluate and treat the muscles and bones related to their baby’s spine and skeleton. Typically, I treat one or more of these infant conditions:
- joint dysfunction (joint not moving)
- muscle tension (muscle too tight)
- muscle weakness (not enough power to adequately move the muscle).
- neck or spine shape (neck range of motion)
- head shape (normal position of skull bones)
I use many great methods or techniques to correct these physical conditions.
2. Can you fix or correct what’s wrong with my baby?
Typically, my answer to this is, Yes!
Many non-disease conditions can be safely managed by a well-trained pediatric chiropractic physician. Using simple reasoning skills, here’s what I think:
- Physical problems typically require a physical solution.
- Chemical problems typically require some sort of chemical or pharmaceutical solution.
- Emergency problems typically require some sort of emergent solution.
I do not treat chemical or emergency types of conditions. I treat physical problems with a gentle and safe physical treatment. When done correctly, this will swiftly “fix” or “correct” the condition.
3. Will the treatment hurt my baby?
Pediatric chiropractic care, when done correctly, is very safe!
Almost always, parents worry that chiropractic adjustment means twisting, popping, or cracking. That’s not the case.
The infant’s spine is not developed enough to withstand the high force adjustment that is used on adults. Hence, the chiropractic physician cannot adjust the baby’s (spine?) with the force that would create that sound. Infants do not require any high force or instruments during their treatment. A twist, pop, or crack can injure the infant.
Although I assure parents that it’s safe and gentle, they still have a little trouble believing it. Typically, infants sleep through their treatment. That’s because I use very targeted, light pressure to correct tissue dysfunction. The amount of pressure I use is approximately ½ to 1 pound of pressure. (this is equivalent to pushing on a tomato without breaking the skin of the tomato). Think about what pressure has already been exerted on the baby at birth. The amount of pressure a newborn undergoes through normal labor and delivery is approximately 30 pounds of pressure. That 30 to 60 times greater than the force I’m using on the baby!
I have treated well over 2,000 infants in the past 6 years. To date, no parent has ever reported an adverse reaction in their infant.
4. How long will it take to fix or correct the problem?
I can’t ever truly predict the answer to this question. I am not clairvoyant or psychic. If I was, I would have picked the winning lottery numbers, opened an infant feeding clinic and give away free care. But that hasn’t happened… yet!
The reality is that every single case is special and different. However, I do keep track of all data in my clinic as it relates to this question. Thus far, here is the evidence for infants between 0 and 4 months old:
- As many as 12-16 treatments
- As few as 1 treatment
- Average 4 treatments
5. How often do we need to bring our baby to your office?
There is a very typical treatment progression and recommendation for physical care. This sentence doesn’t work.
Seeing a chiropractic physician or a physical therapist is much like going to the gym. The more often you go when starting out, the quicker you see results. Having said that, I typically recommend anywhere between once a week for “x” amount of weeks, or twice a week for “x” amount of weeks. I always re-evaluate periodically in order to confirm that the treatment is working and that the condition is lessening.
Chiropractic therapy is clinically -proven to be safe and effective and it’s all natural. I am confident I can help your baby.
Did this help to answer your questions? Please let me know in the comments below, or tell me if you have another question that I have not mentioned.
