Chiropractic and natural health services for infants and children in Dover, Ohio.
Care in our office for children starts right at birth. The birth process can very well be the most traumatic event of your entire life. Most don’t realize that even in the uterus there can be stresses on the spine that can result in a lifetime of dysfunction and would never be connected, evaluated or treated.
Healthy child development includes nutrition, physical activity and an optimally functioning nervous system. As the spine develops, it is vulnerable to trauma from activities and events. The “arc of health” of children starts with birth trauma, the events of childhood, nutritional shortcomings, emotional coping, and many other types of stress placed on the emotional system and physical body. The objective is to minimize negative forces while strengthening the body’s capability to adapt to its environment. It’s important to note that symptoms (pain and malfunction) may not surface for years, injury to the nervous system can have a lifetime of damaging effects – left unaddressed.
Being born is tough work. There are a lot of pressures and forces being exerted onto your baby during her journey into the world. A recent study by Viola Frymann demonstrated that 90 percent of newborns suffered the effects of birth trauma: associated strain through the neck and cranial areas following birth. Frymann, an American osteopathic doctor, studied more than 1,500 babies periodically across an eight-year period. She examined all babies within the first five days of birth; in fact, many were checked within the first 24 hours of birth. This study revealed that approximately:
Left uncorrected, this trauma continues to impact a baby’s spinal growth and development, reducing the healthy function of her nerve system. This can cause many health challenges later in life that could easily have been prevented.
There are no known contraindications to chiropractic care throughout pregnancy. All chiropractors are trained to work with women who are pregnant. Investing in the fertility and pregnancy wellness of women who are pregnant or trying to conceive is routine care for most chiropractors. There are times that a very gentle technique would be more appropriate if there are complicating factors in the pregnancy that in no way will be harmful to the mother or baby.
During pregnancy, there are several physiological and endocrinological changes that occur in preparation for creating the environment for the developing baby. The following changes can result in a misaligned spine or joints:
Establishing pelvic balance and alignment is another reason to obtain chiropractic care during pregnancy. When the pelvis is misaligned, it may reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby. This restriction is called intrauterine constraint. A misaligned pelvis may also make it difficult for the baby to get into the best possible position for delivery. This can affect the mother’s ability to have a natural, non-invasive birth. Breech and posterior positions can interfere with the natural ease of labor and lead to interventions such as c-sections.
The nervous system is the master communication system to all the body systems including the reproductive system. Keeping the spine aligned helps the entire body work more effectively.
Potential benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include:
Yes. Adverse events linked to pediatric chiropractic care are virtually nonexistent, estimated at 1 in 250 million pediatric visits.
There is not a single medical procedure safer than Chiropractic Adjustment, but I would encourage parents to seek out chiropractors who routinely take care of children in their practice.
When adjusting a newborn, a skilled chiropractor will only use the amount of pressure that you would use to comfortably push on your eye. The child gets checked by hand and with technology, then is placed in position (usually in Mommy’s lap), and gentle pressure is applied. That’s all there is to it. It’s simple, safe, and effective.
Two major studies on chiropractic and infantile colic have shown that over a period of two weeks (usually three visits) 94 percent of babies adjusted by chiropractors showed a successful rating, with 25 percent showing improvement after the first adjustment. Dr. S. Vallone, in a 2007 study, concluded, “Chiropractic adjustments in the early stages of neurologic imprinting appear to safely and effectively address the craniocervical dysfunction and help restore natural, efficient suckling patterns for infants who are unable to successfully latch.”
905 Tuscarawas Ave NW
New Philadelphia, OH 44663
Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
9am-12pm and 2pm-6pm
