ABC™ Helping Babies And Our Loved Little Ones

Since the birth of my first child Hunter I’ve naturally been more interested in babies and can now truly experience the love and desire parents have to make sure their little ones are as happy and healthy as possible. Of course as a Chiropractor and passionate ABC practitioner a large focus on everyone’s health is making sure our structural systems are well balanced and not creating any unnecessary tension or stress on parts of our body. We all live in a physical world and as such it can be equally important for babies and young ones to get checked as it is for adults. Since the birth of my second boy, Hendrix, we’ve been making a constant effort to check the boys at least monthly to make sure all the physical stress that two boys put on each other isn’t leading to any long term issues.

A couple points to make straight away, babies and children or not small adults, their body’s structural systems are less developed, have fewer curves in their spine and are much more flexible, kind of like a big elastic band! As such, babies are assessed and treated differently than adults. The good news is they almost always require much less intervention and respond more quickly than adults. When a baby is adjusted, it is simpler, less involved and far gentler. More and more research documenting the safety of Chiropractic with babies and children is being published each year along with possible benefits in helping some common issues.

There a number of events in a baby’s life, sometimes starting as early as the birthing process that can impact the structural system possibly leading to issues as little ones develop and grow.  Interventions that are sometimes needed during birthing such as C sections, along with use of forceps or suction often put excessive force through a baby’s body. The most obvious stresses little ones experience are all the tumbles and falls that occur as they start to interact with their world and learn to use their bodies. There are stats that suggest the average baby will fall thousands of times while they learn to walk and many more times once they are upright. All of these stresses either big or small can create adverse changes in the mechanical system.

The following list highlights some common problems seen in babies and children which can have a mechanical basis or component to their presentation and may respond well or show improvements to symptoms with Chiropractic and ABC:

plagiocephaly (flat head), or cranial (head) distortions in shape

sutural ridging (overlapping of skull bones at joints between skull bones)

colic

breast feeding issues, attachment problems

torticollis (twisted neck and head) or inability of body to move certain directions

hip and lower limb dysfunction (altered gait – once walking of course!)

This is not an exhaustive list and I want to reiterate that we do not specifically treat these problems so much as we check and aim to correct any mechanical tension that may contribute to declines in the way bodies move and feel. In my opinion people from all age categories can benefit from ABC and this is a friendly reminder that babies and young children can fit part of that list. If you have queries or are interested in more information around ABC and how it can help our little loved ones don’t hesitate to chat to your Chiropractor.