Many babies and children attend Ruislip Chiropractic Clinic for chiropractic care. Like adults they are susceptible to musculoskeletal problems which can manifest as pain or limitation. In many cases new born babies are discharged after delivery with a ‘clean bill of health’ when, in fact, they have cranial or spinal trauma from the birth process. Babies as young as one week old come to see us, either because they have the usual new born feeding complaints or mum was already a patient and was ‘converted’ to the benefits.

Procedures for treating babies, sometimes referred to as ‘baby massage’, but we prefer the term ‘cranial chiropractic’, involve gentle, drug-free, specific corrections using the hands. They do not involve cracking of joints or any kind of forceful intervention which some people may associate with adult treatment, though in older children gentle manual chiropractic adjustments can be introduced when appropriate.

How does chiropractic treat my child?

Your chiropractor is fully qualified in chiropractic craniopathy (treating the head), having almost two decades of clinical experience. The cranium of a newborn is made of cartilage not bone. It lays down the ‘scaffolding’ upon which the bone develops and can be gently moved and realigned in order to normalise the underlying membranes (dura) and cranial nerves. Such nerves control a vast array of bodily functions such as sucking, swallowing, head movement and eye movement (tracking and focus), not to mention gut, heart and respiratory function.

We also assess the spine and pelvis by gently palpating these individual joints and determining their range of motion. In addition, your chiropractor will carry out a full neurological and orthopaedic examination to ensure that nothing is overlooked.

Why do I need to bring my baby or child to a chiropractor?

Often the birth process can be traumatic, variously involving forceps, ventouse (suction cap) or c-section. All of these interventions can create problems for the baby in different ways. Even natural delivery can produce a baby that has problems due to intra-uterine constraint (insufficient room in-utero) leading to restrictions and distortions requiring correction. Typically a young baby will respond more quickly to chiropractic treatment than an adult and in some cases few treatments are required in order to make massive changes. The human body has an enormous capacity for healing and self preservation but sometimes it just needs a hand to get where it wants to be.

So if you live in the Hillingdon borough, Uxbridge, Ickenham, Harrow, Ruislip, Northwood areas give us a call and we will welcome you to the practice..

Topic: Pregnancy