Neurological dysfunction or subluxation can result in symptoms such as irritable baby syndrome or ‘colic’, sleep problems, breastfeeding difficulties, reflux and other health problems.

Chiropractic adjustments to the spine help to clear subluxations, thus allowing the nervous system to function better. To give a new life the greatest start, we believe that a spinal check and examination is vital. Ideally babies should be checked and if necessary, adjusted as soon after birth as possible.

Up to 65% of neurological development occurs in a child’s first year. Hence most Chiropractors recommend that you bring your baby for periodic checkups to maintain healthy nerve function.

Adjustments

Adjustments for babies are very gentle and safe. They usually involve fingertip pressure on the spine and cranial bones or with an adjusting instrument called an ‘activator’. Sometimes a gentle drop piece mechanism is used to help restore joint movement. Stretches and home advice will often be given to the parents. Sometimes only a few visits are required to improve spinal function. In more serious cases of birth trauma, a more intense programme of care is required.

Often birthing in Australia involves a high rate of obstetric intervention, some necessary and some not so necessary. The caesarean section rate in some states of Australia is up to 30% with some private hospitals as high as 50%.

The increasing epidural rates and use of other pharmaceuticals in labour can have harmful effects on a newborn’s nervous system, as well as potentially interfering with breastfeeding and maternal bonding. Recent statistics suggest that only 11% of women in this country give birth naturally, without drugs or medical intervention.

Hence, birth can be a traumatic physical, chemical and emotional event for both the baby and mother. Often the babies head and neck are stretched during delivery, via forceps, vacuum or by hands. Even in a seemingly normal birth there are powerful muscular forces at work that compress and push our babies from the uterus into the outside world. Abnormal positioning in utero and pressure from the mother’s pelvic structure can affect the delicate foetal spine and nervous system. These stresses have the potential to create neck, cranial and other spinal problems during pregnancy and birthing. Chiropractors call these joint problems ‘subluxations’.

A researcher Gutmann, examined 1000 babies in a research trial and it was concluded that approximately 80% of all newborns had some form of nerve dysfunction. He comments that ‘Trauma from birth remains an under publicised and therefore significantly undertreated problem’.