As a pediatric chiropractor, Dr. Bronson can tailor treatment plans to aid in healthy development that fits the child’s weight, size, and condition. Every child is unique and one-size-fits-all approaches to children’s health doesn’t work. Dr. Bronson’s gentle approach helps ensure proper spinal development and alignment.
As children develop from birth to puberty, their bodies go through massive changes. This growth and change causes stress on their bodies. The spine houses vast nerve and blood supplies, so ensuring proper spinal alignment is crucial to keeping the flow unhindered and helping with healthy development.
NEWBORNS
Birth, no matter the kind, can be traumatic for a baby. They are twisted, pulled and squeezed into this world, which often times leads them to develop subluxations (spinal misalignments). This can contribute to discomfort in your baby. When the spine is aligned, the nervous system and musculature are in a relaxed state, which allows for your baby to be more comfortable and at ease.
Chiropractic may help with:
- Colic
- Breastfeeding and latch issues
- Reflux
- Sleep
- Torticollis
- Ear infections
- Plagiocephaly
- Behavior and attitude
- Improved immune system response
TOTS (tethered oral tissues)
TOTS includes tongue, lip and buccal ties, which is increasingly becoming more prevalent in babies. The tongue is directly connected to the neck muscles and fascia (which runs like a train track from the head to the toes, spanning the entire body!) and can create midline tightness. This tightness can contribute to the cranial bones and jaw not sitting properly, and can even hinder a child from meeting developmental milestones like rolling over and crawling due to decreased range of motion. Because of the many functions of the tongue in an infant, such as shaping the hard palate, an untreated tethered tissue may have lasting effects on the musculoskeletal system and posture.
Common symptoms of a tethered tissue is low weight gain, frequent feeding, colic, reflux, increased gas, and falling asleep while feeding. Mothers may experience painful or difficulty breastfeeding with cracked or bruised nipples, incomplete breast drainage, or very long feeding times.
Why is chiropractic important for TOTS?
Dr. Bronson is trained in pre and post frenectomy body work, which is imperative before and after a revision to allow for the baby’s mouth and body to be relaxed going in to the procedure and aid in recovery and ability to perform stretches once tissue is released. After a revision, the biomechanics and muscle patterns in the mouth and body drastically shift, and chiropractic can help to keep proper spinal alignment and muscle balance during this time. Body work involves a full spine adjustment, gentle release of muscle tension, cranial work, and stretches for the tethered or revised tissue.
*Adjustments for infants are very gentle and involve applying the amount of pressure one would use to feel for the ripeness of a tomato. Mothers are generally reassured knowing that our infant care does not involve any twisting, popping or torque applied to the baby’s body.
As kids age, their needs change. We look forward to watching your children grow and thrive with chiropractic treatment and support from Dr. Bronson.