No parent can stand seeing his or her toddler in pain. As parents, we seek all possible solutions to relieve our toddler of any pain. Therefore, for the question do toddlers need chiropractic care, my answer is yes. Let us see why and how.
When a baby is born, the vertebra measures about 24 cm. By the time, the baby turns a year old, the spinal column increases to about 50% of its size. It doubles its length when the baby turns 5 years old. It is at this stage that toddlers are so busy and move about so fast, which can lead to traumas. The vertebra is greatly affected by the traumas they encounter. If this is not attended to, it can totally affect the toddler’s growth and health.
As soon as babies start to crawl or attempt to stand up, they encounter small accidents such as falling on their back while trying a step — and to think that they are not even a year old! These small mishaps can cause the improper alignment of their spinal cord that gives pressure to the nerves.
Some toddlers may complain of any pain that they have but oftentimes, they will just cry aloud. For that reason, parents must be well attuned to their toddler’s behavior. The crying can mean something more serious. As a parent, you must look for signs that will tell you that something is ailing them.
By seating your toddler, you can easily spot if he has problems on the neck and spine. Inability to turn his head in both directions implies that he has some sensitivity or soreness making him not to turn on the other direction.
Some activities, which were received by the toddler when he was an infant, also contribute to his having vertebral misalignment.
Parents may not know but the manner of changing the nappies put strain on the vertebra of your infant. Just try to recall how it is done – we raise both feet using just one hand while the other is busy removing the nappy and cleaning the baby. This is done repeatedly straining the spine of your infant. Just try to recall your infant’s position when you change nappies – is it not very awkward?
Picking him up by his arms or shoulders can also strain the vertebra.
Infants must learn how to crawl first before learning how to walk. However, some parents are so excited that they encourage their children to walk at an early age. This is especially true for first time parents. Once they see their baby crawling, they will hold him up and let him stand on his feet and guide him to walk. This is ridiculous! One activity must be mastered first before jumping into another — we all know this! Again, this forced action stresses his spinal cord.
Once the crawling stage was preempted by walking, the baby loses so much body coordination, which is all-important for his development. Such body coordination that gets affected are eye and hand synchronization, good hand grasp and visual perception, good right and left brain dexterity, communication and enhanced muscle growth all over the body.
Rushing an infant or toddler to activities that is beyond his capability put so much strain on his spinal column that can lead to further irritation. If this is not corrected, the toddler will have more problems that can hinder his performance.
Hence, chiropractic adjustments can give much benefit to toddlers suffering from these misalignments. A toddler with spinal subluxations will have to be seen by a chiropractor for him to have a healthy life.
It has been observed, too, that chiropractic treatment gives more long-standing health advantages to the toddler.