As a new parent, it’s normal to be concerned about your baby’s health. While you may be familiar with taking your infant to a pediatrician, did you know chiropractic treatment is also an option for babies? As Dr. Ryan May of May Chiropractic & Rehabilitation in Hartford, CT, explains, seeing a chiropractor is a great way to address a number of common health concerns that can affect your baby.

What Is Chiropractic Treatment?

Well-recognized for its ability to treat back, neck, and joint issues, chiropractic care is a safe and effective form of medicine. While you may commonly associate getting an adjustment with sensations of pressure or cracking in your joints, this isn’t the type of treatment provided to infants. Instead, doctors are trained to use only gentle and delicate spinal manipulations when handling babies. Often, chiropractic treatment for infants is so mild your child won’t even feel it.

How Can It Help Your Baby?

There are a number of problems your baby can avoid by receiving chiropractic treatments:

• Colic: A common disorder that affects up to 25% of infants, the causes of colic aren’t yet known. When your baby suffers from colic, they’ll experience persistent crying that isn’t easily comforted, as well as tension in their abdominal muscles, legs, and fingers. As recent studies have demonstrated, chiropractic treatment is an effective way to relieve these symptoms.
• Overarching & Stiffness: During early development, it’s normal for infants to frequently assume a flexed body position. However, if your child’s back seems stiff or overly arched, it may be an indicator they are dealing with painful muscle or spinal tension. A gentle adjustment from a chiropractor may alleviate this muscle pain and correct associated nerve imbalances.
• Difficulty Breastfeeding: If your baby is having difficulty turning their head to properly latch when breastfeeding, it may be a sign of a restriction within their neck or spine. By correcting misalignment or restrictive tension, chiropractic treatment can help improve your baby’s range of motion and alleviate their difficulty during feeding.

If you have more questions about how chiropractic medicine can benefit your infant’s health, contact May Chiropractic & Rehabilitation. Taking a “whole person approach” to health care, Dr. Ryan May and his team offer integrative, affordable treatment options in a nurturing and welcoming environment. To learn more about their approach, visit their website. Call (860) 568-3900 to schedule an appointment.