5 reasons your child should see a Pediatric Chiropractor
Healthy kids grow into healthy adults—and chiropractic care can play a powerful role in supporting your child’s development. Whether you’re new to pediatric chiropractic care or wondering when to start, here are five important reasons why your child can benefit from visiting a pediatric chiropractor.
1. Birth Is Tough on Babies
We often think about how hard birth is for moms (which it IS), but birth is no small feat for the baby either! In the process of being born, babies are pushed and squeezed and contorted as they move through their mom’s body. This is before we account for any interventions, like forceps or a vacuum, or good old-fashioned fundal pressure. After all of that, anyone would need an adjustment. A study done in 2015 analyzed 100 newborns for somatic dysfunction (what chiropractors refer to as subluxation) and found that 99% of the newborns had at least one somatic dysfunction in their cranium or spine. Removing these subluxations as soon as possible relieves tension or discomfort for the baby and allows their brain to better communicate with the rest of its body.
2. Kids Fall—A Lot
From crawling and walking to climbing and cartwheeling, kids are always in motion—and that means lots of tumbles. Each fall, even if it seems minor, can cause subtle shifts in spinal alignment that may affect posture, balance, or coordination.
Routine chiropractic checkups can help ensure your child’s spine and pelvis stay aligned, supporting better movement and preventing future issues.
3. Pediatric Chiropractic Supports the Immune System
Kids explore their world with their hands and mouths, which puts them in contact with a wide variety of bacteria and microbes. As kids do this, their immune system is building itself up to restrain and resist the intruding germs. Adjustments stimulate the nervous system to encourage natural immune responses and modulate responses that are too intense.
4. Kids’ Brains Are Rapidly Developing
Kids’ brains double in size in their first year and are 90% developed by five years old. The patterns and pathways developed in these pivotal years stay with us for our entire lives unless we intentionally correct them. There is a quote often used in the chiropractic community, “it is easier to grow strong kids than fix broken adults.” Patterns we learn as children, such as stepping with your opposite foot when throwing a ball or the way you hold a pencil, follow us into adulthood and feel unnatural or even impossible to do differently. Things like spinal alignment, posture, coordination, and spatial awareness are all mapped in our brains in these years. Chiropractic helps kids create neurological pathways and patterns that help them stay healthy and active in their later life.
5. Kids Experience Stress, Too
As much as we like to believe we weren’t stressed until we reached adulthood, we all experience stress as children. The stressors can be either positive or negative, primary or secondary, but the fact is that stress of any kind affects the nervous system. Kids who face lots of stress or have a difficult time modulating their stress can find themselves trapped in a sympathetic, or “fight or flight” state. Just like in adults, this neurological state is good in the short-term, but persistent sympathetic activation can lead to anxiety, depression, aggression, or a feeling of being “burnt out.” Chiropractic care is a great way to regulate the nervous system and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, aka the “rest and digest” state.
Discover Gentle, Effective Pediatric Chiropractic Care
At Cultivate Chiropractic, we’re passionate about helping kids thrive through safe, gentle, and effective chiropractic adjustments. Whether your child is a newborn, a busy kindergartner or a middle school athlete, our family-centered care is tailored to their unique needs.
Ready to support your child’s health from the inside out?
Book your child’s chiropractic consultation today ➝