Adjustments For the Whole Family
Hopefully by now you understand the benefits of chiropractic for the entire family, from the baby to the grandparents. The nervous system is the most important system in your body and we want to make sure it is working at 100%. Ever wonder what an adjustment is like for a baby versus a child versus an adult? Some of you may have even seen me adjusting a newborn or an older child. But for those of you who haven't lets take a little time and explain what they are like. First lets start with the term Adjustment. What is it exactly? An adjustment is the specific application of forces, whether by hand or specific instrument, to facilitate the body’s correction of vertebral subluxation. Our chiropractic method of correction is by specific adjustments of the spine. Babies are exquisite little guys who get gentle adjustments. A babies vertebrae is mostly cartilage going through the process of becoming bone. The slightest adjustment for a baby can have a huge impact and make a huge difference. A babies adjustment is completely different than an adult and they will also get examined slightly differently. Sometimes we might even ask that the mom (or dad) lay on the table so that we can check and adjust baby while they are laying on your stomach. An adjustment for a baby will involve ZERO popping or cracking. Since the vertebrae are still mostly cartilage, the adjustment is more of a specific pressure on a specific segment, not the typical push you would associate with an adults adjustment. The pressure used to adjust a babies vertebrae is about the pressure you would use to push on a ripe tomato without bruising it. As with anyone, the adjustment is extremely specific and gentle. We might sometimes even use an adjusting tool to help deliver that specific and gentle adjustment. We see babies for all sorts of reasons, it ranges from colic to constipation (for more info check out ICPA), but our most important adjustment will be the first one. It gives us the opportunity to check the very first vertebrae, C1 also known as the atlas, and make sure its positioned properly. That first vertebrae can become misaligned during the delivery process so we want to make sure its where it should be to allow for proper growth and development. An older child's adjustment will start to look more like an adults but it's still slightly different. The analysis (when we check the movement and position of all the vertebrae) will usually look identical to the adults analysis. The adjustment however, will be slightly different. Kids are pretty darn flexible and can basically be folded into a pretzel. So we might have them positioned a little different than you are used to. An adjustment on a kid still has the same goal of correcting any subluxations that we find but it will be much gentler than an adults. Depending on the age, the child's vertebrae can be in various stages of changing from cartilage to bone.You may or may not hear a pop with the adjustment, but the goal is still the same. Now I'm hoping that if you are reading this, you've been checked and adjusted before. So you know what an adult adjustment looks and feels like. But if you haven't let me run through it briefly. First we perform a thorough analysis of the spine and see if there are any areas that are not functioning properly. If these areas are found, we will gently and specifically adjust the area to allow it to return to its proper function. An adjustment on an adult will use a quick thrust that is a little more forceful than what would be used on a kid, adults have much more developed musculature that needs to be taken into account. But adjustments on adults vary as well. Pregnant moms are gonna be adjusted differently than the 20 something athlete coming into the office. Chiropractors take a lot into consideration when determining the best method to return your body to proper function. Hopefully this has helped to clear up any misconceptions you may have had. Having your nervous system working at 100% and free of interference is always our goal. We take everything into consideration when determining the best way to care for your health and that includes age! If you have any questions or would like more information, please ask.
In love and health, Dr. Jes
