Should infants be checked for Subluxation?
Being born is tough work. There are a lot of pressures and forces being exerted onto your baby during her journey into the world. A study by Viola Frymann demonstrated that 90 percent of new-borns suffered the effects of birth trauma: associated strain through the neck and cranial areas following birth. Frymann, an American osteopathic doctor, studied more than 1,500 babies periodically across an eight-year period. She examined all babies within the first five days of birth; This study revealed that approximately:
10 percent of the new-born babies had perfect, freely mobile skulls or cranial mechanisms.
10 percent had severe trauma to the head, evident even to untrained observers.
The remaining 80 percent all had some strain patterns in the cranial mechanism.
Left uncorrected, this trauma continues to impact a baby’s spinal growth and development, reducing the healthy function of her nerve system. This can cause many health challenges later in life that could easily have been prevented. While each birth is unique, there is always a chance that the baby suffers some sort of strain due to a variety of reasons. Even the most natural births can result in trauma that goes undetected.
What can cause birth trauma?
Very short or very long labour
Failure of the cervix to dilate
Use of Pitocin to strengthen/induce uterine contractions
Use of forceps or vacuum extraction
Cord around baby’s neck
Caesarean delivery (due to lack of progress)
Pulling or twisting on the head to deliver the infant’s body
Beyond the Frymann study detailed above, a Harvard University pathologist, Dr. Abraham Towbin, found evidence of spinal injury common as a result of the birthing process. He also found evidence of spinal injury in many cases of SIDS and infant respiratory conditions. Birth trauma often causes neurological dysfunction, which is of utmost importance, since 65 percent of neurological development (brain and nerve system) occurs in a child’s first year. During this crucial time it is vital that the nerve system be healthy so the child can grow and develop to her potential.
What can nerve dysfunction from birth trauma look like?
trouble breathing
reflux/frequent spitting up
irritability/colic difficulty nursing (impaired sucking/swallowing or head positioning)
balance issues
sleeping difficulty
delayed developmental milestones
Chiropractic care is focused solely on removing nerve dysfunction (which improves brain-body communication) so a new baby can grow, develop, and function at its highest potential. We as humans were born with an innate ability to heal. Chiropractors minimise the obstructions to that ability. Examination and adjusting an infant is a lot different than examining and adjusting an adult, which is why we are specifically trained to take care of infants and children. During examination of the infant we examine the cranial and sacral systems, check for developmental delays and primitive reflexes. The adjustments used are extremely gentle, no more pressure is applied than the pressure you would apply with your fingertip to a ripe tomato!
Resources
Gutman, G. Blocked atlantal nerve syndrome in babies and infants. Manuelle Medizin, 1987, 25, pp. 5-10. and Gilles et al, Infantile Atlantooccipital Instability, Am J Dis Child 133:30-37, 197