FAMILY Baby & Me... Adventures in Motherhood by Brighton Allmeroth D
uring the day Matthew is a happy, if slightly out-of control, one-year-old as he explores the world for the first time
on two feet. He smiles at new faces, he doesn’t cry much, except for the obvious reasons and would seem a like simple challenge for a young mother ... But then there is the night, when he be-
comes a completely different animal, one that refuses to let his parents enjoy even one night of uninterrupted sleep. After a year without sleeping for more than
a few hours at a time, I decided to try a visit to Dr. Tyler Johnson at the Chiropractic Center in San Clemente. I had heard that infant chi- ropractic adjustments might be a help. My experience with Dr. Tyler Johnson was
wonderful. He could pinpoint areas of discom- fort in Matthew’s spine and did a few quick ad- justments and we were on our way. Dr. Johnson was careful to explain every detail of the appointment as it went on. After a few short visits Matthew was not
only sleeping much longer periods throughout the night (often only waking once) he was more content laying on his back while getting
changed, and resumed nursing on both sides easily. I was so pleased with our results from Dr.
Johnson I asked him to share some more about infant and child chiropractic care:
Should every infant see a chiropractor? Or are there signs/ symptoms that warrant a visit? The birthing process is traumatic and early
life has many ways to put a strain on little bod- ies. In so many cases children’s bodies are re- silient enough to weather the injuries on their own, but when they don't the only way they have of communicating that fact is by
crying...sometimes for what can seem like no reason. When to have your child checked is a personal matter that each parent needs to work out on their own...I examined and gave minor adjustments to all 3 of my kids within one day of being born. I guess the short answer is I be- lieve every person should be checked out. Does that mean every situation needs long drawn out care? No, but correcting injuries and helping the body function optimally doesn't have an age range.
Matthew started walking just shy of his first birthday.
Is it long term treatment or short term?
Like I said above each situation is unique. In general kids are both incredibly resilient and haven't had the time to develop chronic prob- lems. This means they bounce back much faster than their adult counterparts. I would- n't take my kids to a doctor that recom- mended more than a few adjustments at a time before reevaluating.
You mentioned when a child begins crawling as a good time for a visit because that is a time when he/she can develop curves in his/her spine. Is that worth mentioning? Yes. The sagital curves of the spine (the
ones you see from looking at it from the side) develop at different stages. The cervical (neck) as the child starts to lift their head and look around, and the lumbar curve as they start to crawl and walk. Biomechanical dysfunction in those regions can cause discomfort at best or affect the way the curves develop.
I’ve read some correlation between chiropractic adjustments lessening reflux in infants, have you had any experience with that?
46 SAN CLEMENTE JOURNAL I have lots of experience with that. There
are many reasons that infants can develop re- flux. But in cases where there is some trauma to the upper thoracic spine it is logical to un- derstand how the nerves that supply the stom- ach as well as the sphincters that open and close at both ends of the stomach can be affected and how relieving pressure on them can help a de- veloping nervous system thrive and recover.
Do you see problems in adults that you feel could have been helped with earlier chiropractic care? Unfortunately I do. Its not always easy to
track but especially in scoliosis cases its best to catch things before the major growth spurts happen in childhood. The adage of as the twig is bent so grows the tree applies here. If forces on the spine start to develop asymmetrically the best outcomes happen when those forces can be balanced before the growth spurts and then the child can essentially grow up and out of a developing lateral spinal curvature instead of worsening it. Once adulthood is reached it can be very difficult “straighten out” a scoliosis and many of my patients who have them often lament wishing they had been able to come in in their early years if for no other reason than to see if they could have avoided the issues that scoliosis can bring.❂
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