25/10/2016
Umhlanga Chiropractic:
YOUR BABY’S BACK and Chiropractic
The care of your baby’s back and spine is of vital importance at this early stage of their life as it can impact on the quality of their health and well being for the rest of their lives.
Babies’
To properly understand this importance, one must first understand a little bit of the developmental anatomy and physiology of the spine in simple terms.
The human spine is composed of 24 moveable segments called vertebra, a sacrum and a small coccyx at the base of the spine. New born babies have a spine consisting of 33 moveable segments, as the sacrum and coccyx have not as yet fused. Their little spines when they are born have not yet transformed into hard bone, but have a consistency of a tough gristle like substance. Calcification takes place throughout the growing stages of life and only completes in the late teens or early twenties.
In the growth and development of the human spine, the normal curves are established which are vital for proper body posture and visceral support to human upright posture. In the womb the infant’s spine is in the primary curve or fetal curve, which is a ‘C’ configuration. After birth, the secondary curves are developed by movement and growth of the child’s body. The first change to this ‘C’ configuration in the infant’s spine is in the neck or cervical region. As the infant lifts their head when lying on their stomach, the neck muscles are strengthening and the curve is being developed. The second curve to develop is the lumbar or low back curve, and this is developed to a great degree by simply by them crawling on hands and knees. One of the best positions for baby when they are awake and amusing themselves, is on their stomach. This allows complete freedom for the baby to lift their head and start to develop the arch in the neck. You will often see an infant lying on their stomach, hands and legs in the air, head up, smiling, wriggling, kicking and gurgling quite happily as it exercises it’s little body. Innately they are developing the spinal muscles and contours in preparation for upright posture. Finally when the baby has gone through these steps instinctively they will want to start learning to stand and then walk. What is important is that it must be done in nature’s time and not when the parents think, having your child be the first to walk in the group is not important, but what is, is that they do so in their own time.
For the convenience of the busy mother there are many contraptions on the market to make life easy and pacify and occupy the baby, namely the suspended chair swings and the walker rings with wheels. The bad thing about these devices is that they put the baby into an upright position for extended time before their spines are developed enough to handle this upright weight bearing.
The chair swing lulls the baby to sleep more often than not and keeps the spine in the upright posture and unsupported as does the walker ring except now the child is propelling himself along on hips and legs also not yet developed and strong enough to handle this added stress and strain as well as the weight bearing on an underdeveloped spine at this stage. All this can lead to problems in the spine which can manifest in back problems in early or later life. The old adage certainly rings true that one must learn to crawl before one can walk.
Clinically speaking I am finding more and more children being treated chiropractically and for a number of conditions such as colic, asthma, back pains, headaches, arm and leg pains, scoliosis, bed wetting, poor posture and hyperactivity to mention but a few. I have found that young infants and children respond well to chiropractic. When dealing with young infants and adults alike it is very important to get a full case history as a lot can be learned which can assist in the diagnosis and treatment, such as diet, falls, accidents, sport, family stress etc.
Scoliosis or lateral curvature of the spine is another condition that should be watched out for, more commonly found in young girls. This condition usually starts at an early age of around 7 - 8 years old and usually due to ‘unknown’ causes. There is a simple home test that can be carried out for early warning signs. Standing behind your child, have them stand upright and then look to see if either hips or shoulders are level or if one side is higher than the other and if the head tilts slightly to the side. All should be upright and level. Next have them bend forward from the waist and look to see if the spines all lie in a straight line up the spine and if there is any hunching of the muscles on one side or the other. Again all should be straight and normal. If any of these signs are not, take your child to a chiropractor for a professional screening and opinion. Don’t adopt the ‘wait and see’ attitude, which is so often the case. The earlier the signs are picked up and attended to the more that can possibly be done for the child.
In infants the term ‘colic’ refers to acute attacks of persistent crying, apparent abdominal pain and irritably. Colic generally begins within the first three weeks after birth, and may persist for up to three months of age. The persistent crying by the infant for hours on end is both destructive to family and stressful to the child. Chiropractors believe that infantile colic may be associated with poor spinal function, arising from physical stresses to the infant’s body possibly during the birth process.
The chiropractor will examine the infant to identify to identify any possible causes. In caring for infants and children, specific, gentle manipulations are applied to mobilize subluxated joints. The aim of the treatment is to remove irritation to nerve pathways, allowing vital communication between the brain and the rest of the body. A full case history must be taken into account to rule out other possible causes such as certain food intolerance, allergies, poor feeding habits, winding, parental tension and any other factors that may be of influence.
Spinal ‘injuries’ can start from the stresses and forces of delivery, especially if forceps or suction was used. Falls off the bed during a nappy change, out of prams and high chairs, tumbles down the stairs and the falls and tumbles while learning to walk, to mention a few and all contribute to possible future spine problems. Ever thought about how old one has to be to have a headache and how you feel when you have one and how your sense of humor also goes? So maybe that unhappy baby may just have a sore back or headache!
In the case of the older child, school bags are becoming quite an issue. They seem to be getting heavier and heavier all the time, and adding more and more stress and strain on that young growing spine and causing a lot of back problems. According to the Chiropractic Association of America, the maximum weight of a child’s school bag should not exceed 15% of the child’s total body weight.
Chiropractors recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy spine for optimal bodily function and well being and the prevention of ‘dis-ease’. The key to good health is not to just treat the symptoms when they arise, but the cause and to take the approach of prevention rather than cure. The overall health of a child includes diet, exercise, good posture, and a regular routine of sleep. In short, a healthy mind, body and soul make’s for a happy child and parents.
Dr Keith Chittenden
031 561 3940
