by Dr. Sarah Dirks | Aug 30, 2023 | Health Conditions, Infant Care and Breastfeeding, Parenting and Child Development
“The pressure used during therapy is less than the weight of a nickel and most of the movements are so slight that they are often missed by the parents as the practitioner moves through the treatment. “
It’s 2:00 in the morning and your one month old newborn has been screaming since midnight. You and your partner have tried everything… nursing/bottle, diaper change, warm bath, rocking, bouncing, white noise, singing, a walk outside… but the screaming seems endless. This continues for several days and you both decide to call the pediatrician. You are told that your baby is perfectly healthy, the screaming is normal, and there is nothing to worry about. Now what? Do you just grit and handle the screams every night? What other options do you have? You still feel like something is off and that your baby is in some pain or discomfort. You and your partner may even feel lost as to what to do next.
Navigating the first year of a baby’s life can be extremely challenging for any parent. Pediatrician, night nurse, lactation consultant, physical therapist, chiropractor, occupational therapist, myofunctional therapist, pediatric dentist… Sometimes it feels like there is an overwhelmingly endless list of people to help your child. Let’s take a deeper look into the option of craniosacral therapy to help you decide if it is the best option to help your child.
What is Craniosacral Therapy?
Craniosacral therapy is a very gentle manual technique used to assess and enhance the function of the structures surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Alleviating tension in these structures can promote improved functioning in the nervous system and subsequently the other bodily systems, which allows the body to respond better to the stressors of life. Craniosacral therapy facilitates the body’s natural healing process and can therefore be used to increase the body’s resistance to disease.
What Can Craniosacral Therapy Help With?
Craniosacral therapy can help infants who struggle with many different ailments. Some of the most common are difficulty gaining weight, latching issues, colic, reflux, gassiness, difficulty sleeping, mouth breathing, torticollis and/or muscle tension (clenching fists constantly or straightening legs/arching back during diaper changes.)
Is Craniosacral Therapy Safe?
The pressure used during therapy is less than the weight of a nickel and most of the movements are so slight that they are often missed by the parents as the practitioner moves through the treatment. With this small amount of pressure it is safe to use on most infants and newborns, however it should not be used in conditions in which a slight change in intracranial pressure would cause instability.
What to Expect During Craniosacral Therapy.
Craniosacral therapy is typically performed in a quiet, calm, dimly lit room with the infant lying comfortably on a massage table. The practitioner will first identify the craniosacral rhythm by placing their hands gently on the baby. They will then feel the baby’s head, neck, torso, and spine while assessing and alleviating tension in the craniosacral system. Many of the movements are so subtle that they can be imperceivable except for the calming effect and relief seen in the child.
What If My Baby Cries Constantly or Doesn’t Sit Still?
Don’t stress if your child is fussy or has the wiggles during an appointment. Some treatments occur while infants are breastfeeding or even with them laying on top of a parent. A skilled therapist has encountered a wide array of baby obstacles and has many options to help calm them. Typically by the end of the session the baby is relaxed, quiet, and/or sleeping.
Dr. Sarah Dirks is a pediatric and prenatal chiropractor, specializing in craniosacral therapy and Webster Technique. She received her doctorate of chiropractic at Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in 2010. Dr. Dirks is in private practice and collaborates frequently with midwives, lactation specialists and pediatric dentists to provide a comprehensive treatment for all of her patients.
She is a wife and mom to a one year old daughter and a three year old son. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, as well as swimming, traveling and going to concerts. After having her son, who was colicky, tense, and struggled to gain weight, she began to dive deeper into craniosacral therapy. The technique gave him so much needed relief.
by Dr. Brandie Elizabeth Keates | Dec 21, 2022 | Health Conditions, Infant Care and Breastfeeding
“The chiropractor looked like a combo of Buddha and Santa Claus. He had the biggest smile and a calm demeanor. He asked if he could examine my daughter, and she teetered up to him like an old friend. The doctor explained something I hadn’t considered: the weight of the cast and unevenness of having a cast on her tiny leg created an issue in her lower back which was throwing off her gait.”
When you found out you were pregnant, one of the joys was joining other expectant parents in groups to commiserate and give each other support. After some time, you start seeing posts about someone taking their little one to the chiropractor. Wha?
Your mind goes back to your college sports career where you had a chiropractor to keep you at your best for playing, but a baby?
I know I thought the same. After my one-year-old child broke her leg and wore a cast up to her hip, she had a significant, adorable waddle that caused people to stop me in the store and ask what was wrong with my child.
After orthopedics suggested rebreaking her leg, putting it in a brace, or injecting it with Botox, someone asked if I had ever considered taking her to a chiropractor. I looked at them like they had two heads; I pictured them cracking my child like they would for an adult and thought it wouldn’t be safe for my child’s tiny spine.
But after seeing four orthopedic doctors, I had no other options so I conceded and made the appointment. I viscerally remember sitting in the parking lot of the clinic with hot tears going down my face. I held my baby’s chubby hand and cried to her father that we were “just gonna go listen. He’s not gonna touch her.”
The chiropractor looked like a combo of Buddha and Santa Claus. He had the biggest smile and a calm demeanor. He asked if he could examine my daughter, and she teetered up to him like an old friend. The doctor explained something I hadn’t considered: the weight of the cast and unevenness of having a cast on her tiny leg created an issue in her lower back which was throwing off her gait. He explained how he would apply a gentle force and asked for our permission. We consented so long as it wouldn’t hurt her and he assured us it wouldn’t. When he had finished the adjustment he set her back on the floor. Just like a fawn, she wobbled a bit and the took a normal step without a limp. I was speechless. This moment set my life on a completely different trajectory. I became a chiropractor myself because it was truly amazing.
Chiropractic care is amazing for a myriad of conditions and many parents see it as a way to improve their child’s wellness. Chiropractors have had great success treating infants’ musculoskeletal conditions like torticollis, latching issues (jaw tightness), sports injuries, and overloading injuries (such as backpacks). There is also anecdotal evidence for successful chiropractic treatments of colic, reflux, ear infections and overall wellness.
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It’s important to understand the difference between adult chiropractic and chiropractic care for your child. Here are some considerations for finding the best chiropractic care for your child:
1) Consent extends to the patient and everyone in the room. The chiropractor should assure everyone in the room that they will not proceed without consent, including that of the child. If your child is not feeling it at the moment, you or your child should not be rushed – you should be encouraged to go take a walk, get a snack, or reschedule for a time your child is on board.
2) Children’s joints are not the same as those of adults. The chiropractor should discuss how the treatments are modified for children and explain what they will do BEFORE they do it.
3) A child doesn’t need a heavy treatment plan. If your chiropractor gives your child a treatment plan that’s longer than a month with more than 2 visits per week, this is a red flag. Children’s nervous systems and structures do not need a lot of treatments. The treatment plan should also include markers to gauge if you are getting the results you want. While healing takes time, you want to see some glimmer of hope early on.
4) Chiropractors are NOT trained to treat emotions, talk about stopping medications, or to tell you not to vaccinate your child. Ultimately, they should NOT override your pediatrician’s recommendations. If there is an issue, your chiropractor should call your child’s pediatrician to discuss their case.
A pediatric-trained chiropractor is a powerful member of your child’s healthcare team who can safely and naturally help keep your child well.
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Dr. Brandie Keates has been a practicing chiropractor for 20 years. She opened her own practice in 2003, right after graduating from Cleveland Chiropractic College. Since struggling with her own difficult pregnancy in 2006, she has been using her knowledge of sports medicine to help pregnant and postpartum patients and their children find safe, effective pain relief. In 2018, she published “What You Don’t Expect When You’re Expecting,” a guide to helping women overcome pregnancy pain. Since then, she’s lectured on pediatric chiropractic care, pregnancy chiropractic care, and consent in chiropractic care. Today, her practice, Experience Chiropractic, is booming; a majority of her patients are pregnant or postpartum. Her mission is to educate and empower women and their healthcare providers.
