A Neurologically Focused Approach
Hi there, this is Dr. Dane Cunningham with Mother Goose Chiropractic, your friendly neighborhood pediatric chiropractor.
I wanted to take a moment briefly and talk a little bit about probably the most common question we get asked in pediatric practice here at Mother Goose, and that is, “Why would a child need to see a chiropractor?”
It’s a wonderful question. Most people, when they think chiropractic, think back and neck pain. In reality, we are a neurologically focused office, and we are 50% pediatric. We also do a lot of pregnancy care and care for full families.
So, why would a baby, toddler, or child need to see a chiropractor? Well, it’s really that word “neurology.” That’s where we come in.
If you look at how the body functions—how it grows, develops, adapts, and heals—the integrity of your nervous system, the brain and the spine, is critical. That’s where the neurology comes in. We look at the brain, the spine, and your nervous system as an organ system.
Stress and Tension in a Child’s Nervous System
For kiddos who are struggling, whether it’s colicky babies, kiddos with ear infections, or six-, seven-, eight-, nine-, and 10-year-olds with behavioral issues—or maybe they’ve been diagnosed with something, aren’t doing well in school, or just aren’t performing the way that you want—the thing that we usually see is that there is stress and tension somewhere along the line in that spine that’s affecting their developing brain and nervous system.
That’s the reason we get babies checked after the birth process, which is one of our favorite things to do. Or we’ll meet a kiddo wherever they’re at, whatever’s going on with your child. Like I said, we see lots of toddlers, kiddos, teens, and moms and dads as well.
When we get their spine and nervous system assessed and checked, we’re looking for areas of stress and tension in the nervous system where joints have been jarred out of a normal, healthy position.
How Subluxation Can Happen
That can happen through birth trauma, all those slips and falls, learning to walk and crawl, roughhousing with siblings, and time on the playground—but also through poor posture and bad habits.
Kiddos today are spending more time on screens and tablets than ever before, and that postural stress adds up. It causes a condition we call subluxation. It’s when those joints in the spine have been jarred out of a normal, healthy alignment.
How the Spine Communicates With the Brain
Why is it so important to get littles checked? If those joints are not moving properly, they aren’t charging the brain. A spine that is healthy, adjusted, and moving properly actually charges the brain and helps with growth and development.
But if the spine is irritated, swollen, stuck, and not moving properly, it irritates the nerves and sends negative signals to the brain and the cortex—kind of like static on your radio.
The brain will say, “Okay, I don’t understand what’s going on. Is there a threat? Is there a danger?” It turns on something we call the gas pedal. That’s your stress system. That’s your fight-or-flight system.
If those areas stay irritated and stuck for long enough, that gas-pedal mode of the developing brain and nervous system will get stuck on. That fight-or-flight response will stay revved up and stay stuck.
When the Brain Gets Stuck in Stress Mode
That’s what causes all these common pediatric conditions that we see. If the brain is stuck in a stress mode, it doesn’t really leave a whole lot of energy left over for growth and development, hitting speech and motor milestones, and fighting off coughs, colds, and congestion.
All of a sudden, that stress stays stuck, and those conditions manifest again and again. Maybe it’s your child’s third or fourth round of antibiotics. Maybe it’s the second time you get called into school and have to take them home early because they’re misbehaving. Or maybe it’s a baby who just won’t sleep through the night because they’re colicky, gassy, fussy, or constipated. Whatever it is, Mother Goose Chiropractic is a neurologically focused office.
Helping Kids Grow, Develop, and Thrive
We look first to the spine and the nervous system. By assessing that system and getting a child safely, gently, and effectively checked and adjusted, it takes the pressure and stress out of the system.
The brain says, “Ah,” and it’s able to allocate all that energy back to healing, growth, and development. That’s why the kiddos we see thrive.
I hope that’s helpful. If your child is stuck or struggling, there’s something going on, you just know something’s not right, and you don’t like the answers you’ve been given by other providers, we would love to take a look and see what’s going on.
From the top down, we can get that brain and nervous system dialed back to 100% so they can grow, develop, and thrive. It’s what we love to do. If we can be of help in any way, feel free to reach out.
