When people hear that I treat and adjust infants, I often
get looks that range from confusion to horror. I can understand this reaction
if people are assuming that the chiropractic adjustment that they experience as
adults are similar to the ones that are performed on kids. However, the two
aren’t comparable.
Adjusting adults involve taking a joint to an end range of
motion and performing a small thrust to create movement. Often there is a
popping noise associated with the adjustment as the joint moves. This requires
a reasonable amount of force to perform but is well within tissue and patient
tolerance.
However, when I adjust infants or children, I don’t use a
classic adjustment. Often the force created is little more than you’d use to test
the ripeness of a tomato. The adjustments are tailored specifically to a
child’s condition, their age and their weight. I’ve had wary parents come in to
see exactly what treatment consists of, and their fears and concerns are
immediately put to rest when they see what I do. There is no big adjustment or
large force used with children. Since they are so tiny and their bodies so
adaptable, just a simple sustained pressure with purpose is often enough to
elicit the change we want.
Infants and children are wonderfully responsive to care.
They heal quicker, respond more effectively and don’t have years of chronic
conditions to prevent healing. I find that kids require shorter treatment plans
to return to proper functioning. If placed on a good maintenance program, I
find that children in particular respond incredibly well.
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