Should You Consider Chiropractic Care for Your Newborn?
Welcoming a new baby into the world is one of life’s most beautiful moments. As parents, we naturally want to do everything we can to support our little one’s health, comfort, and development from the very start.
But, surprisingly, the birthing process—even with a smooth delivery—can place stress on a newborn’s delicate spine and nervous system. And this is where chiropractic care can help.
Gentle, specific adjustments tailored for newborns can help promote healthy development, ease tension, and support a strong foundation for growth. In this article, we explore why early chiropractic care is an important consideration for your baby’s well-being—and how it can set the stage for a lifetime of better health.
How Birth Can Affect Your Baby’s Spine and Nervous System
Today, nearly one in three births in the United States are delivered by C-section—and that’s just a small part of the picture. Many deliveries also involve interventions like inductions, forceps or vacuum assistance, and manual guidance during labor.
But even without medical interventions, the birth process itself can place significant stress on a newborn’s spine and delicate nervous system. The intense forces of labor, even during a smooth delivery, can lead to subtle misalignments known as subluxations. These misalignments may cause neurological interference that can impact your baby’s development, nervous system regulation, and overall health from the very beginning.
The early weeks of life also often bring common challenges like excessive crying, trouble nursing, sleep difficulties, reflux, and colic. While these issues are often brushed off as typical newborn behavior, they may actually be signs of underlying nervous system stress. Research from the American Osteopathic Association found that 99% of healthy newborns showed signs of somatic dysfunction, with the incidence and severity increasing in cases of longer labors or births involving interventions.
This finding is important considering that most traditional pediatric care does not include assessment for these types of spinal or cranial dysfunctions. Even babies born naturally, without interventions, can benefit significantly from an early chiropractic check-up designed to gently identify and address subluxations before they affect growth and development.
Detecting and addressing subluxations early is key. These subtle shifts don’t just cause short-term challenges like feeding or sleep difficulties—they can continue to affect the nervous system over time, influencing gross motor skills, fine motor development, speech, and other milestones. Early care can help ensure that your baby’s nervous system functions optimally, supporting healthy development as they grow.
How Chiropractic Adjustments for Newborns Work
Newborns enter the world with extremely delicate spines and nervous systems, yet they have little to no muscle strength or motor control to protect themselves during the birth process. This vulnerability makes them more susceptible to physical stress and strain, especially around the neck and brainstem—areas that are critical for early development. Interventions like forceps, vacuum extraction, or C-sections can increase this stress even more, but even natural deliveries can place significant pressure on the body.
When the spine or nervous system experiences stress during birth, it can lead to a subluxation. In newborns, subluxations typically involve a combination of spinal misalignments, restricted movement, and nervous system disruption. These subtle shifts can contribute to common challenges, such as difficulty latching, tightness in the neck (torticollis), or the development of flat spots on the head (plagiocephaly). Restrictions on normal spinal motion also limit the critical sensory input that the brain relies on for healthy development. At the same time, nervous system interference can impact how effectively the brain and body communicate.
The upper cervical spine and brainstem play an especially important role. Often referred to as the “control center” of the body, this area coordinates motor function, muscle tone, and essential communication pathways. When these systems are compromised, it can affect gross motor skills, fine motor development, speech, and emotional regulation later on.
Another key piece of the puzzle is the vagus nerve, which originates in the brainstem and travels throughout the body. The vagus nerve plays an important role in regulating digestion, sleep patterns, immune responses, and emotional balance. When subluxations disrupt vagus nerve function, babies may experience symptoms such as reflux, colic, constipation, sleep difficulties, or delays in reaching developmental milestones.
Fortunately, chiropractic care for newborns is incredibly gentle. Adjustments involve extremely light pressure—similar to the amount you would use to press on your closed eyelid—and are designed to help the body release tension and restore proper communication within the nervous system. Many pediatric chiropractors, including Highest Health Chiropractic, also utilize advanced tools like INSiGHT Scans to identify areas of stress or imbalance, enabling highly individualized care plans that support your baby’s healthiest possible start.
Curious to learn more? At Highest Health Chiropractic, our team is pediatric certified and trained in newborn chiropractic care. Your Sioux Falls Chiropractor can ensure your child gets the best start to this new life. Book your appointment with us today!
