Chiropractic works with several “almost” senses that increase the awareness of our body and how it’s working. The three “near senses” I discuss most often with patients include the following: vestibular, proprioception, and interoception. Our vestibular system keeps us upright and balanced while sitting or standing. Proprioception is a sense that lets us know where all of our body parts are in space. Interoception tells us about what’s happening within the abdominal cavity so we can feel our organs… is our bladder full? Or is our stomach empty and growling? 

So many parents envision a very different experience than the one they get with their newborns. Instead of the relaxed, cuddly baby who just eats, sleeps, and poops, did you get a baby who arches, scream, and struggle to feed? Does your baby's head look asymmetrical - long, or tall, or with a flat spot? Is it difficult to emotionally connect, to get enough rest, or do you feel like all your energy is going to just getting another ounce or two on your baby?

While it would seem that this would affect only matters of feeding and eventual speech, the ties also create pulling in the soft tissues to which they attach. This tugging can affect almost every aspect of a small infant’s life: tightness in their jaw and cheek muscles means baby sucks in extra air which can look like reflux, digestive issues, and excessive crying or colic.  The tethering of the tissues affect the shape of the inner part of her head and can cause restrictions in the airway (this can look like mouth breathing, sinus/adenoid issues, and baby snoring). Your baby may prefer to turn their head only one way (torticollis) which can create imbalances in the head (plagiocephaly) if he or she is constantly lying in the same position. 

When a child has a problem with behavior, learning, or socialization, I ask myself two basic questions… 1. Which tools is the child using to explore and engage and process their world? 2. Is there anything interfering with that child’s ability to send, receive, or process information in the brain (sensory processing, which largely occurs within the spine)?