Babies cry, right?
 
Yes.
 
And no.
 
A fussy, temperamental baby might be telling you something.
 
Babies suffering from birth trauma may be difficult to soothe. You might notice your baby arching their back or going rigid along with high-pitched crying. Or they may have chronic digestive issues and difficulties with nursing.
 
Growing babies have limited room in utero depending on where they are in mom’s pelvis. A twin has even less room to grow and develop. On top of that, a difficult birth can cause subluxations in the spine. Gentle chiropractic adjustments can help a baby’s spine return to a neutral position and prevent a condition called torticollis.
 
Torticollis (shortened neck muscle) is caused by non-ideal positioning in the womb or a traumatic birth process. When a child has torticollis, their head will tilt to one side while the chin is twisted in the opposite direction. Torticollis may lead to other developmental issues since a baby’s range of motion is limited.
 
These babies are fussy, showing signs of discomfort and preferring to breastfeed on one side. With restricted neck movement, a baby will favor one side over the other since they can’t equally turn their head to the right and left.
 
A limited range of motion makes these babies susceptible to another condition called plagiocephaly or flattened head syndrome.
 
It’s important to treat any signs of torticollis or plagiocephaly as soon as possible. A chiropractor can assess your child to determine the causes and develop a treatment plan. Gentle chiropractic adjustments, trigger point therapy, cranial-sacral work, and stretching exercises might all be part of treatment.
 
In most cases, plagiocephaly and torticollis can are successfully treated without surgery or other invasive procedures.