Catania Family Chiropractic

07/25/2026

There is a reason kiddos need to be rear facing as long as possible!

Let's talk about the spine. 🔗

🤰At birth, babies are born with 33 vertebrae that are made up of soft cartilage that make up the spine. Not fully hardened bone. (Cool fact; adults have 24 vertebrae because the lower 9 fuse completly together)

👶By 6-12 months bones begin to slowly harden but the spine is still very much under developed. Neck muscles get stronger but they are nowhere near strong enough to protect the fragile spine against crash forces.

👧Between 1-2 years old the vertebrae continue to harden but still have soft cartilage between them. The bones that make up each of these vertebrae have not yet fused together.

👦Between 2 to 3 years old ossification (hardening of the bone) continues. The vertebrae become stronger, but they are still developing. The spine is much stronger than it was as a baby, but still not fully mature. It can take the vertebrae several more years before full ossification is complete.

This is why age 2 is considered the bare minimum, not the ideal time, to remain rear facing. With many car seat manufacturers recognizing this and changing their rules to reflect this. Most children can still comfortably fit within the rear facing limits of a convertible car seat at this age and beyond.

In a crash: 💥
Rear facing supports the child's head, neck, and entire spine, distributing crash forces over the strongest parts of the body.
While forward facing allows the body to be restrained by the harness, but the head continues moving forward, placing tremendous force on the neck and spinal cord. For an underdeveloped spine that could mean internal decapitation.

✨The bottom line: ✨
Until the bones are more fully formed and fused, rear facing gives the best protection by supporting the entire head, neck, and spine together during a crash.
For this reason, the recommendation is to keep children rear facing until they reach the maximum rear-facing height or weight limit of their car seat, even if that means riding rear facing until age 3, 4, or beyond.

04/03/2026

The ligament around the radial head, near the elbow, continues to have laxity until around age 6. It’s important to try to avoid lifting little ones by their hand and wrists for this reason. The safest is to lift under their arms; however, if nursemaids elbow does happen, a follow up visit to the office can be helpful for pain management and diagnosis of your child.

It looks harmless. Lifting a child by their arms, swinging them for fun, or pulling them up quickly. But in young children, that movement can cause something called nursemaid’s elbow.

Their joints are still developing, and a sudden pull can cause a small bone in the elbow to slip out of place. It happens fast, and it hurts. A child might suddenly stop using their arm or hold it close to their body.

Most cases can be treated, but the moment itself can be scary for both the child and the parent.

It is a small reminder that even playful actions can have unintended effects when bodies are still growing.

06/10/2025

Chiropractic is a gentle,holistic option to help support the mother-baby dyad and their breastfeeding journey.

04/01/2025

A great article about facts about resistance training during pregnancy.

01/09/2025

Chiropractic care paired with cranial work can help with some of the contributing factors with feeding difficulties. Reach out today with any questions or concerns.

“Tension within this fascial network can restrict the tongue’s range of motion, creating challenges that manifest as breastfeeding difficulties, discomfort, and inadequate milk transfer.⁣
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Chiropractic care plays a crucial role in addressing these neuromuscular tensions. Gentle chiropractic adjustments can relieve tightness and restore normal function by focusing on the fascia, cranial bones, and soft tissues that connect to the tongue. This non-invasive approach targets the root causes of some feeding dysfunction, providing a vital step before considering surgical interventions such as frenectomy.”⁣
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The benefits of a collaborative care model for addressing breastfeeding challenges can’t be overemphasized! A holistic, multidisciplinary approach that supports infants over the long-term can include lactation consultants, pediatric chiropractors and pediatric dentists. By targeting root causes rather than symptoms, this model provides tailored, effective solutions for feeding issues, often avoiding invasive interventions. ⁣
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Keep reading this article “Improving Infant Feeding Through Collaborative Care” by Naiomi Catron, RN, IBCLC, Jared Poplin, DMD, Stephanie Gessner, DC, Brittany Guelzow, DC in the latest issue of Pathways. Subscribers can read online now: https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/pregnancy-birth/improving-infant-feeding-through-collaborative-care.html

01/06/2025

A few good stretches for sciatica, tight hamstrings or low back pain.

Piriformis syndrome pain? Here are 4 easy stretches that target the piriformis muscle

11/02/2024

“We see the biggest room for improvement here. Let me ask, have you ever lifted your child’s pack? These packs far exceed the recommended weight maximum, but there are some things you can do to move the needle in the right direction. Let’s start with the heaviest item kids carry…laptops. If they need to bring a laptop to school, they can simply keep it in a laptop sleeve and carry it under their arm instead of unnecessarily adding this additional weight to their backpack.

My favorite tip is for parents to schedule monthly folder dumps with each child. You would be surprised how quickly things accumulate throughout the school year, making the packs heavier than necessary. They certainly don’t need math homework sheets from September still in their folders in February.

Utilizing the compartments in the pack to distribute the weight of the contents, being mindful to keep the heaviest books in the back is also helpful. Parents can even ask teachers if there are extra textbook copies available so the child can keep a copy at home versus lugging it around all day.”

Keep reading this article by Dr. Jessica Tagliarini, “Backpack Safety 101,” from the latest issue of Pathways: https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/childrens-health-wellness/backpack-safety-101.html

10/01/2024

With all the Fall and school sports in full swing, check out some tips to keep our kiddos healthy and injury free.

Fall is upon us and so is the start of fall sports. Although being part of a football, soccer or Little League team is an important rite of passage for many children, parents and their children could be overlooking the importance of proper nutrition and body-conditioning needed for preventing injuries on and off the field. Head to this blog post at handsdownbetter.org to read tips to help ensure your child does not miss a step when it comes to proper fitness, stretching, training and rest that the body needs to engage in sporting activities: https://buff.ly/3gyX88Q

09/06/2024

Helpful tips to keep the little ones back safe and pain free with school starting! And always if they ever have any aches or pains I am happy to help!

As kids are heading back to school, make sure to follow these 5 tips to keep their backs healthy while wearing a backpack. 🎒