Tongue Ties, Nursing Struggles & Chiropractic… What’s the Connection?

Painful latch. A baby who clicks or slips off constantly. Gassiness, reflux, and a fussy little one who never seems satisfied after a feed. If this sounds like your world right now, you may have heard the term “tongue tie” — and you may be wondering why things still aren’t improving, even after a release procedure.

What Is a Tongue Tie?

A tongue tie occurs when the frenulum (the tissue beneath the tongue) is too short or tight, restricting movement. This limits a baby’s ability to latch deeply and nurse effectively. A release procedure (frenotomy) can help, but many babies continue to struggle afterward because the structural tension in their body hasn’t been addressed.

Where Chiropractic Fits In

Birth is a physical event. Even a gentle delivery places significant forces on a baby’s head, neck, and jaw. Misalignments in the upper cervical spine and tension in the cranial bones can directly affect a baby’s ability to open their mouth wide enough for a deep latch, extend and cup the tongue correctly, generate the suction needed for strong milk transfer, and turn their head comfortably to nurse on both sides.

How We Help

We work alongside your lactation consultant, IBCLC, and myofunctional therapist — we’re one piece of a whole-body care team. Our role is the structural  and nervous system piece: gentle cervical adjustments to improve mobility and nerve function, preparing the body before a tongue tie release and supporting recovery after, and nervous system regulation to help calm colic, fussiness, and reflux!

Signs It’s Time to Come In

Consider scheduling if your baby has a painful latch or is causing nipple damage, clicks or slips off the breast during feeds, struggles with excessive gas, reflux, or fussiness after eating, strongly prefers one side or has difficulty turning their head, or has received a tongue tie diagnosis.

The sooner we can assess your baby, the better, ideally within the first few weeks of life! But it’s never too late. We see babies and toddlers at every stage of their feeding journey.