Pediatric Chiropractic

The birth process is highly traumatic and can introduce great stress to the infant’s skull, spine and pelvis. Infants should be checked by a chiropractor for spinal subluxations that may impair nerve function and can contribute to colic, earache and asthma. As babies grow, they begin to crawl, sit, and walk by using their spine. Proper alignment is essential for ensuring normal function.

Chiropractic is absolutely safe for children. Chiropractors have been adjusting children for more than 100 years without any incident which has harmed even one child. Surveys of malpractice insurers revealed not one claim filed against a chiropractor in the past twenty years for harming a child with a spinal adjustment. This is a record that the chiropractic profession is very proud of and one that should give parents comfort in making the decision to choose chiropractic care. Doctors of Chiropractic use very gentle and specific techniques for children. Chiropractic adjustments release the body’s healing powers in children just like in adults.

Children should be checked right after birth because of the potential damaging effects of the birth process. Even the most natural births are somewhat traumatic to the infant and may have “hidden damage.” Studies show that many children who experience symptoms of colic, ear infections and asthma have spinal subluxations impairing their nervous system function. Early detection and correction can prevent layers of damage from occurring in the child’s vital nervous system. Accumulated damage can have lifelong consequences.

Many people think of chiropractors as low back pain doctors. Surprisingly, low back pain is not a common reason that children visit the chiropractor. The most common conditions for which children visit the chiropractor have little to do with spinal pain. Most childhood problems treated by chiropractors are common conditions which appear to have nothing to do with the spine.

Some examples of such conditions are…

• ear infections
• fever
• croup
• colic
• bed wetting
• torticollis
• poor posture
• constipation
• weakness or fatigue
• loss of hearing
• arthritis
• irritability
• neck aches
• sore throat
• cough
• skin disorders
• bronchitis
• poor coordination
• extremity pain (shoulders, arms, hands, hips, knees, feet)
• hypertension
• nervousness
• stomachaches
• numbness
• headaches
• backaches
• eye problems
• sinus problems and allergies
• asthma
• frequent colds
• poor concentration
• painful joints
• scoliosis
• hyperactivity
• nursing/feeding difficulties
• disturbed sleeping patterns
• restricted head motion
• “growing pains”

The normal functions or physiology of the body are all controlled by the nervous system. When the bones of the spine (i.e., vertebra) are out of alignment, this can cause interference with the nervous system which can affect the way the body functions. For example, tight muscles in the neck—caused by malfunctioning spinal nerves—can block the flow of fluid from the middle ear, resulting in persistent earaches and/or ear infections.

Unless a child has an obvious symptom, it can be difficult for parents to recognize when a child has spinal subluxations. It is not always easy for someone other than a chiropractor, highly trained in evaluating the spine, to determine if the child has a problem; just as it is difficult for someone other than a dentist to determine if a child has any developing cavities. Both cases take the skills of a trained specialist to perform a thorough evaluation.

There are some signs however, which parents may look for that can be an indicator of a child with a spinal problem. Common signs of spinal problems may include:

• The baby’s head consistently being tilted to one side.

• Restricted head or neck motion to one side.

• Disturbed sleeping patterns where an infant sleeps for only an hour or two at a time.

• Feeding difficulties in the very young infant.

• Difficulty nursing at the breast, especially on one particular side.

After your chiropractor finishes a thorough history and evaluation of your child’s spine to identify any areas of Subluxation, he or she will then deliver a gentle but effective chiropractic adjustment. When treating an infant or young child, chiropractic adjustments are safe, gentle, and natural. Your chiropractor will use light adjustments with either their finger tips or a gentle tool to deliver a specific adjustment with gentle pressure to the area of Subluxation, restoring normal spinal alignment and function. With babies and infants the amount of pressure used is similar to the amount of pressure you would use to check if a tomato is ripe. No force excessive of this is ever needed nor used. A child typically needs only a few adjustments to restore the normal spinal structure since the young spine is easily adjusted into place. Kids love getting adjusted at Oasis Chiropractic Center where we have a fun and nurturing environment.