Many people are surprised to find that chiropractic care is just as important if not more important for infants and children. Although they are more resilient than adults, kids can get subluxations in the spine just as adults do. Many times we find that problems in adults actually stem from subluxations that occurred when they were very young but were never treated properly. The chiropractic adjustment given to a child is much more gentle that those given to adults, especially in infants. The amount of pressure used to adjust an infant is about as much pressure needed to check the ripeness of a tomato. Most of the time the parent doesn’t even realize the chiropractor has made the adjustment at all.
Two of the most common conditions that we hear about in infants and children are colic and ear infections. Chiropractors have had much success in treating not only these conditions but many more as well, including:
Acid Reflux
ADHD & Autism Spectrum Disorders
Ear infections
Common Cold
Colic
Constipation
Growing pains
Scoliosis
Bed wetting
Breastfeeding difficulties
Birthing Trauma
Sports injuries (like Little League Elbow)
Colic
Colic in babies is still a mystery to medical science. No one really knows what causes colic and its symptoms of excessive crying and turning red, poor sleep patterns and nursing problems. Few if any standard medical procedures have any great effect for a colicky baby – what works for one may not work for another.
Colic generally appears in a baby very soon after birth which, in itself is quite interesting from a causal point of view. Some schools of thought maintain that food sensitivity is the sole cause of colic in babies; others claim that its origins are in gastrointestinal upsets – still others insist that it is based in an as yet undeveloped nervous system.
There is, however, another theory, and this one appears to be born out by at least a modicum of evidence. This one maintains that it is likely to be not one but all three of the possibilities mentioned above.
It is interesting to note that the symptoms of colic appear very soon after birth. It is the contention of many specialists that the initial cause of colic could well be the birth itself. Particularly when you understand something about the body and how it functions the answer becomes fairly obvious. When a joint in the spine or cranium doesn’t function correctly it has the potential to work against the normal operation of the body; this, in chiro-speak, is called a subluxation (mis-alignment).
A subluxation can create all manner of discomfort zones throughout the body. If, during birth, the baby experiences a subluxation of one of the tiny and very pliable vertebrae of the neck or spine it is logical to consider that this may well be the reason for the obvious discomfort of our tiny mite who doesn’t have the ability to tell us what is wrong! It is up to us therefore, as the supposedly intelligent beings around the wee baby, to come up with the answer for removing the discomfort.
A subluxation can be most troublesome in many ways. A dysfunctional joint can irritate the nerves that travel to many areas of the body causing pain in varying degrees. The answer would appear to be a visit to a chiropractor specializing in children. At the first visit it will be made clear to you that a subluxation in a baby can affect the nervous system controlling the body and lead to all manner of effects. The spinal column carries the body’s nerves to all parts – if the communication system becomes disrupted, the affected body part may not function properly. Chiropractic care removes the source of irritation, allowing the body to heal and operate properly.
Chiropractors help children heal and attain true health by releasing joints that aren’t moving properly or to their fullest capacity. A regular check by an experienced chiropractor can not only alleviate but also prevent pain from occurring in the first place by re-alignment where necessary.
Ear Infection
Ear infections and chiropractic procedures aren’t normally spoken of in the same breath. However, mainly because of our conditioning, we have come to accept that earache and infections go hand in hand and that’s the end of it. Modern tests are now showing more and more that ear infections aren’t always a direct result of infection through bacteria or a virus. Numerous cases of middle ear infection can be caused by a virus. However, viruses don’t respond to antibiotics. It is therefore highly likely that this may be a reason for children’s illnesses becoming chronic conditions. Furthermore, not all bacteria will respond to antibiotics and this makes life even more difficult for the general practitioner and parent alike.
More and more controlled tests are demonstrating that chiropractic care can help alleviate earache in children. The role the chiropractor plays in evaluating and treating children is actually quite a simple. One; the first thing to check will be whether there is any irritation or compromise to the small nerves in the spine. When these nerve endings are irritated, possibly by a subluxation, an abnormal tension is produced in the small muscles of the neck, compromising the lymphatic drainage ducts. This results in inadequate drainage from inside the ear, thus preventing the body from being able to naturally correct the problem.
Preliminary examination of the patient must include consideration of other possible complicating factors due to the fact that earache can be caused by many disorders. This is the point at which the chiropractor will step in, evaluate the situation on an individual basis and, if thought appropriate, apply a course of spinal adjustments to help restore normal lymphatic drainage. By adjusting the child’s neck with gentle pressure, subluxations can be corrected and normal function allowed to return.
Parents often find that the number and frequency of ear infections in their children actually reduces following chiropractic adjustments. Many young patients experience enhanced immunity, helping them fight many forms of infection. If you have a problem with this type of earache condition either for yourself or your child, give us a call and make an appointment for a brief consultation – we’ll quickly establish what’s needed.
