WHAT IS PEDIATRIC CHIROPRACTIC?

According to Jandial, Myers, Wise, and Foster in 2009, 21% of all medical practitioners, including pediatricians, had no confidence in treating musculoskeletal issues and only 53% had “some” confidence in treating musculoskeletal issues in children. That’s alarming! Children and babies encounter many physical stresses during the labor process and into their growing years. The resulting problems in children’s spines can occur at almost any point in their development and growth. In short, pediatric chiropractic is a great alternative and holistic option for parents!

WHY SEEK A CHIROPRACTOR FOR BABIES & CHILDREN?

The earliest challenge a growing spine faces is the position it is forced to adopt in utero. Many women will have heard of fetal positions that can cause problems with labor (e.g. brow, breech, transverse, posterior, ascynclitic, etc). What is less well known is that these fetal positions can also cause problems in the baby’s spine as well. Spinal segments can be pushed out of place or jammed by the position of the baby in the womb. If this position is less than optimal, it can result in a longer and more difficult trip through the birth canal, which can compound the spinal problems. In this way, even natural birthing methods can stress an infant’s spine and nervous system—not to mention interventions such as induction, forceps, vonteuse suction, or caesarean section. The latter (which account for an alarmingly large percentage of births in America), while appear to offer a less traumatic birth for the child, can actually create additional traumas and compromises to the infant’s future health and well-being.

The cause of many newborn health complaints such as colic, reflux, breastfeeding difficulties, sleep disturbances, allergic reactions, and chronic infections can often be traced to nervous system irritation caused by spinal and cranial misalignments.

Since significant spinal trauma can occur at, or prior to birth, many parents elect to have their newborn’s spine checked right after birth. Many developmental milestones such as learning to hold up the head, sitting upright, crawling, and walking are all activities that are affected by spinal alignment and are important times to have a child checked by a chiropractor. Additionally, falls, sports injuries, playground bumps, heavy school bags and sitting all day in the classroom are all physical stresses to the growing child’s spine and nervous system.

Children respond very well to chiropractic, because their joints are still growing. Sprain & strains are common as kids become more active and can disrupt a growing spine. A Chiropractic adjustment can alleviate the joint pressure and restore proper function to the area so painful trigger point and muscle aches can’t develop. Another common condition among growing teens is scoliosis. This is where the spine starts to irregularly curve laterally. There is growing research on the position effects of Chiropractic care and the treatment / prevention of scoliosis. Click the following link to find out more!

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RESEARCH & ARTICLES

The International Chiropractic Association (ICPA) has initiated a ground-breaking study on the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic care for children. The preliminary results are outstanding and show that chiropractic care is safe for children. Even more significant is that parents reported three unexpected improvements with their child’s care:

  • Improved sleeping
  • Improved behavior and attitude
  • Improved immune system function

Click the following links to find out more!

COMMONLY TREATED CONDITIONS

EAR INFECTIONS: The infection is most commonly acquired in children aged up to 6 years, and peaks around 2 years of age. Unless it’s treated, however, the condition can persist well into early and middle adulthood. Typically, the primary symptoms are soreness, pain and discomfort in the area surrounding the ear as well as: fever, fluid draining, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite and grumpy behavior. Chiropractic adjustment to the cervical spine can open up the stagnant drainage tube and illuminate the need for tubes being placed in the ear. Click the following link to find out more!

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ADHD: Studies and case reports have demonstrated a link between improved behaviors and symptoms of children diagnosed ADHD while under chiropractic care. Gentle spinal adjustments and therapies are typically performed while under chiropractic care, and many patients and parents of patients have reported improvements in their children’s diagnosed ADHD symptoms and behaviors.

SCOLIOSIS: The joints of the spine need to be repositioned first and foremost. But for any long-term benefit to occur, there’s a whole lot more that needs to accompany this repositioning. Your muscles need to be relaxed. Your brain needs to be retrained to use the muscles and spinal joints differently than it’s become accustomed to. In order for scoliosis to be effectively treated, all of these things need to be happening together. In practice, this usually means scoliosis massages, stretches and exercises along with scoliosis-specific adjustments.

UPPER CROSS SYNDROME: UCS, also referred to a “text neck,” is a growing condition in kids’ due to the constant anterior or forward head position associated with being on electronics for extended periods of time. This eventually leads to pain and headaches, but also the repositioning and straightening of the cervical spine. It’s very important to have kids adjusted regularly to prevent this condition and instill posture discipline as it will prevent future degenerative changes.

NURSEMAID’S ELBOW: Pulled-elbow, or nursemaid’s elbow is a common musculoskeletal injury in young children. The problem usually occurs when an obstinate child is forcibly pulled along or lifted by the forearm by a parent or older sibling. When a sufficient tractioning with forceful pronation is exerted on the young child’s arm, the annular ligament may be torn or stretched causing widening of the lateral joint space and entrapment of ligament fibers between the head of the radius and the joint surface. This produces a condition in which any movement of the elbow joint will be painful for the child. A gentle adjustment to the head of the radius can easily remedy this condition.

IMMUNITY: Author Katie Gilbert authored a great article, Immune Boost: This is a Spinal Zap covering how immune function is greatly improved with regular chiropractic care. it was published in Psychology Today. “Chiropractic care was first linked to improved immunity during the deadly flu epidemic of 1917 and 1918. The funny thing was: Chiropractic patients fared better than the general population. This observation spurred a study of the field. The data reported that flu victims under chiropractic care had an estimated .25 percent death rate, a lot less than the normal rate of 5 percent among flu victims who did not receive chiropractic care.”  Read the entire article

WHAT IS PRENATAL CHIROPRACTIC?

From the moment of conception, your body goes through a series of changes. Back, pelvic and postural changes can cause unwanted pain and discomfort. The good news is, chiropractic can help! Millions of expectant mothers look to chiropractic for it’s safe, natural and drug-free approach to pain relief and prevention for a healthier, happier pregnancy.

HOW DOES CHIROPACITIC HELP DURING PREGNANCY?

Back Pain Relief: Designed to keep your spine in alignment, chiropractic care can help prevent and relieve back pain associated with pregnancy. Pregnancy is tough on the body’s skeletal structure, especially as baby grows and gets heavier! The weight of your expanding belly changes your posture and spinal curvature, and chiropractic can help correct posture problems and help your spine keep its intended curve.

Ease Pregnancy Symptoms: Chiropractic can help ease pregnancy symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. It doesn’t work for all women, but chiropractic is one way to try to get some relief from morning sickness. If the nausea and vomiting is due in part to nerves pinched by out-of-place vertebrae, an adjustment will help remedy the problem.

Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby: The main premise of chiropractic care is to allow the body to heal itself by removing obstructions to the nerves in the spinal column. When the nerves allow the brain and the body to communicate freely, the body is able to work as it was designed. Chiropractic helps ensure a healthy immune system for both mom and baby, whose immune systems are very intimately connected during pregnancy.

Better Positioning for Baby: Chiropractic can help position baby correctly for birth. If the hips and lower spine are out of place, baby could end up sideways, posterior or breech–none of which are ideal positions for labor and birth. Chiropractic adjustments can thus help get baby in the proper position, by ensuring that there are no vertebrae out of place.

Better Labor and Birth: Chiropractic adjustments can help shorten labor and make the birth process easier. If the mother’s spine and hips are in proper alignment, and if all the nerves to the muscles and organs in her body are free and healthy, labor and birth can progress more easily and possibly take less time than if there was an alignment issue. For moms desiring a drug-free natural birth, chiropractic care can help them accomplish that goal.

ARE THERE ANY RISKS?

There are no known contraindications to chiropractic care throughout pregnancy. Rest assured, all chiropractors are trained to work with women who are pregnant. Some specialized equipment (e.g. therapeutic ultrasound & TENS) may not be used due to its contraindication during pregnancy. An abdominal swing away is also lowered so mom can comfortably lay face down. 

WHAT IS THE WEBSTER TECHNIQUE?

The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic analysis designed to help babies who are breech. The goal of the adjustment is to reduce the effects of sacral subluxation or SI joint dysfunction. In doing so, neuro-biomechanical function in the pelvis is facilitated. Sacral subluxations may contribute to difficult labor for the mother (i.e., dystocia), caused by inadequate uterine function, pelvic contraction, and baby mal-presentation. Correction of sacral subluxation can have a positive effect on all of these causes of dystocia.