Chiropractic for Children
Why should children see a Chiropractor?
Because children have healthy growing spines, they are the perfect chiropractic patients. A small spinal curve or other issue can be easily spotted in a chiropractic exam and quickly addressed. The spine is similar to a young tree that begins to grow crooked. If you don’t give it the support to grow straight, you’ll end up with a tree with a curved trunk. Children are much the same. It’s also important to protect children from the neurologic health changes that are often caused by a misaligned spine.
Do children like getting adjusted?
Most children like getting adjusted and are often excited to come in for their visits. Infants will frequently sleep through their entire visit or smile while being adjusted. We use various techniques on children depending on their health needs, and occasionally we can we give them a choice of the method they like best. We use techniques such as craniosacral therapy, activator and non-force techniques as well as manual adjustments using fingers and hands.
How often should children be seen?
We recommend that children get their spines checked twice a year much like you would do for a dental check up. Keeping the spine aligned through chiropractic care can be very helpful in preventing scoliosis and other childhood problems such as ear infections, growing pains and sleep issues.
What role can chiropractic play in a child’s healthcare?
In addition to routine spinal assessment, chiropractic can play an important role in your child’s healthcare through many stages of development. Here is a break down of some commonly seen conditions in our clinic.
- Newborn 0-12 months: colic, trouble breast feeding, trouble sleeping, failure to thrive, constipation, reflux/stomach upset, ear infection
- Toddlers 1-3 years: low back pain, trouble walking, unusual stride pattern, clumsiness/tripping/frequent falls, failure to start walking, trouble sleeping, night terrors, ear infection, constipation
- Start of school 5-7 years: knee pain, growing pains, trouble adjusting at school, playground injury, colds, swimmer’s ear, bed wetting
- Adolescence 11-15 years: scoliosis, growing pains, menstrual troubles, sports injuries
- High school 15-18 years: Growing pains (more common in boys at this point), sports injuries, menstrual troubles
- College to adult: At this age their bodies start responding more like an adult so normal chiropractic rules apply
What are the goals of treating children?
Since children experience periods of rapid growth, our goal at inHealth Clinic is to keep the foundation of the musculoskeletal system strong and balanced. Additionally we provide well and sick-child exams and offer natural alternatives to address many childhood illnesses.
Our practice blends the best of chiropractic and holistic health care using some of the following treatment options:
- Adjustments (many technique options)
- Careful and accurate testing
- Thorough exams
- Botanical medicine
- Homeopathy
- Nutrition
- Vitamins and minerals
At in-Health, we pride ourselves in giving you honest and direct answers. We offer a complimentary 10-minute phone consultation and we promise to tell you if we are not a good fit for your healthcare needs.