Do Children Need Chiropractors?

Chiropractic treatment is considered an alternative health care treatment. It involves the treatment of sublaxations, which are areas in the spine that interfere and distort nerve impulses between the brain and the body. The theory behind the treatment is that the spine is the line of communication between the brain and the rest of the body, and if there are subluxations in the spine, the message from the brain to another part of the body is distorted. Many adults find the treatment very helpful for all kinds of ailments, but is the treatment right for children? There are many reasons that children, even young infants, could benefit from seeing chiropractors.

The earliest time at which a child can be helped with the treatment is when he is still in the womb. Though the mother will actually be receiving the treatment, the child could benefit immensely. Surely we all know the pressure that pregnancy puts on the body, and it is not beyond reason to say that the extra weight, the position of a growing child, bed rest, or prior injury coupled with the pregnancy can cause stress on the mother's physical abilities. If the mother has untreated subluxations, how well is the brain able to communicate with her body during labor and delivery? Are some of her misalignments putting pressure on the baby? Some experts think so.

We all have been told that babies are resilient; they seem to bounce back from little accidents and happenings better than grown adults. Perhaps, some chiropractors say, that is because they cannot communicate. We have been trained to respond to a crying baby with food, changing, rocking, etc., and if none of those work, then the baby is diagnosed with colic. Colic, misunderstood by many, is just a diagnosis of unexplained crying that happens consistently.

It is thought that treatment prior to birth can provide an ideal delivery environment. It cannot hurt to make sure the mother is functioning properly from a neurosystem stand point. Some things that indicate subluxations or misalignments in a small child are of course unexplained crying as previously discussed. Poor appetite, breathing problems, and allergic reactions could be the body's interpretations or attempts to communicate pain or subluxations, and two common issues, favoring one side of the head and preferring one side for breast feeding are often explained away as typical infant tendencies. Professionals think, however, that just as if an adult were significantly discomforted in certain positions, a baby may be trying to compensate for pain. 

Children with conditions such as the aforementioned colic, SIDS, ADHD, Autism, chronic ear pain, tendencies for obtaining viruses, and the presence of scoliosis may be suffering these as symptoms of chiropractic issues. All of the signs of these may not subside with treatment, but experts have seen noticeable and positive changes in little patients with these and other diagnoses that have regular standing appointments with chiropractors.