Chiropractic is a conservative and natural healing art and science that concentrates on keeping people well. While chiropractic is an American science more than 103 years old, its basic wellness premise dates back to spinal “manipulations” first used by Hippocrates, the Father of Healing in the 4th Century B.C. Doctors of chiropractic do not treat symptoms, though this may be the initial reason why a patient comes to a chiropractic office. The primary focus of chiropractic is the detection, reduction, and correction of spinal misalignments (known as subluxations). Spinal misalignments (subluxations) can irritate and interfere with efficient nerve system function. Your brain (and baby’s!) communicates down 12 miles of nerves to the 75 trillion cells of the body. This free flow of nerve impulses is necessary to allow the body to function properly. A spinal malfunction (subluxation) can interrupt this flow of information and affect the body’s nervous system causing pain, muscle and organ dysfunction, and other imbalances.

The doctor of chiropractic, through a procedure called an adjustment, helps restore misaligned vertebrae to a more normal position and movement, thus allowing the nerves to properly communicate with the rest of the body and let the body heal itself – safely and naturally.

Chiropractic is one of the safest forms of children’s health care. A chiropractor does not adjust a baby or a child the same way as he or she adjusts an adult. A baby’s spine is very supple during the first few months of life, so the doctor of chiropractic applies only a slight pressure to make an adjustment. For older children whose spine is still made of mainly cartilage, slight pressure followed by a gentle push is all that is required to put the vertebra back in place. Chiropractic is licensed in all 50 states of the U.S. for the care of children of all ages.

When you want to give your child a head start in good health and all the benefits of a conservative, drugless approach to health care, you should take your child to a chiropractor. It is important to have a chiropractic exam during the first year of a child’s life as spinal trauma can occur during birth, as well as from tumbles while learning to sit up or walk. Statistically, 50% of kids have a significant fall in the first year of life. Improper lifting and carrying can also contribute to spinal stress. Your child’s spine grows almost 50% in length during the first year. This is equivalent to a six-footer growing to nine feet in just 12 months! It’s this kind of tremendous growth and developmental changes which make a complete chiropractic examination so important in the early stages of a child’s life. If there is a problem, the earlier it is corrected the less likelihood there is of it becoming a chronic or more serious problem later in life. Doctors of chiropractic believe it’s much more important to prevent diseases than wait till some disease or symptom occurs.

Chiropractors have been providing safe and effective care for children for more than 103 years. Without efficacy, parents would have long ceased to seek out a doctor of chiropractic for their children. A 1992 survey showed that the most common conditions for which children visit a chiropractor are: earaches, neck pain, check-up, headache, upper respiratory, low back pain, allergies, asthma, enuresis, and thoracic pain. Other reasons are ADD and ADHD, colic, torticollis, insomnia, growing pains, and persistent crying in infants.

Chiropractors do not treat diseases, they help to correct spinal misalignments that can cause health problems. Through regular adjustments, counseling on proper nutrition, exercise, and posture, the chiropractor can help you raise a child who is structurally and functionally sound. The number one “illness” in children is accidents. You may not realize it, but youngsters take numerous tumbles -- learning to ride a bike, or even just jumping and running around. If your child takes part in athletic activities, the “sack” of a quarterback could twist a young spine, pitching a ball can throw a vertebra out of alignment. These underlying injuries, if left uncorrected, can cause serious problems as the child grows into adulthood. Doctors of chiropractic can do more than correct these problems. They can also help improve performance on and off the field by helping the body to function at its optimum level, naturally, and without drugs. Research shows a surprising percentage of kids actually suffer from neck pain, back pain and headaches. Often, parents down-play a child's complaint of neck or back pain, brushing it off as unimportant or it will go away on its own. In the same way your child's growing teeth require regular care, their spine needs regular care to grow strong and healthy as well! 

Doctors of chiropractic are trained to recognize complex health problems. Their primary obligation is the welfare of the child. There is no single treatment that works perfectly for every single body. Any patient, regardless of their age, is a challenge of matching the problem with the solution in their care. Our patients are expected to get better! In the event improvement is not enough, it is our job to make other alternative suggestions that may include another health care professional. In our office, we have a nurse practitioner that is able to bring medical skills to assist patients whose needs come outside the conservative care of chiropractic.

We hope this answers at least some of the questions you may have about chiropractic care for kids. Finding a health care provider for you and your family can be challenging. Please contact us if you have any further questions. Also, you can contact our office to make an appointment to speak with Dr. Dawn. There is no charge for a consultation, giving you a chance to see if this type of care and our doctors are a good possible fit for your family. If you decide to go ahead with an evaluation, they can let you know what to expect and what type of evaluation they recommend.