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Children & Chiropractic
Thousands of infants, children and adolescents benefit from the fruits of regular chiropractic care everyday. Chiropractic has become much more than an effective treatment for adult back pain. It has become a safe, effective health resource for all members of the family. Relief from pain, correction of neuromusculoskeletal conditions and overall health optimization for all ages is what chiropractic can provide.
In addition to providing safe, effective treatment for back pain, scoliosis, headaches and the more obvious "chiropractically responsive" treatments in the young, we can also provide effective care for many other conditions. Common childhood conditions such as ear infections, asthma and infantile colic - to name a few - have been shown to respond favorably to chiropractic treatments.
Chiropractic is a holistic approach to the treatment and management of health conditions. Chiropractic care encompasses a wide variety of safe, natural and noninvasive treatments. This includes chiropractic spinal adjustments, exercise and stretching programs, diet and nutritional counseling, soft tissue techniques, to name a few. In experienced hands, chiropractic care can provide your infant, child or adolescent with a lifetime of health and happiness.
We invite you to browse through the links and learn how chiropractic care may increase the health of your child. From scoliosis to back pain, ear infections to infantile colic, chiropractors are leading the way in the natural and safe treatment of common childhood ailments. If you have additional questions, be sure to contact our office to speak with the doctor personally or schedule an appointment.
Scoliosis is another reason you should have your child examined by your chiropractor. It is an abnormal curvature of the spine. If you look at your child's back, his or her spine should be almost perfectly straight up and down, no side to side curvature. If this condition is not detected early on, your child may end up with a serious deformity. This condition can be treated by your chiropractor but only if the child is brought to us early. It is very important that scoliosis is detected and treated before the "growth spurt" period of your child's life. While we know that children grow in different ways, it is imperative that your child receives treatment for scoliosis usually before age 12.
Treatment Of Common Childhood Ailments
- Asthma
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Back Pain
- Headache
- Infantile Colic
- Otitis Media
- Scolisosis
Asthma
Asthma is a highly common and potentially fatal condition affecting almost 5 million under the age of 18. Asthmatics usually experience wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath, although, the frequency and severity of attacks varies greatly from sufferer to sufferer. Asthma involves a combination of factors including:
- spasm of airway muscles
- edema of airway mucosa
- increased mucus secretion
- injury to airway surface
Chiropractic care has been shown to provide some benefits in asthma sufferers. In one study, 31 adults taking asthma medication were given either "sham" chiropractic spinal adjustments or "real" chiropractic spinal adjustments for a period of 4 weeks. Although there were no changes in measured lung functions, sufferers experienced a 34% reduction in their subjective asthma complaints. Further studies are needed to determine the extent of benefits, however, most chiropractors find many of their asthma patients obtain extraordinary results while under regular chiropractic care.
Neilsen NH, Bronfort G, Bendix T, Madsen F, Weeke B. Chronic asthma and chiropractic spinal manipulation: a randomized clinical trial. Clin Exp Allergy 1995;25:80-88.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is a common disorder in mostly young male children and is characterized by developmentally inappropriate inattention, restlessness, and impulsivity - with or without hyperactivity. Many children are inadvertently diagnosed as having ADHD simply because of hyperactivity and are unnecessarily placed on Ritalin (methylphenidate) as a means of controlling the child. Unfortunately, Ritalin is associated with many common side effects including:
- sleep disturbances
- depression and sadness
- headache
- stomachache
- appetite suppression
- elevated blood pressure
- reduction of growth
The cause of ADHD is unknown to date but a group of chiropractic researchers has hypothesized that this condition may be caused by or worsened by vertebral fixations and misalignments (subluxations) which result in autonomic nervous system hyperactivity. The researchers performed a small scale study and found chiropractic treatment beneficial in children with hyperactivity disorders.
The Merck Manual. 16th ed. 1992.
Giesen JM, Center DB, Leach RA. An evaluation of chiropractic manipulation as a treatment of hyperactivity in children. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1989;12:353-363.
Back Pain
In a recent study, 1178 school children were surveyed and back pain was found to be cumulatively prevalent in more than 50%. Adolescents who participate in sports experience a higher incidence of back problems due to the excessive spinal loading which accompanies most sports. Similar to adults, chiropractors obtain excellent results treating back pain in children and adolescents. Chiropractic care in children and adolescents is safe, effective, and focuses on treating the cause of their discomfort rather than masking symptoms. Many of our most satisfied patients are children and adolescents.
Troussier B, Davoine P, deGaudemaris R, Fauconnier J, Phelip X. Back pain in school children: a study among 1178 pupils. Scan J Rehabil Med 1994;26:143-146.
Headache
Headaches are a common problem in children and adolescents. A study published in the journal Headache reported that the prevalence of headaches in schoolchildren aged 7 was over 50% (for headaches occurring in the preceding 6 months). Chiropractic spinal adjustments have been compared for effectiveness in treating headaches with the commonly prescribed drug, amitriptyline. The results of the study identified chiropractic adjustments as providing long term reductions in headache intensity and frequency, as well as lowering the need to take over-the-counter medications to treat headache symptoms. Additionally, 82% of those taking amitriptyline reported side effects versus only 4% in the chiropractic group.
Boline PD, Kassak K, Bronfort G, Nelson C, Anderson AV. Spinal manipulation vs. amitriptyline for the treatment of chronic tension-type headaches: a randomized clinical trial. J Manipulative Ther 1995;18:148-154.
Infantile Colic
Infantile colic is a common and frustrating condition affecting infants. It involves persistent and often violent crying for no obvious reason. There is also a considerable amount of flatulence present. Typically, it occurs within the 1st month postpartum and spontaneously self-resolves by the 3rd to 4th month. Results from a Danish study involving 316 infants indicate that chiropractic care was successful in treating infantile colic in 94% of the infants.
Klougart, Nilsson N, Jacobsen. Infantile colic treated by chiropractors: a prospective study of 316 cases. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1989;12:281-288.
Otitis Media
Otitis media is an infection of the middle ear, usually secondary to an upper respiratory infection (URI). It can occur at any age but is most prevalent during the ages of 3 months to 3 years. The most common symptom is severe, persistent earache. Additional signs and symptoms include fever (up to 105°F), nausea, vomiting and diarrhea - especially in young children. Symptoms of headache, sudden profound hearing loss, dizziness, chills and fever can indicate serious complications and should receive immediate evaluation. While the medical approach to otitis media consists of antibiotics, many antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective. Furthermore, studies have shown children given antibiotics to treat otitis media increase their odds of having recurrent infections.
Published case studies involving chiropractic treatment of otitis media in children has shown substantial benefits. In one such study, 5 children (5 years and younger) who were under regular pediatric care and who had otitis media for 6 months without resolution were given chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic treatment consisted of gentle cervical spinal adjustments and lymphatic massage. Otitis media resolved in all 5 children - 3 days, 4 days, 8 days, 3 weeks, and 8 weeks. Resolution was determined by otoscopic examination and reduction of fever. None of the children required more than 5 chiropractic treatments in order to achieve resolution.
Fixations and misalignments in the cervical region can cause muscular spasms as well as neurological compromise which are thought to prevent proper drainage of the middle ear. When the middle ear is unable to drain, bacteria can pool and multiply resulting in acute and chronic middle ear infections. By treating the cervical spine and assisting in middle ear drainage, a majority of otitis media cases can be safely and quickly treated.
The Merck Manual. 16th ed. 1992.
Fysh PN. Chronic Recurrent Otitis Media: Case Series of Five Patients with Recommendations for Case Management. J Clin Chiro Ped 1996;2:66-78.
Scoliosis In The Child
Definition
Scoliosis is the lateral deviation of the spine and affects not only adults, but more commonly affects children and adolescents.
Prevalence
4% of children aged 10-14 have detectable scoliosis. 60-80% of those affected are girls.
Types
Infantile- Infantile scoliosis is a lateral spine deviation occurring during the first 3 years of life and is twice as common in males. Approximately 74-97% resolve on their own but those that do progress do so in a severe and disabling manner. This condition is, however, rare in North America.
Juvenile- Juvenile scoliosis refers to scoliosis occurring in children aged 3 until the age of puberty - approximately 10 years of age. Juvenile scoliosis can continue to progress in severity, and thus, monitoring every 3-6 months with radiographs is required. Continual monitoring is performed through adolescence because of the high risk of progression. If progression occurs without appropriate treatment severe spinal deformity and cardiovascular compromise can result.
Adolescent- Adolescent scoliosis is scoliosis detected in those who have reached puberty but have yet to reach adulthood. This is the most common type of idiopathic scoliosis (unknown cause). Like juvenile scoliosis, adolescents should be monitored until spinal maturity is reached to prevent possible progression and future health problems.
Diagnosis
Since the abnormal curvature may not be obvious upon inspection of the back, even to the trained eye, an uneven shoulder height or clothes not appearing to hang off the body symmetrically may be the first indication. Also, a complaint of back pain, ache, discomfort or fatigue may be present. However, this does not generally occur until later stages after the spinal ligaments and muscles have been chronically irritated.
Complications
While most cases of childhood and adolescent scoliosis stop progressing once spinal maturity is reached, progression of the curve past spinal maturity is not uncommon. If the lateral curvature continues to progress, cardiovascular compromise can result - ultimately leading to severe disability or death.
Treatment
Scoliosis treatment in the child consists of:
Monitoring the degree of curvature for increases,
Chiropractic spinal adjustments to minimize spinal stresses, optimize biomechanics
and keep the nervous system functioning properly,
Therapeutic spinal exercises and stretches to strengthen spinal muscles on the
convex side and keep muscles flexible of the concave side, and
Soft tissue procedures and physical therapies to assist in symptomatic relief.
The goal is to eliminate discomfort and prevent progression of the lateral curvature. If the curvature continues to progress severe spinal deformity can occur resulting in physical disability and cardiovascular compromise.
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