Chiropractic treatment is not uncommon for kids. In fact there is such a wide range of uses for chiropractic care for kids 18 years old and younger, including newborns! Many families might be hesitant to come in to see a chiropractor over their family practitioner, and while we understand these hesitations, we’re here to ease your mind. If you’re interested in learning more about the effects of chiropractic therapy for kids, read on!
Ways chiropractic therapy can help kids
There are four main ways adjustments can help your little ones, kids, and teenagers.
- Chiropractic therapy helps with indigestion: newborn babies bones are mostly all cartilage when they’re born, and as a result of this their nervous system is readily available. The nervous system plays a huge role in chiropractic care; chiropractors don’t just work with joints! Kids are extremely malleable and respond quickly to light pressure during adjustments. As their nervous system is readily accessible (and not necessarily hindered by the skeletal system) kids handle adjustments easier than most adults and can have instant relief. This isn’t just about pain though; the nervous system controls things like constipation and acid reflux. If your baby or kiddo is having problems with digestion, a simple reset of their nervous system during an adjustment can get their bodies back on track.
- Chiropractic adjustments help with ear infections: did you know chiropractors can adjust your ears? The younger the child is, the more horizontal the Eustachian tube in their middle ear is (this is the tube that drains fluid out of the ear). There is a specific muscle attached to this structure that is manipulated by an adjustment of the cervical spine. There are essentially two ways a chiropractor can adjust the Eustachian tube to improve the drainage of the middle ear, where ear infections arise from. An adjustment of the cervical spine, especially the Atlas vertebrae, can dramatically increase the function and movement of the muscle attached to the Eustachian tube, allowing for better drainage. The other way to adjust the ears and improve drainage is to adjust the childs’ ears by pulling gently on the ear lobe and creating a distraction of the cartilage of the middle ear.
This has the same effect on the Eustachian tube with less force on the childs’ spine.
- Chiropractors can help with growing pains: watching kids go through growing pains is the worst because there is a feeling of helplessness. How can we help our kiddos get pain relief from a natural process? Have them get adjusted! Chiropractic therapy resets the nervous system as the spine is realigned, so by resetting the pain receptor system in your child’s body, they have a few days of relief from their growing pains. Multiple adjustments in a short amount of time also releases endorphins so their pain levels are doubly decreased. By realigning the spine, there is less pressure on the spinal cord which therefore allows better blood flow and reduces inflammation, the culprit of growing pains.
- Chiropractic treatment eases pain after trauma: just as we mentioned above, chiropractic therapy relieves stress on the nervous system, thus relieving pain. This is the physical pain that chiropractic care helps relieve; but what about emotional pain? Kids are extremely resilient, but their brains are like sponges and they often don’t have the words or ways to express those emotions. In instances of physical or emotional trauma, chiropractic therapy can be helpful. By relieving stress in the body, chiropractors can also relieve stress from trauma. Targeting certain areas of the body’s nervous system, for instance in the hips, can help relieve pain and stress from abuse. Targeting the cervical spine helps relieve pain and stress from emotional trauma that affects a childs’ ability to speak. Again, this is the wondrous effect of resetting the body’s nervous system by allowing better blood flow and less pressure from misalignments of the spine.
While it is not guaranteed that a chiropractic adjustment could cure a child of trauma, having that release of pain and stress on the body automatically affects the mental state. When you get adjusted, you just feel better! In this way, we see the deep connections between the body and the mind - everything is connected.
Request an appointment here: https://absarokapainandrehab.com or call Absaroka Pain and Rehab at 406-587-8446 for an appointment in our Bozeman office.
