Thursday, October 13, 2011

Pediatric Chiropractic Care

Conditions Treated



Chiropractic care in children and adolescents treats conditions resulting from birth trauma, earaches, upper respiratory infections, muscle pain, neck pain, injuries from sports or accidents, scoliosis, headaches, sleep disorders, asthma and allergy symptoms and even attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Spinal manipulation for children as young as newborn babies is an alternative treatment for the discomfort of colic and other digestive disorders as well.



Parents surveyed by the ICPA reported behavioral improvement for kids who saw a chiropractor, as well as improved sleep and stronger immune systems. Although scientific evidence in these areas is still inconclusive, the growing number of those seeking children's health care from chiropractors (up 8.5% since 1991, according to the American Chiropractic Association) is a positive endorsement of its benefits. Chiropractic America reports that natural, drug-free chiropractic care is sometimes more effective than traditional medical approaches. Success in these areas has implications for chiropractic care's preventive capacity. Periodic ongoing adjustments at a young age may prevent problems before they begin. ₁



Parents might become aware of spinal problems by symptoms such as their child's head being tilted to one side or restricted head or neck motion to one side. Also if a child sleeps for only an hour or two at a time, or has feeding or nursing difficulties.



Pediatric Chiropractic Treatment



Chiropractic care corrects the spinal alignment releasing muscle tissue and compressed nerves which can become misaligned during birth or from a blow or fall. Most children respond quickly since their spines are a lot more mobile than those of adults. They rarely have the scar tissue and adhesions that adults with chronic problems have. Resolving problems early can avoid problems later on. Spinal adjustments for infants and young children involve very light finger-tip adjustments or use of an activator device. If a parent or child does not want to be adjusted Dr. Laurie will use the activator and perform soft tissue release to correct any alignment issues, or muscle tightness. The device is categorized as a mechanical force manual assisted (MFMA) instrument which is generally regarded as a softer chiropractic treatment technique. (Wikipedia) The activator is a small handheld spring-loaded instrument which delivers a small impulse to the spine. It was found to give off no more than 0.3 J of kinetic energy in a 3-millisecond pulse. The aim is to produce enough force to move the vertebrae but not enough to cause injury.₂

Activator






Risks



The risk of a child suffering a permanent injury from a spinal manipulation is extremely rare. Chiropractors have been adjusting children's spines for most of the 100 years since chiropractic was first established, and has an excellent safety record. A check of some of the largest insurance carriers, who provide malpractice insurance coverage for chiropractors in the United States, has identified that despite the recent adverse media coverage, not one claim for injury to a child has been filed in the past five years. ₃



In regards to Dr. Laurie's chiropractic care of pediatrics, Dr. Laurie recently received the following commendation for her treatment of a pediatric whom had an injury.

"Dr. Laurie was AMAZING in helping my 11 year-old recover from a Grade 1 ankle sprain," said Donna Campbell recently. "My daughter was told by a medical doc that it would be 4-6 weeks before she could resume competitive dance. I brought her to Dr. Laurie, and she is now FULLY recovered after only two weeks of Dr. Laurie's treatments. Heat therapy, calf-cleaning, acupuncture and chiropractic procedures...Dr. Laurie's treatment plan WORKED! She is obviously doing something RIGHT in her clinic. Most of all, Dr. Laurie doesn't want "recurring patients." She wants patients to GET WELL and get back into their lives. I applaud her 100%!"

References



₁ http://www.livestrong.com/article/71159-benefits-chiropractic-care-kids/#ixzz1ZjJkc1wO
₂ Fuhr, Arlan W.; J. Michael Menke (February 2005). "Status of Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique, Theory, and Practice". Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 28 (2): e1–e20. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2005.01.001. PMID 15800504. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0161475405000023. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
₃ A Parent's Guide to Chiropractic Care for Children, Peter Fysh, DC
For more information on Chiropractic Care for ADHD, see The Chiropractic Care of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Retrospective Case Series Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 2009.

4 comments:

  1. I truly like to reading your post. Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a nice information.
    albanyny chiropractors

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  2. Pediatric chiropractic care is not prescription medication, but a holistic method of treatment to help children have a healthy body. Although chiropractic care may not totally cure any diseases, it’ll at least help prevent any diseases from persisting.

    >Willow Laflamme

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  3. This is an informative read! I totally agree with what you said here: “Periodic ongoing adjustments at a young age may prevent problems before they begin.”. This is one of the reasons why you must bring your child to the chiropractor at a very young age, or if possible after birth. It is extremely important to bring your baby to a chiropractor, particularly if you had a difficult labor.

    >Rhonda Munoz

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  4. Some people won’t really be convinced that chiropractic treatment is helpful. But with this kind of testimonies, I’m pretty sure that a lot of the people will try it to treat their body pain. Willow here is right when she said that chiropractic care may not cure any diseases, but the therapy can enable the body to prevent diseases. I am living proof that it is effective, and I recommend that you try it too.

    -- Gwen Knight

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