Do Children Need Chiropractic Care?

12 Oct 2018

Many children can benefit from chiropractic care. Childhood is an extremely important time for development and rapid growth. This will affect the muscles and joints of the body. Although not all children need regular chiropractic care, it is always a good idea for a child to see a chiropractor especially if they are involved in any sports or activities.

What types of conditions in children can chiropractic help with?

Conditions that chiropractors can treat vary throughout childhood and can start as early as infants. In utero the baby can be in the same position for weeks or even months at a time which can cause muscle and postural imbalances. These imbalances can lead to conditions such as; infantile torticollis, colic, sleep issues and nursing dysfunction. This is because the baby may have muscular imbalances and tightness not allowing them to fully be able to turn their head or body as would be needed in order to perform these necessary functions.

How can chiropractic help older children?

For older children one of the most common and most important conditions chiropractors see and treat is scoliosis. Your child may be screened for scoliosis at school but if not it is always a good idea to get your child assessed. Scoliosis is increased lateral curvature of the spine and can be caused by a variety of different things. Depending on the degree of the curvature this could lead to increased muscle tightness, pain or early degenerative changes. If scoliosis is caught early enough and depending on the degree of the curvature, chiropractic is one of the many treatments that can help manage this condition. Your chiropractor can quickly and effectively screen for scoliosis and determine the best method of treatment.

Other childhood conditions that chiropractors regularly treat include Osgood Schlatter disease, sprains and strains from injuries, headaches, neck pain or back pain.

Is chiropractic care in children safe?

The biggest concern many parents have when bringing their child to a chiropractor is whether or not it is safe. Chiropractic is extremely safe for children and the majority of the time the treatment consists of very light muscle work and mobilization of the joints instead of a “chiropractic adjustment”. The amount of force used for mobilization on a young child is equivalent to the amount of force you use when testing to see if a tomato is ripe at the grocery store. It is extremely light and very safe.

The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association provides a lot of information on chiropractic treatment for children including evidence on chiropractic treatment for specific childhood conditions. Chiropractors who are certified members of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association can be found at: http://icpa4kids.org/Find-a-Chiropractor/

What about chiropractic care in pregnancy? Check out our other health tip here