Children and chiropractic: questions to ask and benefits to kids

On children and chiropractic DeMaria says, “Children benefit by having a healthy brain and nervous system, which allows proper milestones, growth, a healthy immune system…”

How young should chiropractic patients be? For some chiropractors, their patients are as young as newborns, and children and chiropractic play a key role in their practices.

“The process of being born into this world is enough physical trauma to require a chiropractic assessment since most of us are subject to spinal subluxations from day one,” states Denaro Chiropractic on their website. “This resulting subluxation interferes with the normal functioning of the nerve system, which is the ultimate controller of every cell and function in the body … Families who understand the impact of chiropractic care commonly have the chiropractor present at the birth to give the newborn an assessment and adjustment within the first few hours of life.”

Casen DeMaria, DC, CACCP, a chiropractor with The Drugless Doctors, has always worked with children and chiropractic. Having graduated from Life University in 2011, DeMaria then earned certifications through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) and in The Webster Technique, which is used for pregnant women.

“We have a family practice and work with adults, families, children, and pregnant women. The earliest we have seen a child is one day old,” says DeMaria. “We want to help families live to their full potential without having nerve interference. This starts before birth. Kids respond very favorably to specific chiropractic care. They love getting adjusted and bring in all of their toys!”

Children and chiropractic: questions to ask

Before you take your infant or children to a pediatric chiropractor, be sure to ask some questions. Samantha March-Howard, DC, suggested these four questions:

• When is a good time to visit a chiropractor? (How young should my children be when I bring them for a visit?)
• What does it look like to adjust a child?
• What techniques are used?
• What are some benefits that have been reported for children under chiropractic care?

Benefits to children

Regarding some of the benefits of children and chiropractic, DeMaria says, “Children benefit by having a healthy brain and nervous system, which allows proper milestones, growth, a healthy immune system, as well as adapting to life. Kids should get to chiropractic care as soon as possible.”

According to the ICPA’s website, research conducted is showing that chiropractic care to infants and children can make a difference in their health. In one study, a one-year-old child had recurrent, bilateral ear infections. A physician recommended giving the patient antibiotics. But these ended up causing problems with the patient’s sleep, which made them irritable. Then the child saw a chiropractor. For six weeks, the child was treated one or two times each week with toggle recoil/headpiece, Logan Basic, and a spinal subluxation. The ear infections stopped.

In another study, an 11-year-old who had been diagnosed with headaches, ADHD, autism, behavior issues and OCD was treated with chiropractic care. Regarding the intervention and outcome of the study, “The patient was cared for with a combination of Gonstead and Thompson Techniques. The patient’s headache symptoms improved as did his behavioral problems as measured by the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist for parents. His quality of life improved as measured by the PROMIS-25 parent proxy measure. The PROMIS-29 demonstrated compromised quality of life in the patient’s father while the IPC-18 showed the patient’s father as experiencing a positive interpersonal process with his son’s health care.”

Finally, this study explains how a two-year-old infant who since she was born had been experiencing both severe acid reflux and constipation was aided through treatment from a chiropractor. The intervention and outcome of the study says, “The patient was cared for with spinal adjustments characterized as ‘touch and hold’ appropriate for the child’s age along with use of the Activator Instrument. The infant attended a total of 12 visits over a period of six weeks with the chiropractor addressing subluxations at the atlas and thoracic spine and ilium. The patient’s presenting complaints resolved under chiropractic care.”

What parents say

Brandy Grutter, a mother of five children who lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., recently told Fox 17 online that her children definitely benefit from chiropractic care.

“I am proud to say they’re rarely sick, and I think that a lot of that has to do with not only chiropractic but also like whole-body and whole-mind health,” says Grutter. “None of the kids have ever had ear infections, they’ve never been on antibiotics. For the most part, they all have a really positive idea of health care.”

Troy Sebo had his son Ryder adjusted two hours after he was born.

“We chose to do this because as the babies are delivered, they’re having to be contorted in different ways and there’s a lot of stress that’s put on the spinal column and the nervous system,” Sebo told WFAA.