Why Does a Kid Need a Chiropractor?

“You do that to babies???” Is a common response I get when telling people that I adjust little ones. The look of horror on the person’s face typically fades away quickly as I explain that an adjustment on a baby or small child is completely different than that of an adult. It’s extremely gentle, requiring a light pressure with the tips of my fingers. The next question that I’m usually asked is “Why would a baby need an adjustment?” 

According to the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association over 68 million pediatric chiropractic visits took place in 2013. Typically, people think that one only sees a chiropractor after an auto accident or injury. In all actuality, individuals of any age can have spinal misalignments which result in nerve interference.

If you think about all of the falls and tumbles that children take throughout the different stages of development, it's easy to understand how they might have spinal misalignments. In fact, many parents have their newborns checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic because even the most "natural" birth is straining to a baby's spine. The resulting nerve interference from spinal and cranial misalignments can be related to common symptoms such as colic, reflux, nursing problems, and chronic ear infections. With age, those undetected spinal misalignments can turn into chronic back and neck pain as an adult. Many parents report improved digestion, immune function, breathing and sleeping behaviors once their children start receiving regular chiropractic adjustments.

When visiting a primary care physician, they will typically recommend a medication to treat whatever pain or symptom you or your child may be experiencing. The concern with this is that it merely covers up the symptom rather than addressing the root cause. in addition to masking symptoms, those medications almost always come with side-effects. Chiropractic is a completely safe and natural alternative for addressing a multitude of issues at any age.

For more information about the research and benefits of children under chiropractic care visit icpa4kids.org. 

My name is Dr. Nikki Porteus, CACCP, founder of Renew & Restore Wellness, in Southlake TX. I am trained, certified and passionate about prenatal and pediatric chiropractic techniques. To learn more about how your child would benefit from chiropractic care and how I can help, schedule an appointment here.