Pediatric Chiropractic Care
Chiropractor for Infants and Children in Acton, MA
Care for Children of All Ages
Chiropractic care makes its most powerful impact on children. The spine has a vital relationship to all functions of the body. If we can ensure the health and strength of the spine while growing we can support the well-being of future generations. A spinal adjustment done on a child uses the amount of pressure that one would use to grip a tomato. The doctors in our Acton office are leaders in the field of chiropractic care for children and have specific post-graduate certifications qualifying them to administer care to children of all ages.
Safe and Secure: The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association has numerous studies indicating that there is very little risk (if at all) for chiropractic care of infants and children.
Certification: Dr. Pam, and Dr. Emily are leaders in the field of chiropractic care for children. They have completed numerous hours in specialized pediatric training and instruct other chiropractors internationally.
More Information: There are volumes of research available regarding the benefit of chiropractic care for children. The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association has a number of these studies available.
Why Do My Kids Need Chiropractic?
Chiropractic Care for Infants
Chiropractic care ensures a healthy start by promoting proper spinal and cranial alignment, potentially enhancing an infant’s overall well-being and developmental milestones.
Chiropractic Care for Children
Regular chiropractic care can help identify potential spinal subluxations resulting from physical, chemical and emotional stresses, and help to enhance your child’s function and well-being.
Prenatal Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care during pregnancy can help align the pelvis, giving the baby more room to grow and move in the best possible position for birth.
Chiropractic Care for Newborns
The earliest challenge a growing spine faces is the position it is forced to adopt in utero. Many women will have heard of fetal positions that can cause problems with labor (brow, breech, transverse, posterior, ascynclitic, etc). What is less well known is that these fetal positions can also cause problems in the baby’s spine as well. Spinal segments can be pushed out of place or jammed by the position of the baby in the womb. If this position is less than optimal, it can result in a longer and more difficult trip through the birth canal, which can compound the spinal problems. In this way, even natural birthing methods can stress an infant’s spine and nervous system—not to mention interventions such as induction, forceps, ventouse suction, or cesarean section. The latter (which account for an alarmingly large percentage of births in the United States), while appearing to offer a less traumatic birth for the child, can actually create additional traumas and compromises to the infant’s future health and well-being.
The cause of many newborn health complaints such as colic, reflux, breastfeeding difficulties, sleep disturbances, allergic reactions, and chronic infections can often be traced to nervous system irritation caused by spinal and cranial misalignments.
Since significant spinal trauma can occur at, or prior to birth, many parents elect to have their newborn’s spine checked right after birth. Many developmental milestones such as learning to hold up the head, sitting upright, crawling, and walking are all activities that are affected by spinal alignment and are important times to have a child checked by a chiropractor.
Chiropractic Care for Children
A common reason for parents to seek chiropractic care for their children is physical trauma from an injury or sports. Oftentimes these injuries do not necessarily result in immediate pain or other symptoms. In addition to trauma, injury, and physical stress, parents should be aware that emotional stress affects children’s nervous systems. New research in psychoneuroimmunology demonstrates the inter-functioning of nervous and immune systems. Additionally, falls, sports injuries, playground bumps, heavy school bags and sitting all day in the classroom are all physical stresses to the growing child’s spine and nervous system.
There are volumes of case studies demonstrating that children enjoy better sleep, improved behavior/attitudes, and better immune system function from their chiropractic adjustments. The research also indicates possibilities in improvements in conditions such as ADD/ADHD, colic, torticollis, ear infections, bed-wetting, allergies, asthma, digestive problems, seizures, as well.
Regular chiropractic care can help identify potential spinal subluxations resulting from physical, chemical and emotional stresses, and help to enhance your child’s function and well-being.
What To Expect
What Does Chiropractic Care for a Child Involve?
The first thing a chiropractor will do is conduct a thorough history of your child’s health and any complaints. This is followed by a complete physical examination of the child’s spine. Most chiropractors are trained to evaluate pediatric spinal problems, and will use gentle, specific skills to find and adjust any involved spinal areas. Chiropractic care is ‘tailored’ to the individual and their particular spine, and children are no exception. We offer specific, gentle adjustments appropriate to the infant and child’s spine and cranium.
Spinal adjustments for infants and young children involve very light fingertip pressure to correct spinal misalignments. This is usually sufficient to restore mobility to spinal joints which have become locked and are causing interference to the normal nervous system function. Occasionally, the adjustments will make a ‘popping’ sound when the spinal joints are moved; however, this is not always heard when children’s spines are adjusted.
How Long Will It Take to See the Results?
A child’s spine will generally respond much faster than an adult’s spine to chiropractic adjustment, and will often require only a few adjustments to restore normal function. The actual number of adjustments will vary depending on many factors such as the length of time the problem has been present.
How Can I Tell if My Child Has Spinal Problems?
Unless a child has an obvious problem it can be difficult for a parent to recognize when a child’s spine is not working correctly. There are some signs which can indicate spinal problems. These include:
- Disturbed sleeping patterns
- Breastfeeding difficulties in the very young
- Restricted head or neck movement to one side
- One shoulder higher than the other
Common childhood disorders can also be linked with spinal dysfunction, these include:
- Recurrent ear infections
- Persistent sore throats and colds
- Colic/ reflux
- Asthma
- Scoliosis
- Headaches
- Bedwetting and/or constipation
- Growing pains
- ADHD
Our Team of Specialists Dedicated to Your Child's Health and Wellbeing
The doctors at Community Chiropractic of Acton have been caring for children for over 28 years and as a profession, chiropractors have been caring for children for more than a 100 years. During pregnancy, birth, and childhood, the chiropractic lifestyle offers choices and benefits for your greater health and well-being.
