What Does a Maple Grove Pediatric Chiropractor Do?
Pediatric chiropractor. If you think that chiropractic care is only for adults, think again. Sadly, infants and children can also suffer from spine-related issues due to trauma during childbirth or as they become more mobile. When toddlers learn to crawl, roll, walk, and run, they can take a lot of minor bumps and bruises, which can affect the spine and spinal alignment. And the same goes for school-age children who play sports or carry heavy backpacks. In some cases, through genetics or even trauma, kids develop scoliosis, a condition in which the spine curves. In severe cases, scoliosis causes pain and impairs movement and breathing.
Spine and nerve health are essential for children, and there are many cases when children need chiropractic care. Spine misalignments and musculoskeletal issues can keep their bodies from functioning correctly and developing optimally. They may suffer recurrent headaches, sleep problems, respiratory problems such as asthma, and mobility issues — all of which may worsen over the years if left untreated.
The Total Spine Health & Injury Center wants to show you that there are treatments specifically geared for children. And that your kids will be safe and comfortable in the hands of a pediatric chiropractor.
What is Pediatric Chiropractic Care? And is Chiropractic Treatment Really Safe for Children?
If one of your worries is that chiropractic treatment is too intense for children, it’s time to put your mind at ease. Even when the patient is an adult, spinal adjustments are seldom rough or painful. And that’s even more true with children.
Given children’s bodies are still growing, pediatric chiropractors employ careful and gentle techniques that are safe and appropriate for their patient’s current stage of development. These techniques are not merely variations of the methods used on adults. Pediatric chiropractors receive specialized training and education so they can treat expectant mothers, babies, toddlers, young children, and teenagers. Beyond treating injuries and mitigating chronic pain, they help their young patients realize their full health potential.
Beyond being safe, gentle, and non-invasive, pediatric chiropractic therapy is an effective alternative to many modern treatments that primarily rely on pharmaceuticals and surgeries. Chiropractic care for children never includes side effect-laden drugs, pills that are difficult for tiny throats to swallow, injections, or painful incisions. Chiropractic therapy is one of the most reassuring and least stressful healthcare options for adults and kids alike!
What are the Benefits of Maple Grove Chiropractic Therapy for Children?
The primary concept behind chiropractic therapy is that the health of a person’s neuromusculoskeletal system affects all of the systems connected to it. An issue in one system, such as the nervous system, may compromise the performance of another system, like the muscular system. Treating the root disorder brings about improvements to all of the affected systems.
Chiropractic treatments have plenty of benefits for children, such as the following:
Helping with colic in infants
A peer review of several distinct and repeated research efforts found that manual therapy significantly shortens infants’ crying time. Reducing crying time in infants is often associated with benefits for babies suffering from colic symptoms.
Improving quality of life among asthma sufferers
Several case studies, surveys, and randomized controlled trials showed that chiropractic treatments reduced symptoms in those who have asthma. Furthermore, asthma patients noticed even more benefits and relief when their treatment combined chiropractic with other treatment methods.
Dealing with bedwetting
Research spanning two decades (1994 and 2009) has shown that chiropractic care is an effective way to help children who struggle with bedwetting issues. By improving movement and alignment in the spine, chiropractic care enables the bladder to send signals to the brain more effectively. Enhanced signaling allows kids to contract muscles and wake up before losing bladder control.
Reducing symptoms from ear infections
Children are more prone to suffering ear infections than adults. While most cases resolve on their own, symptoms of ear infections in young ones are improved by chiropractic therapy. Gentle pediatric chiropractic enhances a child’s natural drainage functions in the ear. It’s becoming increasingly common for medical doctors to refer children with ear infections to chiropractors.
Treating scoliosis
Early research suggests that chiropractic therapy that combines several different techniques into a single holistic treatment plan may help reduce the severity of scoliosis in teenagers and adults. Given that scoliosis usually becomes more difficult to address over time, early chiropractic treatment may mean better quality of life for sufferers during their adult lives.
What does Maple Grove Pediatric Chiropractic Treatment Usually Entail?
In the field of pediatrics in general, experts are emphasizing more and more the importance of building rapport with young patients, engendering trust, and obtaining consent. With these in mind, pediatric chiropractors often begin with a consultation that addresses their patient’s fears of the unknown and anything resembling a visit to the doctor.
Often, chiropractors will show your child around the clinic, explaining what is happening, and letting them get used to their new surroundings. Chiropractors also want kids to know that a parent will be with them during the session and that the clinic is an injection-free zone.
Once your child is relaxed and ready, the chiropractor begins the comprehensive examination. With you nearby, the doctor of chiropractic care gently uses their hands to check the child’s reflexes, muscle tone, and spinal alignment. Barring any severe injuries or ailments, the evaluation is entirely painless.
After completing the assessment, your child’s pediatric chiropractor will share their findings and explain why chiropractic therapy is necessary or not. If you agree to have your child undergo the recommended treatment, you’ll sign a consent form and schedule sessions with the receptionist.
In an actual therapy session, the doctor performs soft touches and gentle massages to correct misalignments and relieve inflammation and other conditions that stress and irritate nerves. The most common way to describe the intensity of the adjustment is that it’s on par with the pressure you would apply to evaluate the ripeness of an avocado.
Over time, session frequency and treatments are adjusted depending on how your child responds to treatment.
Address Your Child’s Chiropractic Needs Today
For some children, physical trauma can begin as soon as they leave their mother’s womb. Thankfully, healing and improvement can begin as early as the child’s parents are ready. Pediatric chiropractic care is a safe and well-researched treatment for infants, toddlers, children, and teenagers. Schedule a consultation with our pediatric chiropractors to learn more about your options today.