Advanced Sports & Family Chiropractic

Our eleven year-old is a trampoline enthusiast. He would literally take a trampolining class every day if the family budget would allow…

He loves how his chest is becoming stronger and his shoulders and arms muscle-bound, but as chiropractic parents we feel a little uneasy about his eagerness to bounce and flip from the moment he wakes. Yesterday he took a nasty fall trying to perfect a standing back-sault and experienced for the first time a whiplash injury. He was rather distressed by the acute pain and the headaches that followed that evening. The experience helped him appreciate how the body gives us signs and symptoms when it is distressed. 

Just like adults, children can become ‘out of sorts’ and end up with headaches due to knocks or falls, poor diet, a lack of sleep or a lack of water etc. Interestingly, they are also susceptible to stress particularly when it relates to family matters-one such presentation for stress even in children may be headaches or abdominal migraines. 

Headaches are a common problem for adults however they also affect a large number of children. A 2006 study reported that over 3.7 million American children between the ages of 4 and 17 experienced headaches in the previous 12 months. A study of Australian children found that only 36.8% of 10-18 year olds had never experienced a headache. Headaches are in fact one of the top 5 health problems experienced by children.  

Should parents worry about their child’s headache?

Any headache in a child should be discussed with a health practitioner. It is possible for headaches in children to be caused by serious underlying conditions, however this is rare and there are generally other highly concerning signs and symptoms such as paralysis, drowsiness or loss of consciousness . A new headache that is progressively worsening over days to weeks, or a persistent one-sided headache are cause for concern. Most commonly however, childhood headaches are tension-type and migraine, and in 60% of cases they run in the family. Aside from pain and discomfort, childhood headaches can lead to missed days at school, poor school performance and emotional difficulties. 

What symptoms do children with migraine or tension headaches experience? 

Children that are too young to verbalize their pain may instead grab or hold their face, hit their head against the floor, show sensitivity to light or be disinterested in food. Infants may display ineffective latching, grimacing or positional discomfort when feeding from the breast or a bottle. 

Parents who are aware that their child suffers from migraine can sometimes predict when a migraine is about to start. Their child may become lethargic, have mood changes, yawn excessively, crave food or become thirsty, or turn pale with dark circles under the eyes. Migraine does not always involve headache but can instead manifest as episodes of abdominal pain, cyclical vomiting or dizziness, and children with migraine often seek refuge in a quiet and darkened bedroom. Tension-type headaches tend to occur frequently (daily or several times per week), can be associated with stress at home or at school and are more common in anxious or highly emotional children. 

What are potential causes of childhood headaches?

Headaches can be due to a number of environmental factors and may also have genetic links. A significant finding in a chiropractic study of thirteen cases found that birth trauma and assisted birth (forceps, ventouse extraction or caesarean) were associated with each case of headaches. In this study all children demonstrated significant dysfunction of the upper neck joints and musculature. The authors stated: “Forces of 30-70N show transient neurological effects when applied to the upper cervical spine (neck) in infants. The forces exerted upon the cervical spine during assisted deliveries range from 77-199N. These forces would likely be sufficient to cause muscular and mechanical joint impairments considering the increased laxity of the infant spine”. Along with damage or irritation of the neck region, the birth process can also lead to jaw problems in infants that are particularly painful when trying to latch and breastfeed. Interestingly, jaw problems and headache often overlap in adults. 

Is it safe to offer children medication?

Many parents will give medication to a child who has a headache, as this is what they might do for their own pain. However, studies that specifically look at the safety and effectiveness of medication for children are very limited. A number of medications are shown to have serious side-effects in children and some of the more common-place medications such as paracetamol can have longer-term effects on the integrity of the immune system. Children also have a particularly high placebo response rate of up to 70%; oftentimes children report feeling better after they are unknowingly given a sugar pill than after being given a medicine itself.  

What alternatives to medication are there?

Although chiropractic does not treat headaches per se, many case studies demonstrate that by enhancing the function of the spine and nervous system, headaches and other symptoms may then resolve. In considering the number of children who have difficult births, and the number of children showing strain to the spinal joints and surrounding muscles, it is logical to prioritize a chiropractic check-up. In addition to chiropractic, other alternative approaches for chronic headaches that have been shown to be effective include cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation training, and self-hypnosis. 

To read more on this topic: 

http://welladjustedbabies.com/headaches-in-children

Ear problems can be excruciatingly painful, especially in children. With 10 million new cases every year, ear infections (otitis media) are the most common illness affecting babies and young children and the number one reason for visits to the pediatrician-accounting for more than 35 percent of all pediatric visits.

Almost half of all children will have at least one middle ear infection before they’re a year old, and two-thirds of them will have had at least one such infection by age 3. The symptoms can include ear pain, fever, and irritability. Otitis media can be either bacterial or viral in origin, and frequently results from another illness such as a cold. For many children, it can become a chronic problem, requiring treatment year after year, and putting the child at risk of permanent hearing damage and associated speech and developmental problems.

Standard treatment for most cases of otitis media is with antibiotics, which can be effective if the culprit is bacterial (antibiotics, of course, do nothing to fight off viruses). But, according to many research studies, antibiotics are often not much more effective than the body’s own immune system. And repeated doses of antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant bacteria that scoff at the drugs, while leaving the child screaming in pain.

Frequent ear infections are also the second most common reason for surgery in children under 2 (with circumcision being the first). In severe cases-for example, when fluids from an ear infection haven’t cleared from the ear after several months, and hearing is affected-specialists sometimes prescribe myringotomy and tympanostomy, more commonly known as “ear tubes.” During the surgical procedure, a small opening is made in the eardrum to place a tube inside. The tube relieves pressure in the ear and prevents repeated fluid buildup with the continuous venting of fresh air. In most cases, the membrane pushes the tube out after a couple of months and the hole in the eardrum closes. Although the treatment is effective, it has to be repeated in some 20 to 30 percent of cases. And this kind of surgery requires general anesthesia, never a minor thing in a small child. If the infection persists even after tube placement and removal, children sometimes undergo adenoidectomy (surgical removal of the adenoids)-an option that is effective mostly through the first year after surgery.

Before yet another round of “maybe-they’ll-work-and-maybe-they-won’t” antibiotics or the drastic step of surgery, more parents are considering chiropractic to help children with chronic ear infections. Dr. Joan Fallon, a chiropractor who practices in Yonkers, New York, has published research showing that, after receiving a series of chiropractic adjustments, nearly 80 percent of the children treated were free of ear infections for at least the six-month period following their initial visits (a period that also included maintenance treatments every four to six weeks).

“Chiropractic mobilizes drainage of the ear in children, and if they can continue to drain without a buildup of fluid and subsequent infection, they build up their own antibodies and recover more quickly,” explains Dr. Fallon. She’d like to see her pilot study used as a basis for larger-scale trials of chiropractic as a therapeutic modality for otitis media.

Dr. Fallon uses primarily upper-cervical manipulation on children with otitis media, focusing particularly on the occiput, or back of the skull, and atlas, or the first vertebra in the neck. “Adjusting the occiput, in particular, will get the middle ear to drain. Depending on how chronic it’s been and on where they are in their cycle of antibiotics, children generally need to get through one bout of fluid and fight it off themselves.” That means, for the average child, between six and eight treatments. If a child’s case is acute, Dr. Fallon will check the ear every day, using a tympanogram to measure the ear and track the movement of the eardrum to make sure that it’s draining. “I’ll do adjustments every day or every other day for a couple of days if they’re acute, and then decrease frequency over time.”

Dr. Fallon, whose research garnered her the acclaim of childrearing magazines like Parenting and Baby Talk, often sees great success when she treats a child for otitis media. “Once they fight it themselves, my kids tend to do very well and stay away from ear infections completely. Unless there are environmental factors like smoking in the house, an abnormally shaped Eustachian tube, or something like that, they do very well,” she says.

“I have two large pediatric groups that refer to me on a regular basis. In the winter, when otitis is most prevalent, I see five or six new children each week from each group,” says Dr. Fallon. “It’s safe and effective and something that parents should try, certainly before inserting tubes in their children’s ears.”
Article from : American Chiropractic Association www.acatoday.org

Chiropractic Care Can Help…
Talk to your doctor of chiropractic about your child’s ear infections. Doctors of chiropractic are licensed and trained to diagnose and treat patients of all ages and will use a gentler type of treatment for children.

Both acupuncture and chiropractic through numerous studies have proven to enhance and stregthen the immune system.  Are you ready to see if chiropractic or acupuncture can help you?  Call Us Today! 913-643-1771.

Chiropractic care can have an immense impact on the wellness of a child. However, many parents are  unaware of the benefits it can have on their children’s health. This unawareness can provoke apprehension, resulting in opinionated theories against the matter, such as:  

• Children are fragile; chiropractic treatment is not the same for a child as it would be for an adult.
• Availability of medications that relieve pain and cover a vast array of diseases.
• Children are simply too young for treatment.
• Unawareness of chiropractic methodologies and practices. If parents are unsure about the benefits of chiropractic care themselves, why would they send their kids there? 

Encouragement is key for parents that are apprehensive. They should be fully informed of the benefits, the safety factors, and the positive outcomes that come from chiropractic care. It is important to explain how children can be highly vulnerable to long-term injuries from daily activity. As children are constantly growing and adapting to the natural transformations, they become prone to long-term injuries, or developing musculoskeletal disorders that can last for many years. 

D.Cs should encourage patients to have their children receive treatment. Chiropractic care can help prevent children from developing:

• Long-term musculoskeletal dysfunctions
• Imbalances in the body
• Dependencies on medications 

 Another way a chiropractor can help prevent children from the development of postural and musculoskeletal disorders is by ordering them Stabilizing Orthotics. Many children suffer from pronation and the low arches in their feet can disrupt normal gait patterns and create postural imbalances later in life. 

Dr.Woodle, Dr.Bartels, and Dr.Fanders Love to treat children!  If you are interested in having your child evaluated for Chiropractic care, please call our clinic and inquire about our Chiro for Kidz Club!

To read more, please visit:http://www.facebook.com/notes/foot-levelers/chiropractic-care-for-children/10150276762507943