At the Erin Mills Optimum Health clinic in Mississauga, Ontario, we see many people, including children, seeking chiropractic adjustments to obtain relief for their neck and back pain. Chiropractic care can also correct spinal misalignment issues associated with serious nervous system and spinal problems if left untreated. Children, especially those who suffer from chronic health problems, can enjoy a higher quality of life with regular chiropractic adjustments. In this article I will offer a general outline of the role that chiropractors can play in your overall health and then focus on the role of chiropractic adjustments in pediatric health care specifically.
What Can a Chiropractic Specialist Help With?
First and foremost, your chiropractor will want to evaluate your medical history and any preexisting medical conditions. They will likely want to review copies of previous medical tests such as MRIs or X-rays, and they will perform a thorough physical examination to assess your overall health. In cases where you might need an X-ray, it may be performed after the examination using a digital X-ray system. Chiropractors may also offer specialty tests such as thermography and surface electromyography (SEMG), though you may need to get blood tests, radiographs, or ultrasounds outside of the office. All of this leads up to a diagnosis (a combination of your health history, physical examination results, and your X-rays if applicable) and finally an appropriate treatment plan. In some instances, your treatment plan may include a form of neuromusculoskeletal therapy that addresses your primary health problem.
Chiropractors offer health and lifestyle counsel that can help you not only recover from accidents, surgery, or other injury more quickly but also prevent such issues from reoccurring in the future. Moreover, chiropractors perform careful and painless manipulations of your spine to maximize your reaction time, boost your reflexes, and improve your posture.
One of the primary goals of your chiropractor is to help alleviate pain or mobility issues in your spine, back, neck, and pelvis with a customized treatment for pain and symptom relief.
Types of Chiropractic Techniques
There are currently 15 common techniques and procedures used by chiropractors around the world to help treat patients.
Diversified approach. Incorporating most of the techniques taught at reputable, licensed chiropractic schools, the diversified approach is utilized by nearly 96 percent of all chiropractors. To properly implement this kind of treatment, the chiropractor will administer low-amplitude, high-velocity thrusts that cause certain targeted joints to cavitate. This means that tiny pockets of air that build up in the joint are released (that’s the popping sound you hear after an adjustment), which helps reduce the pressure on the spine.
Extremity manipulation or adjustment. This procedure is also used by nearly 96 of chiropractors. It primarily consists of adjusting and manipulating joints that are not related to the spine itself (such as the foot, knee, hand, shoulder, wrist, elbow, fingers, or toes). This technique allows the chiropractor to effectively treat gait, carpal tunnel syndrome, and a variety of posture-related conditions.
Activator method. Commonly used by over 60 percent of chiropractors nationwide, the activator method utilizes a specialized tool instead of manual adjustments or manipulations. The small appliance provides a faster, lighter thrust when compared to the hand.
Other techniques and procedures used by chiropractors (depending on the country and the patient’s health condition and/or personal preference) include flexion-distraction, the Logan basic technique, the functional technique, the Thompson technique, the Sacro occipital techniques, and the Gonstead adjustment. Here’s a full breakdown of various chiropractic treatment modalities.
Advantages of Chiropractic Care for Children
Many people don’t realize that children can benefit significantly from chiropractic treatments. Take a look at the following:
Children with insomnia can often sleep through the night after a few chiropractic adjustments. Studies show that chiropractic care may help calm infants who suffer from colic. And on the maternal side, chiropractic care may help accelerate post-birth recovery.
Children in bicycle, car, or sports-related accidents can recover from their injuries more quickly with chiropractic therapy. Even young athletes without injuries can benefit from enhanced range of motion, improved reflexes and flexibility, and increased athletic performance.
Did you know that 95 percent of headaches are caused by tension in the neck or back muscles? Spinal manipulations and adjustments help calm muscles and joints, relieve tension in the child’s body, and reduce headaches in a way that most medications cannot.
Children on the autism spectrum can also benefit from chiropractic care. Specific gentle manipulations administered by chiropractors can help with phobias, social anxieties, and even stomach issues. Treatments that directly affect the nervous system and relax joints and muscles can improve poor motor skills. And repeated chiropractic treatments can help with sensory overload (given the fact that the human spine is directly connected to several sensory reception areas in the anatomy).
The list goes on. Chiropractic treatments can help children manage pain from ear infections more effectively. Manual adjustments to the nervous system and spine have been clinically proven to boost immunological functionality. Studies find that frequent chiropractic manipulations and adjustments can support physical development, reduce fussiness in young children, and treat bladder and gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux, and constipation.
Erin Mills Optimum Health
If you live in or near Mississauga and would like your child to receive chiropractic adjustments, please visit ErinMillsHealth.com or give us a call at (905) 828-2014. Since 1977, we’ve been providing the Mississauga community with quality chiropractic and naturopathy treatments, including massage therapy, chiropody, lower back pain and neck treatments, and reflexology.
Image from iStock/naumoid (main), Wavebreakmedia (post).
