Chiropractic for Children: What Parents Want to Know

Yes — when care is provided by a chiropractor with appropriate pediatric training and experience. Children are not adjusted the same way adults are, and an infant, a toddler, a school-aged child, and a teenager will all be assessed and cared for differently — and always within their comfort levels. The goal is to provide gentle and specific adjustments to help facilitate better health, healing, growth and development.

This is one of the most common questions parents ask — and one of the most important things to understand is that there is no single way to adjust a child, and that adjustments are gentle, relaxing and do not hurt or cause discomfort. Depending on the child's age, development, needs, and comfort level, care may involve:

• Very gentle fingertip pressure applied along the spine, muscles or other joints
• Light, sustained fingertip contacts with gentle impulses
• Cranial techniques: holding light pressure or making small movements to different parts of the head and jaw
• Cranial work can also include some very specific contacts in the mouth to assess jaw, palate and breathing when clinically appropriate

Some babies sleep through their care. Some want to be held by their parent. Some are curious and want to watch everything happening. Some kids need to move around while we work. A child's visit to the chiropractor should be a positive experience, where the child's (and parents') comfort level are always on our radar. Our intention is to help, which starts by building trust.

Your child will be adjusted — not “cracked” — and the techniques used on most kids do not have the same type of high-velocity movement or popping sound often associated with adjustments. (And for the record, we have a wide range of other techniques for adults and bigger kids as well.) How anyone is adjusted is a factor of their body size, age, development, history, mobility and comfort level — and we use dozens of different approaches to make our care unique and tailored to each person, regardless of age.

No. Some parents bring their child because they have a specific concern. Some simply want their child assessed because they have noticed something they are unsure about, while others aim to be proactive and have a functional assessment done, regardless of whether they have any concerns or not. Some examples:

• “My baby always looks to one side or seems to be developing a flat head.”
• “My child has trouble sitting still and settling at night.”
• “My child seems to have a lot of tension.”
• “My child has started complaining about their neck or back.”
• “My baby doesn't seem comfortable during tummy time.”
• “My child is struggling with a particular sport or movement.”

Sometimes, the most helpful place to start is simply with an assessment and a conversation.

Parents may seek care for a baby for many different reasons, including:

• Difficulty or preference turning the head to one side (torticollis)
• Concerns about head shape, a flat head (plagiocephaly)
• Difficulty with tummy time or lying flat
• A baby who strongly arches or seems uncomfortable in certain positions
• Challenges with feeding or latching
• Body tension or asymmetry
• Delays or concerns with early movement milestones (rolling, crawling, sitting, walking)
• A baby who seems unusually stiff or unusually floppy
• Concerns following a difficult birth

Birth is a significant event for a baby — not just for mom! Whether a birth was long, very fast, assisted, involved a C-section, required significant intervention, or included a challenging position, parents may wonder whether their baby's body has adapted well afterwards. A pediatric assessment can help identify areas of tension, asymmetry, or movement restriction that may be influencing how a baby is moving and developing — or just give parents better peace of mind.

You may notice that your child:

• Always turns their head the same way
• Crawls asymmetrically (one foot up, bum scoots, etc.)
• Skips a movement pattern (i.e. didn't crawl)
• Seems uncomfortable with tummy time
• Avoids or cries in certain positions
• Doesn't seem to move in ways similar to other same-age babies

Children develop at different rates, especially during the first year of life. However, there are ranges of normal, and an assessment may help provide additional information, as well as an understanding of whether anything is interfering with the normal development of movement — and if so, what you can do about it!

You may notice that your child:

• Has difficulty with balance or coordination
• Is frequently falling or bumping into things
• Walks on his or her toes
• Has difficulty with sports or specific movements
• Frequently complains of neck or back discomfort
• Has posture that looks odd or is developing asymmetrically
• Is repeatedly moving their head, neck or body in unusual ways
• Has a history of falls, injuries, or significant impacts

The goal of an assessment is not to label every difference as a problem. However, when a parent notices that something does not seem quite right, an assessment may help provide additional information and identify whether there are areas of the nervous system and body that could be better supported.

Parents may seek out chiropractic care when their child experiences recurring concerns such as:

• Frequent ear infections
• Ongoing congestion
• Mouth breathing or noisy breathing
• Snoring
• Difficulty sleeping
• Chronic tension through the jaw, neck, or upper body

Chiropractic care is not a cure for any given condition or concern — however, some of the most common reasons that parents bring their young children to see us is because our approach has a fantastic track record with helping with these kinds of issues. An assessment may look at areas such as posture, spinal movement, cranial function, jaw function, breathing patterns, and overall body tension. The goal is to understand what is happening in the child's body and nervous system as a whole, rather than focusing only on one symptom.

We will always do our best to create an environment where every person is comfortable and at ease — especially babies and children. Children are not expected to simply lie still and cooperate — as a matter of fact, we get a lot of valuable information from watching how they interact, move and behave. Depending on their age, we may:

• Work with them while they are being held
• Let them explore the room
• Explain what we are doing
• Let them watch a parent being adjusted first
• Use play and movement
• Allow them to take breaks
• Follow their cues

We do this because trust matters at all ages, but it is particularly important for a child, so their comfort level and sense of safety in a new environment are taken into consideration at all times — as is that of the parents!

This is a very important question, because pediatric chiropractic care is a very specialized area of practice. The way to assess and adjust babies and toddlers is not the same as how things are done for bigger kids and adults. In addition to my chiropractic education, I have pursued extensive additional pediatric training through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) and am certified in specialized cranial techniques, functional neurology, and intraoral techniques. This additional education has helped me develop a more extensive understanding of the developing child, including:

• Pediatric assessment
• Developmental milestones
• Birth-related considerations
• Infant and child biomechanics
• Primitive reflexes
• Cranial function
• The developing spine and nervous system
• Gentle pediatric adjusting techniques
• Cranial techniques
• Intraoral techniques

Chiropractic care for babies and kids requires a very different approach from working with adults!