“Are adjustments dangerous for kids?”
My 12-year-old son has spine problems and needs an adjustment, but I'm worried about if it's actually safe. Are chiropractic adjustments dangerous for kids his age?
17 Answers
No, absolutely not. I adjusted my children from the first 1/2 hour after birth, and they were the healthiest children in their school. They never missed a day of school, were never sick, and never were in pain.
Chiropractic adjustments can be safe for people of all ages and conditions. Obviously, a chiropractic adjustment for a baby and elderly person with osteoporosis is different than one delivered to a 26-year old athlete. For a baby or toddler, a chiropractic adjustment using sustained pressure or Activator instrument impulse through the doctor's thumb is an excellent way to help stimulate the healing process. For a young child, a lighter version of manual adjusting or Activator adjustment using the lowest setting works well. For adolescents and teens, regular manual and Activator adjusting are suitable for correcting dysfunction. Obviously, physique and musculature can determine the type of adjustment to be used.
Chiropractic adjustments are absolutely safe for infants, children, teenagers, young adults, adults, and elderly. There are many techniques to accommodate for each specific patients needs.
The answer to this question is yes! Chiropractic adjustments are safe for a normal kid.
Your chiropractor is trained and licensed to treat children of all ages.
Yes, they are safe. Most chiropractors see kids in their offices. A thorough examination and complete history from parents provide the best foundation for an adjustment. You may also see if there are any pediatric chiropractors in your area.
They are not dangerous to kids of any age. They make a big positive difference in kids as they grow up. It is not just about pain, it is more about function. If the spine is not functioning correctly, it will affect the nervous system. All our nerves come out through the spine at some point. So it's the relationship between the spine and the nervous system is what we deal with as chiropractors. All kids growing up (and adults) should make sure the spine is functioning properly. If your child is having discomfort, it is almost guaranteed that his spine is not functioning at its best. One clue to show how safe chiropractic is for everyone is to look at our malpractice rates vs. medical doctors. We pay about $2000 per year and a general practitioner is around $50,000 per year for the same coverage.
Chiropractic adjustments have the same level of risk and complication for children as for adults. Chiropractic adjustments are statistically much safer than most medical procedures. If a chiropractor has any question about whether adjustments are safe for a child, it may be necessary to rule out complications by referral to a specialty doctor. However, this is rare and adjustments are safe for the vast majority of children.
Hi,
Thank you for asking about kids. I hear this question all the time. And the answer is YES. Absolutely. I have a friend who is a chiropractor in Northern California that has an exclusively pediatric practice. We also have patients of the week and month and our current patient is a 12-year-old girl that had a fairly severe scoliosis and unexplained constant diarrhea and headaches. She is 3 months into her correction and the scoliosis is 80 percent improved and the diarrhea and headaches have completely disappeared. It is actually good to correct postural problems while patients are young. They respond to care much more quickly than adults and can then grow with proper posture resulting in better spinal health for their lifetime. All chiropractors have been trained to work with patients of all ages, children and infants included. In my experience, not all chiropractors work with infants and toddlers as they don't see them very often while others like myself treat them all the time. I always recommend calling the office and talking with the front office staff. You should get a good idea quickly if that is the right office for you.
If you are in a more populated area, you can also search for chiropractors with a pediatrics diplomat. There are chiropractic clinics that specialize in pre/post pregnancy, infant care, and pediatric care. But don't worry about bringing him to a chiropractor. You should have a great experience.
Dr. Hanson
Thank you for asking about kids. I hear this question all the time. And the answer is YES. Absolutely. I have a friend who is a chiropractor in Northern California that has an exclusively pediatric practice. We also have patients of the week and month and our current patient is a 12-year-old girl that had a fairly severe scoliosis and unexplained constant diarrhea and headaches. She is 3 months into her correction and the scoliosis is 80 percent improved and the diarrhea and headaches have completely disappeared. It is actually good to correct postural problems while patients are young. They respond to care much more quickly than adults and can then grow with proper posture resulting in better spinal health for their lifetime. All chiropractors have been trained to work with patients of all ages, children and infants included. In my experience, not all chiropractors work with infants and toddlers as they don't see them very often while others like myself treat them all the time. I always recommend calling the office and talking with the front office staff. You should get a good idea quickly if that is the right office for you.
If you are in a more populated area, you can also search for chiropractors with a pediatrics diplomat. There are chiropractic clinics that specialize in pre/post pregnancy, infant care, and pediatric care. But don't worry about bringing him to a chiropractor. You should have a great experience.
Dr. Hanson
Chiropractic adjustment are great for children. By the time a child is 5 years old they have already had over 2500 falls, bumps and bruises. The chiropractic adjustments help to keep the spine health while the child is growing so that it may prevent scoliosis and other spinal condition. Some chiropractors see children after birth due too the trauma of child birth. My mother took me to a chiropractic when I was young because I was very active in sports. It not only help with the trauma of sports but it made me perform a lot better because my nervous system function at 100%.
Not at all. Adjustments can be performed at all ages. The provider just needs to apply the proper amount of pressure depending on the patients condition, flexibility, frailty, etc. Normally, a child's adjustment would be much lighter than an adults.
They are absolutely safe.
Jeff Gilbert, DC
Jeff Gilbert, DC
Chiropractic adjustments are absolutely safe for children of all ages. Adjustments are different for people of different ages. A newborn is adjusted very gently. So gently in fact you might even laugh at how easy it is. For tweens and teens, adjustments are very similar to adults but require less force because kids are not so filled up with adult stressors. If it makes you more comfortable, find a chiropractor that is certified in pediatrics through the International Chiropractors Association’s (ICA) Council on Pediatrics or the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). They will be well schooled on adjusting kids of all ages.
I hope that alleviates your concerns.
Good luck!
Dr. John G. Vilkelis
I hope that alleviates your concerns.
Good luck!
Dr. John G. Vilkelis
Adjustments are definitely safe for kids. Adjustments performed on kids and teenagers are different than what is performed on adults. They are lighter and quicker because the joints won’t be as restricted on a 12 year old vs. a 42 year old. The cool thing about kids his age are that the problems haven’t been there for years/decades, usually problems have been there a day/week/month for kids which makes it much easier to fix.
Adjustments are safe as long as there are arterial issues in the neck. The doctor should do a complete Orthopedic, Neurological and Physical exam including a George’s Compression test prior to any manipulative procedure.
Yes, safer than drugs
Chiropractic is a safe therapy for all ages. I would recommend a Pediatric Chiropractor, they will be very experienced working on young people.
