Pediatric Trained Chiropractors
We are proud that our chiropractors all have extensive experience in pediatric care from all ages. All graduated from RMIT University, Melbourne. Dr Hayley has completed her post graduate Dipolma in Chiropractic Pedatrics and is a devoted mother to her son Owen.
Dr. Nigel and Dr. Li-sa have worked in family care their entire careers spanning almost 25 years. Bottom line, your children are in experienced, gentle and professional hands.
WHEN SHOULD I HAVE MY CHILD’S SPINE CHECKED?
Newborns are often checked by our chiropracators.
Parents often ask why a newborn baby should be checked by a chiropractor. Adjustments help alleviate spinal subluxations (misalignments of the vertebrae) caused by intrauterine constraint, abnormal positioning in the uterus and spinal distress from the journey through the birth canal or during the delivery process itself.
Infants can be checked and adjusted as soon as possible after birth. Gottleib, (1) a well-published researcher, reviewed the effects of the birth process and concluded “the trauma from the birth process remains an underpublicised, and therefore significantly under-treated, problem”.
Towbin (2), a prominent researcher on birth trauma reports “survival of the newborn is governed mainly by the integrity and function of the vital centers in the brain stem. Yet, paradoxically, the importance of injury at birth to the brain stem and spinal cord are matters which have generally escaped lasting attention”.
Another published researcher, Guttmann(3), reported that more than one thousand infants were examined and it was concluded that approximately 80% of all newborns had some form of nerve dysfunction. His colleague, V. Fryman (4), examined 1,250 babies five days after birth and found that 95% of this group were not only misaligned but also had cervical strain. She also noted that the infants responded with immediate muscular relaxation and had a greater ability to sleep after specific spinal adjustments. Renowned researcher and practitioner Biedermann (5,6) has done numerous clinical studies relating upper cervical misalignment in the newborn to prolonged labor and the use of extraction devises.
With the increased amount of scientific research supporting clinical experience, chiropractic care is
being accepted as a viable considerationfor newborns.
References:
1. Gottlieb MS. Neglected spinal cord, brain stem and musculoskeletal injuries stemming from
birth trauma. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1 9 9 3 O c t ; 1 6 ( 8 ) : 5 3 7 – 43.
2. Towbin, A, Latent spinal cord and brain stem injury in newborn infants. Dev Med Child Neurol. 1969 (Feb);11 (1): 54-68
3. Gutmann G. Blocked Atlantal Nerve Syndrome in Babies and Infants. Manuelle Medizin.
1987; 25:5-10
4. Fryman VM. Springall P Effect of Osteopathic Medical Management on Neurologic
Development in Children JAOA. 1992;92:729
5. Biedermann, H Manual Therapy in Children: Proposals for an Etiologic Model, JJournal of
Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Volume 28, Issue 3, Pages e1-e15
6. Biederman, H. Kinematic imbalances due to suboccipital strain in newborns. Journal of
Manual Medicine 1992; 6:151-156
Of particular importance may be unresolved compression in the suboccipital region, (the base of the skull/top of the neck). Motion restrictions and asymmetries in this region are categorised as kinematic imbalances caused by suboccipital strain, otherwise known as KISS syndrome. This too, is a very well documented condition throughout the medical literature. Medical practioner, Dr Heiner Beiderman refers to this condition extensively in his book, ‘Manual Therapy in Children‘. (1) Dr. Beiderman has been assessing and adjusting infants for nearly 40 years, and is a firm believer of the importance of manual medicine for infants and children.
IS IT SAFE FOR MY CHILD TO SEE A CHIROPRACTOR?
Our chiropractors focus is children and family care. Gentle techniques for infants are always used. Chiro One provides a relaxed and fun environment, so that children will feel comfortable during their treatment. Many love being adjusted! We combine chiroprctic and nutritional therapies to assist the functional requirements of the growing infant and child.
A chiropractic adjustment is not scary! A small force applied to the spine to increase spinal motion and increase health signals (proprioception) through joint receptors and the nervous system. We have adjusted children as young as 2 hours old and up to 18 years. With almost 20 years experience in family practice, youre in safe hands.
In 2019, an extensive search was undertaken by Safer Care Victoria on behalf of the Victorian Government to identify evidence of harm sustained by children who had received spinal manipulation. This included a literature review by Cochrane Australia, capture of patient complaints and practitioner notification data from Australian complaints and regulatory agencies, capture of Australian insurance claim data from the primary insurers for registered chiropractors, and stakeholder feedback from both online consultations. This extensive search identified very little evidence of patient harm occurring in Australia. In particular, there were no patient complaints or practitioner notifications that arose from significant harm to a child following spinal manipulation.
The Queensland Office of the Health Ombudsman reported that since its inception on 1 July 2014 it has not received any complaints relating to spinal manipulation of children under 12 years.
The Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner (HCC) reported no complaints against a chiropractor related to the treatment of a child
No cases were reported where an insurance agent has had to defend or settle such a claim.
The public responses indicated very strong consumer satisfaction. Of all respondents, 99.7% (21,750) reported a positive experience with the chiropractic care of their children.
The overwhelming majority of parents/guardians reported that chiropractic spinal care helped their child, with 98% (21,474) indicating that their child improved after treatment.
A 2019 prospective observational study collected data from 1092 mothers of infants receiving chiropractic care. In total, 82% (n = 797) reported definite improvement of their infants on a global impression of change scale. As well, 95% (n = 475) reported feeling that the care was cost-effective, and 90.9% (n = 712) rated their satisfaction 8 or higher on an 11-point scale. Minor self-limiting side effects were reported (5.8%, n = 42/727) but no adverse events. (Miller et al, 2019)
Chiropractic care carries low risk for children because chiropractors are trained to suitably modify techniques to suit the child’s age, muscle development and presentation. These are gentle and precise procedures.
Regular Chiropractic Treatment Will Help You In All These Areas
Pain Relief & Management
Mobility
