Chiropractic care consists of diagnosis of misalignments of the spine and correction of the same by exerting force or pressure on the spine. In case of children, the pressure used is very slight compared to the strong manipulation applied for adults.

It is believed that subluxations or misalignments of the spine may happen during the process of childbirth or when small children fall or tumble. Misalignments may also happen during normal activities. If left untreated, these misalignments can constrict or irritate nerves which result in disruption of functions of the body. Chiropractic adjustments can help restore the standard functioning of your nervous system, helping the body to heal itself, without any medicines or surgery.

Ear infections and chiropractic care

Ear pain is a common problem among children. 35% of visits to pediatrics are because of ear infections, or otitis media, and there are nearly 10 million new cases of ear infection in children annually. Generally, nearly 50% children suffer from ear infection at least once before they turn one, and more than 60% children suffer from ear infection at least once before they turn 3. The infection may cause pain in the ear, fever or irritability. The infection may be result of some other ailment like a cold. Chronic ear infection can also result in permanent damage to the child’s hearing and cause related problems in speech and normal development of the child.

Generally antibiotics are given for otitis media. It is not effective all the time and could be the reason for another ear infection. With the ear infection repeating itself frequently, many children are on antibiotics almost all the time, and that too, without much relief.

Repeated ear infections also account for second highest number of surgeries performed on children below 2 years of age. The treatment is effective but anesthesia for such a small child can be a major cause of concern for parents.

In the opinion of chiropractors, the root of recurrent ear infection, or otitis media, can be traced to birthing process. It may so happen that the neck vertebrae might get misaligned during the process of birthing. This can hamper nerve function and affect the Eustachian tube, resulting in fluid coagulation in the middle ear and cause the ear infection. It has been almost a century now that chiropractors claim that chiropractic adjustments can successfully cure ear infections and upper respiratory infections.

The Journal of Chiropractic Pediatrics carried a study which showed a strong association between chiropractic care and treatment of ear infections. More than 300 children, who had chronic ear infections, were given chiropractic adjustments. Some children were as young as 27 days while some were 5 years old. The children were required to take treatments and continue with follow-up visits every few weeks. It was observed that nearly 80% of the children did not have another episode of ear infection within six months of initial visits.

According to Joan M. Fallon, who treated the children and authored the study, this study could prove to be the beginning of accepting chiropractic care for ear infections in children. More clinical trials, carried out on a larger scale, could help establish the effectiveness of chiropractic care for recurrent ear infections in children.

Do you need to worry about side effects?

Though sufficient data is not available to determine the efficacy of chiropractic treatment for children, the simple fact that there are no drugs or invasive procedures involved in the therapy is enough to make you understand there is no fear of side effects with chiropractic treatment.

Any severe side effects from spinal adjustments are quite unheard of and the risk of complications from spinal adjustments is very low. If your child is suffering from chronic ear infections, you can try chiropractic therapy to help your child. Make sure you find a trained and licensed chiropractic to treat your child.