Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) are one of the largest paramedical professions on the planet. They are highly educated (with a minimum of seven years of academic schooling) and are a well-regulated, portal of entry (meaning no referral necessary), registered health profession. They are thoroughly trained in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of the neuromusculoskeletal (NMSK) system. (That is a fancy way of saying they are health experts for bones, joints, and soft tissues likes muscles.)
It is no wonder so many families include chiropractors as part of their healthcare team. There is a growing number of parents who are seeking complementary and conservative forms of health care for themselves and for their children1,2,3,4,5. The amount of information out there to navigate through when making healthcare decisions for your family can be quite overwhelming! We want to make life easier for you.
Chiropractic care is a safe treatment option for all ages.
There have been several large review studies verifying the safety of chiropractic care for children of all ages6,7,8,9. All manual therapy techniques and home care recommendations for children are modified to appropriately meet the physical needs of the developmental stage that little body is in. For example, the amount of force used to adjust an infant is often compared to the amount of pressure you would use to test a ripe tomato at the grocery store10. (Those of you with kids know that they are certainly able to withstand a lot more of a squish than that!) Catering care in this way requires a working understanding of the anatomy as it grows and changes over time. This is one reason why choosing a chiropractor who focuses on or has completed additional training in pediatric care is often recommended.
Chiropractors have been helping care for kids for over 100 years. At AltaVie, all of our DCs have taken extensive course work to advance their understanding and application of NMSK care for infants and children. We do our best to stay up to date and evidence-based as we strive to address the specific physical needs of this special population.
We are honoured that you trust us to care for your most precious little ones. We will do our best to explain absolutely everything that we are doing in a way that you understand. Always feel free to bring up any concerns and questions; we want you to have 100% confidence that we are providing the utmost of care for your kids. If our office is not the best fit for your specific care, we will be quick to connect you where you need to be. We have very good working relationships with a multitude of incredible professionals in the Okanagan and we play well with others.
Pediatric Chiropractic Care in Kelowna for kids is different… because kids are different!
Although the basic premise for chiropractic care is the same whether the patient is 80-years-old or 8-minutes-old, the ever-growing and ever-changing active little bodies of children have distinct needs. Although our care is essentially applied understanding of anatomy at any time of life, chiropractic care for infants and children looks very different than that for adults, both in treatment techniques and responses. Generally, we find that children respond much faster and more profoundly to chiropractic care than adults do.
Another major difference is that pain is often not a primary complaint. This can make it more difficult for parents to know when their child may benefit from a visit with their chiropractor. There are certain “clues” that parents can watch for to gain more understanding in this area, such as postural changes, only wanting to breastfeed from one side, being off-balance or suddenly clumsy, always tilting their head to one side, refusing to roll one direction, or running with a limp. Remember, chiropractors are healthcare professionals trained in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of the neuromusculoskeletal system. That means we support the health of the bones, joints, muscles, and nerves of the whole body, whether it is full-size or still growing. We are here to help, whether for headaches and pain complaints, trauma checks, gross motor development, early feeding struggles related to biomechanics, or something more subtle.
As mentioned above, the amount of force used and the specific techniques utilized will vary depending on the unique needs of an individual kid and what stage of development they are currently in. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to chiropractic care of infants and children! Depending not the presenting patient and their goals, chiropractic care at AltaVie may include a blend manual therapy (adjustments, soft tissue treatments), craniosacral therapy (CST), kinesiology taping, life style modifications, home care recommendations, exercise rehab, clinical nutrition, and health education. One aspect of care that is the same for children and adults is that you are going to be involved!