Chiropractor Rockville, MD 

As chiropractic treatment gains prominence, parents who feel they have benefitted may be eager for their children to start reaping the advantages of chiropractic treatment. However, chiropractic adjustments for children are controversial, especially in the medical community.

A pediatrician is unlikely to recommend chiropractic treatment for children and may even actively advise against it. This likely has to do with seeing patients and hearing stories from other doctors about patients who came to harm as a result of receiving adjustments from chiropractors who were not fully qualified or completely honest about what the treatment was meant to accomplish.

Additionally, it is only within the last 10 years or so that scientific studies demonstrating the safety and efficacy of chiropractic adjustment have been published. Therefore, medical doctors who are not aware of the current literature are likely to dismiss chiropractic as a placebo effect, faith healing, or other forms of quackery.

Essentially, chiropractic treatment for kids is safe as long as it is performed by a highly trained and accredited doctor of chiropractic. Scientific studies have clearly demonstrated that injuries or adverse effects of chiropractic adjustment on children are extremely rare. Those that have occurred often happened in the presence of an underlying medical condition.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your child should receive chiropractic care. Here are some guidelines to follow.

1. Chiropractic Should Only Occur on a Symptomatic Child

If your child has pain or another clinical indication, such as limping or leg length discrepancy, a chiropractic adjustment may be appropriate. However, preventative care should be deferred until adolescence or adulthood.

2. Chiropractic Should Only Address Musculoskeletal Issues

Some chiropractors claim that chiropractic treatment is effective on a wide range of childhood maladies, such as tonsilitis, stuttering, sleep disturbances, respiratory infections, autism, and ADHD. However, there is currently no scientific evidence to back up these claims. Chiropractic treatment is proven effective on musculoskeletal complaints, and your child should not receive chiropractic care for anything else.

3. Chiropractors Should Not Give Medical Advice

More specifically, a chiropractor should not advise you on a medical issue outside his or her area of expertise. For example, some chiropractors, though not all, advise parents against vaccinating their children against communicable diseases, which is not only irresponsible but dangerous for the children. If you receive questionable medical advice from a doctor of chiropractic, either find a new chiropractor or discontinue care for your child.

The field of chiropractics is like any other: Not all practitioners are highly skilled, well-trained, or trustworthy, but you should not judge the many that are by the few that are not. At the same time, however, it is important to do your due diligence to ensure your child receives appropriate care. Contact chiropractor in Rockville, MD for more information.

Contact Pain Arthritis Relief Center for their insight into chiropractic care for children.