Chiropractor for LO?

MrMrsandBaby · October 2012

Have any of you taken your LO to the chiro? One of my friends recommended it to me for Allison's ear infections. Just wondering if any of you use one.

boilerup227 · October 2012

Personally, I've always been leery of chiropractors myself. However, I have heard great things from many people about using chiros for LOs with reflux. I have friends that rave about the improvements seen in their babes. It may be worth a shot!

CluckyEV · October 2012

DS has been seeing a chiro since he was 17 hours old. He has not had any of the "typical" baby illnesses or sleep problems.

frasey · October 2012

I too am leery of that whole field, but DH's fam swears by them. Ive never been, but I guess I would try it with DD if nothing else worked.

sooner1981 · October 2012

Please, please don't take your LO to a chiropractor. Chiros are dangerous enough for adults, but for children they can be deadly because their spines have not ossified. Our state children's hospital sees about 1 to 3 strokes a month in children caused by vascular interuptions in the cervical spine from chiropractic manipulations. There is literally zero evidence that they can do anything to help reflux or anything else, other than possibly muscular pain in the back. The whole concept of subluxations is just hocus pocus; just an attempt to get your hard earned money from your pocketbook by claiming that spinal manipulations can cure everything from allergies to cancer, real claims made by local chiropractors in our city. Just please be careful. Spinal manipulations can cause strokes because chiropractors turn tiny necks further than they naturally are supposed to turn, and their bones essentially "pinch" blood veins, causing interruptions of oxygen to the brain. The only positive is that you may feel a rush of endorphins from the combination of muscle massage and a placebo effect. The negative is possible internal decapitation or massive stroke. Not worth it, in my humble opinion.

CluckyEV · October 2012

sooner1981:
Please, please don't take your LO to a chiropractor. Chiros are dangerous enough for adults, but for children they can be deadly because their spines have not ossified. Our state children's hospital sees about 1 to 3 strokes a month in children caused by vascular interuptions in the cervical spine from chiropractic manipulations. There is literally zero evidence that they can do anything to help reflux or anything else, other than possibly muscular pain in the back. The whole concept of subluxations is just hocus pocus; just an attempt to get your hard earned money from your pocketbook by claiming that spinal manipulations can cure everything from allergies to cancer, real claims made by local chiropractors in our city. Just please be careful. Spinal manipulations can cause strokes because chiropractors turn tiny necks further than they naturally are supposed to turn, and their bones essentially "pinch" blood veins, causing interruptions of oxygen to the brain. The only positive is that you may feel a rush of endorphins from the combination of muscle massage and a placebo effect. The negative is possible internal decapitation or massive stroke. Not worth it, in my humble opinion.

Any chiro worth a darn, does not "turn tiny necks further than they naturally are supposed to turn". A chiro specializing in children or babies does not manipulate in such a manner. But you must have first hand experience.

sooner1981 · October 2012

Also, I just noticed that you were concerned with ear infections. There is literally nothing that anyone can do to "manipulate" her ear drum or the inner ear bones. And if you saw how tiny and fragile the bones are that make up the ear, you would certainly never want anyone to "try" to do anything to mess with them. The problem with baby ears is that the tube running from the inner ear to the outer ear to drain is virtually vertical, instead of running slightly downward. As she gets older, it will start to slope down, but until it does, fluid easily"backs up" in the tube, causing kids to have frequent ear infections. As a kid, I used to have 2 to 3 ear infections a year, and I haven't had any since high school. Ear infections in kids are not a sign of something that needs to be corrected. It is just a natural occurrence that will get better through time. If she keeps getting them, she can get ear tubes, which solve the problem entirely and last until she is old enough for her canals start sloping downwards on their own.

And, in response to the prior poster, I haven't taken my daughter to a chiropractor ever and she has never had to go to the doctor for illness. Anecdotal evidence is insufficient to say that your LOs chiropractic treatments did anything other than pay for a couple golf games for your chiro. Seriously, it is disgusting to me that chiros offer to adjust infants, knowing how many kids are hurt by chiro care every year.

KatelynEA90 · October 2012

Personally, a chiro would be a last resort for LO.
I go to a chiro though. If you chose one, chose carefully. Some are complete quacks.

I disagree with sooner. I had a rib out of place after delivering LO. I had a chiro adjust it. Putting a rib back in place is not a placebo.

My BIL was in a car accident and was in physical therapy for months. It didn't work and they wanted to do surgery on his spine. He decided to see a chiro first, he's fine now. He no longer has pain or sees a chiro anymore.

MrMrsandBaby · October 2012

I went to one for years stopped when we changed insurance and loved it. I'm all for chiropractic care but hadn't heard of it for ear infections.

Sorry sooner, I am a believer but think I will ask my pediatrician her opinion too before making a decision.

Thanks ladies!

sooner1981 · October 2012

In my first post, I said that they could do basic "massage like" care. And I had a medical doctor once post a rib back in place that was dislocated in college, so I don't doubt that your dislocated rib was fixed just fine by your chiro.

But, I stand by my previous claim that parents who allow chiropractors to manipulate their infants' necks really need to reexamine why they are doing that and what they are hoping to accomplish. Babies are perfect and don't need spinal procedures to keep them healthy. The risks are huge. It is the absolute truth that 1 to 3 kiddos each month on average go to our childrens hospital with serious complications due to chiro care. True, not all children are harmed who receive care. But, considering that infants can't really get any benefits from chiro care, the risks seem too big for my taste!

sooner1981 · October 2012

MrMrsandBaby:
I went to one for years stopped when we changed insurance and loved it. I'm all for chiropractic care but hadn't heard of it for ear infections.

Sorry sooner, I am a believer but think I will ask my pediatrician her opinion too before making a decision.

Thanks ladies!

Hey, don't apologize! If you felt better after going to a chiropractor, then it worked for you. But, there are substantial differences between the stresses an adult body can withstand and those that a baby can withstand. And my husband has just seen and heard of too many tragedies caused by totally unecessary "adjustments" supposedly to cure ear infections, cancer, genetic disorders, etc. All those claims are pure snake oil, even though I do agree that chrios can make muscular pain better, just like massage therapists can.

thanxbaby · October 2012

DS is getting cranialsacral therapy now after having his tongue and lip tie released. Some pediatric chiros are trained in this therapy, but we went with someone specifically trained in CST. I was skeptical at first but the more I learn the more it all makes since. Having his tongue and lip restricted created tension in his jaw and other parts of the body, this therapy is to help release the tension. Its all very gentle but I noticed a difference after the first session, DS was able to open his mouth wider and latch better while nursing.

Shawnee11507 · October 2012

I also disagree with Sooner, however, I think you should choose your Chiro carefully.

I love the Chiropractor. I have two herniated discs and two bulging discs in my neck and chronic muscle spasm in my lower back. Without Chiro care I would likely need pain meds on the regular. I use nothing but Advil now and then. A few weeks ago my neck got out of whack. I woke up one morning and couldn't even turn my head or look down. Two trips to the Chiro and I was back to feeling like normal.

I also don't believe subluxations are hocus pocus at all. My chiro takes x-rays. I could see it for myself. My neck was turned 110 degrees in the wrong direction (from leaning down looking at my computer all the time). After 3 months, it has improved 60%. Hopefully in 3 more months I will be 100%.

I took LO to the Chiro from 4 to 8 months because he had signs of Torticollis. The pedi said that they didn't think it was Torticollis because he still could turn his head to the right (he liked to look left), they thought he just preferred to look left. It worried me because he looked left 90% of the day and would only sleep with his head turned left and was developing a flat spot. Within 6-8 weeks of Chiro care, he was looking both ways evenly and sleeping with his head turned left and right. I am also glad I went because I had a c-section and I read an article there and saw a picture of how they remove a baby from your stomach via c-section- by pulling the head and neck! I'm glad he's been checked. The Chiro doesn't twist my LOs neck or anything like they do to adults, they use gentle massage manipulation.

jju_stb_jju · October 2012

I was wondering, does your lo take a bottle or is she ebf? And of she takes a bottle, does she lay flat when drinking it or quickly goes to sleep after finishing a bottle? Only reason I ask is cause my pedi mentioned to us not to feed ds a bottle while he lays flat, to also hold him at an angle, and never feed him and just lay him down, to give it a couple of minutes to go down, and its to keep him from getting ear infections. I must say it must be working cause, fingers crossed I'm not jinxing myself, but ds has not had an ear infection so far. Not sure if its true it works but I could say for us it has.

Jen0204 · November 2012

I'm very leery of the whole field, which is awkward because a good friend of mine is a chiropractor. I know so many people who have had negative experiences and only a few who had positive ones. Per my friend's recommendation I went to a colleague of hers to have some adjustments and a month after the adjustments somehow got a herniated disc. I've never had that kind of an issue before and had no change at all in my exercise routine or physical activities. I asked her if it was possible that the adjustments made me weaker and she said that in order for the treatments to cntinue to be effective you have to get adjusted at least once a week. Really?! Insurance only covers 20 sessions and with a $35 copay each time I'm supposed to pay $140/month for this?

She wanted to adjust the girls in the hospital and I said no. She's asked a few times since and I've just said no thanks. She has very different philosophies about medical care and treatment then I do - she's anti-vaccination, told me during my pregnancy that she didn't agree with me having so many ultrasounds, is anti-medicine unless its a severe case, etc. She works for a big chiropractic practice and they don't even offer health insurance, which I found very odd. It seems to me like they don't really want to be a part of the medical community and consider themselves more of alternative medicine.

While I realize that adjustments for babies and children are MUCH different then adjustments for adults I've been adjusted many times by 4 different chiropractors and its a rough thing. Yes, they are gentler on babies, but considering that babies are so much smaller and their bodies are still developing I have to wonder if the feeling of being adjusted is similar for them. If there was more research done on chiropractic care for babies and it was considered a routine treatment by the medical community at large then I would consider it. But I'm also one who believes in the medical community and vaccinated per the recommended schedule, has done CIO and generally goes with doctor's recommendations (especially now that we found a doctor that we like!). For parents with a different philosophy who believe In a more homeopathic approach I can certainly understand the appeal of trying this because from a quick google search they seem to say they can fix everything from colic to chronic ear infections. It just seems very risky to me because you can't do research yourself. When we weren't comfortable with our last doctor every time he made a suggestion or prescribed medicine I could go online and do research and make sure that it was a good recommendation and that the prescription was appropriate and safe, so I could doubt check their care. With a chiropractor you can't do that so if you get a bad one it could be very dangerous, as Sooner said.

MrMrsandBaby · November 2012

jju_stb_jju:
I was wondering, does your lo take a bottle or is she ebf? And of she takes a bottle, does she lay flat when drinking it or quickly goes to sleep after finishing a bottle? Only reason I ask is cause my pedi mentioned to us not to feed ds a bottle while he lays flat, to also hold him at an angle, and never feed him and just lay him down, to give it a couple of minutes to go down, and its to keep him from getting ear infections. I must say it must be working cause, fingers crossed I'm not jinxing myself, but ds has not had an ear infection so far. Not sure if its true it works but I could say for us it has.

She takes a bottle and is almost sitting up when she does...and doesn't take one before naps/bed so that isn't the issue...I wish it was something simple!

We would totally be careful about who we pick, with all the research we did on car seats I can't imagine we wouldn't do just as much on this.

NatesLady1309 · November 2012

CluckyEV:
sooner1981:
Please, please don't take your LO to a chiropractor. Chiros are dangerous enough for adults, but for children they can be deadly because their spines have not ossified. Our state children's hospital sees about 1 to 3 strokes a month in children caused by vascular interuptions in the cervical spine from chiropractic manipulations. There is literally zero evidence that they can do anything to help reflux or anything else, other than possibly muscular pain in the back. The whole concept of subluxations is just hocus pocus; just an attempt to get your hard earned money from your pocketbook by claiming that spinal manipulations can cure everything from allergies to cancer, real claims made by local chiropractors in our city. Just please be careful. Spinal manipulations can cause strokes because chiropractors turn tiny necks further than they naturally are supposed to turn, and their bones essentially "pinch" blood veins, causing interruptions of oxygen to the brain. The only positive is that you may feel a rush of endorphins from the combination of muscle massage and a placebo effect. The negative is possible internal decapitation or massive stroke. Not worth it, in my humble opinion.
Any chiro worth a darn, does not "turn tiny necks further than they naturally are supposed to turn". A chiro specializing in children or babies does not manipulate in such a manner. But you must have first hand experience.

Agreed. If we could afford to go on a regular basis, I would be taking the whole family, and I would have had DD adjusted while still in the hospital. I am confident she would benefit from it.

sooner1981 · November 2012

NatesLady1309:
CluckyEV:

sooner1981:
Please, please don't take your LO to a chiropractor. Chiros are dangerous enough for adults, but for children they can be deadly because their spines have not ossified. Our state children's hospital sees about 1 to 3 strokes a month in children caused by vascular interuptions in the cervical spine from chiropractic manipulations. There is literally zero evidence that they can do anything to help reflux or anything else, other than possibly muscular pain in the back. The whole concept of subluxations is just hocus pocus; just an attempt to get your hard earned money from your pocketbook by claiming that spinal manipulations can cure everything from allergies to cancer, real claims made by local chiropractors in our city. Just please be careful. Spinal manipulations can cause strokes because chiropractors turn tiny necks further than they naturally are supposed to turn, and their bones essentially "pinch" blood veins, causing interruptions of oxygen to the brain. The only positive is that you may feel a rush of endorphins from the combination of muscle massage and a placebo effect. The negative is possible internal decapitation or massive stroke. Not worth it, in my humble opinion.

Any chiro worth a darn, does not "turn tiny necks further than they naturally are supposed to turn". A chiro specializing in children or babies does not manipulate in such a manner. But you must have first hand experience.

Agreed. If we could afford to go on a regular basis, I would be taking the whole family, and I would have had DD adjusted while still in the hospital. I am confident she would benefit from it.

What do you base these "benefits" on? There is no science suggesting that chiros can cure allergies, ear infections, cancer or anything else they purport to treat. And kids have survived and thrived for thousands of years of births without having some person come and manipulate their spines/necks after birth. This is one area where I believe that nature got it right and we shouldn't be monkeying around with such delicate areas of a child's body. Especially when kids present to hospitals with serious injuries from chiropractors every month.

Chiropractor for LO?

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