How Your Chiropractor Can Help with Your Child's Earaches and Ear Infections
Earache is the most common purpose for office visits to pediatricians. More than 70 percent of children will have had at least one earache by the age of three, and nearly one-third will have had three or more earache occurrences. But, what might be unexpected is that earache is also the most common occurrence for children under the age of five years to be escorted by parents to the chiropractor’s office.
How Chiropractic Care Relates to Earache and Ear Infections
A pediatrician who determines that a child with an earache has a middle ear infection will normally prescribe antibiotics as a standard course of treatment. Advanced analysis, however, has determined that such practices are often ill-advised. Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial pathogens, and due to the fact that the child’s middle ear infection may be produced by a virus, antibiotics are ineffectual. This may be the reason for a child’s chronic ear infections.
One of a number of evaluations that a chiropractor can make is whether the earache or ear infection is caused by inflamation of the small nerves in the spine, called free nerve endings.
When these nerve endings are inflamed, an abnormal tension is generated in the small muscles of the neck. This muscle tension can place pressure on the lymphatic drainage ducts resulting in inadequate drainage from inside the ear, hence preventing the body from its ability to naturally fix the problem. Furthermore, balance can also be affected.
Inadequate drainage of lymphatic ducts can be identifed by a chiropractor if there is more tension in the neck and paraspinal muscles on the side with the earache. The chiropractor also looks for spinal vertebrae that are either moderately out of alignment or are not moving within their normal range. There are a variety of reasons for such acondition as the result of the many bangs, jolts, and falls the majority of children encounter growing up. Restoration of normal lymph drainage is most often accomplished with a short course of treatments that include spinal adjustments and manipulation of the neck muscles. If your child is experiencing the pain of an earache or an ear infection, contact your chiropractor as soon as possible.
Advanced Research and Guidelines
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ear infection, the most widespread childhood sickness after the common cold, accounts for nearly 30 million doctor visits every year. Furthermore, at least 6 million courses of antibiotics are causelessly prescribed for the problem.Not too long ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new guidelines for treating pediatric ear inflammation, and specifically recommended a period of “watchful waiting” since, in many cases, infections clear up on their own, without medication.
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) endorses the AAP on the guidelines and underlines that chiropractic care is a “good first option” for treating ear infection conservatively. “Doctors of chiropractic have been treating children for decades with great success – helping them to avoid painful ear infections, antibiotic overuse and resistance, and ear tube surgery,” said ACA President Donald Krippendorf, DC. “Particularly when dealing with young children, drugs and surgery should be an absolute last resort.”
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