The most prevailing basis for visits to a pediatrician is earache. More than 70 percent of children will have had at least one earache by the age of three, and approximately one-third will have had three or more earache occurrences. What you might not know, however, is that earache is also the most general occurrence for children under the age of five years to be brought to the chiropractor’s office.
How Chiropractic Care Relates to Earache and Ear Infections
A pediatrician who thinks that a child with an earache has a middle ear infection will generally prescribe antibiotics as a standard course of treatment. Advanced research, however, has concluded that this is often misguided. The basis for the child’s middle ear infection may not be due to bacteria, and because antibiotics are only effective against bacterial pathogens, many times there will be no positive reaction. The reason for this is that numerous cases of middle ear infection can be caused by a virus, and viruses do not respond to antibiotics. This may be the reason why children develop chronic ear infections.
One of the intentions of a Honolulu chiropractor is to determine whether or not the body’s ineffectiveness in combatting the earache or ear infection is generated by inflamation of the small nerves in the spine (called free nerve endings).
An aberrant tension in the small muscles of the neck is produced when these nerve endings are irritated. This muscle tension can produce pressure on the lymphatic drainage ducts resulting in inadequate drainage from inside the ear, thereby stopping the body from being able to naturally correct the problem. Furthermore, balance can also be affected.
Diagnosis by a chiropractor of such a problem is made by the discovery of increased tension in the neck and paraspinal muscles. Normally more tension is felt on the side of earache. In addition, the chiropractor will check to see which spinal vertebrae are either slightly out of alignment or not moving within their normal range. There are many reasons for such aproblem due to the many bangs, jolts, and falls most children encounter growing up. Restoration of normal lymph drainage is normally accomplished with a short course of treatments that include spinal adjustments and manipulation of the neck muscles. If your child is struggling with an earache or an ear infection, call your Honolulu chiropractor as soon as possible.
Advanced Research and Guidelines
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ear infection, the most widespread childhood illness after the common cold, accounts for nearly 30 million doctor visits each year. Furthermore, at least 6 million courses of antibiotics are causelessly prescribed for the problem.Just recently, 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 emphasizes 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.”