Pediatric Care

From infants to adolescents, children have particular needs. We help developing bodies adapt to each new stage of growth.

Close up of infant baby feet.
GENTLE, PROVEN CARE...

For Infants.​

Heads, necks, ears, and nerves.

These are just some of the particular needs of infants that we can address with our gentle, proven care.

Skull Shape

The human skull is not a single solid bone. It is two parts that grow independently in the womb: the face and the cranium. Even the cranium is made up of eight separate bones. In adults, these bones are joined at sutures. In newborns, the bones are separated by areas of connective tissue known as fontanelles or “soft spots” that allow for much greater movement, a crucial factor during birth. We can assess your infant’s skull shape and provide recommendations for proper growth and alignment, maintaining symmetry and preventing the need for a shaping helmet after birth.

Torticollis

Torticollis, or wry neck, is a condition where muscles on one side of the neck, especially the sternocleidomastoid, or SCM, are constantly contracted or spasmed, causing the head to tilt or rotate to one side or to extend backward. While the exact cause of torticollis is unknown, it has been shown to respond especially well to correcting misalignments of the upper cervical spine. Torticollis can be congenital or develop over time. It is often associated with a traumatic birth. If you notice that your baby is experiencing symptoms of torticollis, come in for care.

Earaches

When the upper cervical spine is misaligned, the surrounding structures are often affected. This includes those of the inner ear. If your child is experiencing frequent earaches or ear infections, come in to see us. Misalignments often create pressure on the left or right side of the tissue surrounding the Eustachian tube. This pressure can “kink” the tube, similar to kinking a garden hose, and prevent proper drainage of the inner ear. While it does not replace medical care, our noninvasive NUCCA approach could save you and your child the trouble of costly and uncomfortable surgeries.

Colic and Constipation

Colic, a catch-all term for extreme fussiness and crying not associated with hunger, is a digestive issue related to the function of your infant’s nervous system. Nerves from the spinal cord innervating an infant’s bowels can become irritated and create problems like constipation and gas. We can check for misalignments of your infant’s spine that might be the cause of that nerve irritation and can make adjustments that may relieve your infant’s crying. We can also recommend dietary changes, including eliminating dairy from both the baby’s and the mother’s diet.

Happy toddler
GENTLE, PROVEN CARE...

For Toddlers.

Toddlers have their particular needs. Their bones are growing and developing. Our gentle, proven care can help make sure that they are growing and developing well. Toddlers are also recklessly learning to walk. We can give you a safety net.

Healthy Spinal Curves

There are four normal curves to your spine: lordosis (curving in) of the cervical spine in your neck, kyphosis (curving out) of the thoracic spine in your upper and middle back, another lordosis of the lumbar spine in your lower back, and another kyphosis of the sacrum in your pelvis. Our NUCCA care makes sure that these curves develop normally while your child’s bones are still growing and prevents postural abnormalities later in life. Have your child stand sideways and see if his or her ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle line up vertically. If they don’t line up, come in for care.

Crawling-to-Walking Falls

Your child's transition from crawling to standing to walking is an exciting time. Sometimes the excitement is wholly joyful. But other times the excitement is mixed with worry. As your toddler starts to move upright, there is more risk of falls and tumbles. These falls and tumbles are usually harmless learning experiences, but a bump to the head or a hard fall on the tailbone might legitimately concern you. We can assess if a particularly hard fall has affected your child's spine and nervous system and can provide gentle corrections as necessary using our NUCCA care.

Bone Growth and Development

Many people think that bones are just nonliving minerals holding our bodies upright. But bones are alive! They are composed of living cells that encase themselves in mineral layers. Some bones contain a significant amount of bone marrow, the tissue that creates blood cells. Bones grow rapidly during childhood, so it is important that your child gets the nutrition that he or she needs. Most parents know that calcium is essential for strong and healthy bones, but they often overlook other nutrients that play a vital role in bone health. We can help.

Cute child
GENTLE, PROVEN CARE...

For Children Ages 3–9.

A new season of growth means seasonal checkups to make sure that your child develops in a healthy, balanced way. And starting sports activities means new potential for injury. We can help with that too.

Seasonal Checkups

The human body has an amazing capacity for self-healing, which is never more evident than in children. During this stage of your child's development, we usually recommend a schedule of seasonal checkups to ensure that your child’s nervous system is healthy and balanced. Once every three months, we will check to make sure that everything is developing as it should. If anything is not in balance, we can help your child’s body return to healthy development.

Sports Injuries

Children at this age often start to engage in sports, and that can mean sports injuries. While we do not treat fractures, concussions, or other injuries that require medical treatment, our NUCCA care can complement medical treatment and speed up the self-healing process. We have also seen an increase in spinal and joint-related injuries due to children starting competitive athletics too soon. We recommend that children at this age just have good fun rather than compete hard.

School boy posing a backpack
GENTLE, PROVEN CARE...

For Children Ages 10–12.

Children of this age have to be screened for scoliosis and checked for the numerous posture problems caused by today’s constantly used screens. If their attention, concentration, or balance seems off, we might be able to help with that too.

Scoliosis

As the growth spurts of puberty hit, you have to make sure that your child’s musculature can adapt to their rapidly growing frame. One possible consequence of an inability to adapt is adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. While schools provide basic scoliosis screenings, your child’s spine should be assessed by a licensed professional to determine if they are at risk for developing abnormal spinal curves. If your child is already experiencing patterns of scoliosis, our NUCCA care can slow its progression. We will provide a free and thorough scoliosis screening for your child.

Attention and Concentration

In the pre-teen years, children sometimes develop difficulties with attention and concentration. While you should never stop a prescription without consulting your medical doctor, there are alternatives to medication for children who have trouble focusing. A common cause of poor concentration is the aches and pains of a spinal misalignment. When balance is restored, a child can often focus better. Some children are simply overstimulated by toxins in their diet. Eliminating refined sugar and caffeine, for example, could significantly improve your child’s concentration.

Balance

The physical awkwardness we sometimes associate with the preteen and early teenage years is actually due to the body’s inability to adapt to the rapid growth of the skeletal system. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments that help us move and maintain our upright posture contain tiny sensors called proprioceptors. These sensors tell our brains where our body is in space. With the growth spurts of puberty, these sensors are quickly stretched to new locations. We can help your child’s nervous system by removing as much interference with the nerves’ natural communication as possible

Posture

Although the days of carrying around backpacks filled with heavy textbooks are on the wane, the much lighter electronic devices that we carry around today bring new problems. Phones, laptops, and other screens have given today’s young people a variety of posture problems, with names like “text neck” and “turtle posture,” that we frequently see in our practice. To treat these posture problems, we provide gentle alignments to help the body maintain good posture, and we prescribe specific exercises designed to stretch and strengthen the muscles that will help your child stand tall.

Teenagers Going to School
GENTLE, PROVEN CARE...

For Teenagers.

As teenagers commit themselves even more to sports, and learn to drive a car, their strength, freedom, and risk of injury increases. There might be migraines and headaches during these years too.

Sports Microtrauma

Teenagers are often involved in one or two sports. While this builds strength and endurance and develops teamwork, it can take a toll on still-growing bodies, particularly in highly competitive sports programs or sports with repetitive unilateral motions such as baseball, tennis, and golf. Rather than the big injuries often seen in impact sports like football, wrestling, and lacrosse, these sports can do damage to the body through what is called microtrauma. The small repetitive motions progressively stress developing tendons and ligaments. Eventually, the tissue can no longer withstand the stress, and it gives way to overuse injury and disability. We can regularly check for misalignments that could worsen these conditions.

Migraines and Headaches

Hormonal changes during puberty, combined with stress, can cause some teenagers to experience painful and consistent headaches or even migraines. Although migraines have long been thought to be related to blood vessels, research is showing that the underlying cause is more likely dysfunction in the nervous system, especially in the brain stem and spinal cord. If your child is experiencing symptoms like throbbing headaches, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, or other signs of chronic headaches, come in for care and we will check for upper cervical misalignments that might be putting pressure on your child’s brain stem and affecting the healthy, balanced function of his or her nervous system.

Auto Accidents

As teenagers begin to experience the freedom and responsibility of driving, accidents will happen, no matter how hard you as a parent try to ensure their safety. Be sure to have your teen drivers and any loved ones in the car checked by us after any automobile accident that occurs at speeds over 10 miles per hour. A rule of thumb is that if there was damage to the car, it is highly likely that damage was done to the spine. Just as you make a call to the insurance company and have an expert assess your car’s damage, come see us and our experts will assess the far-more-precious health of your teenager’s spine and nervous system. We will also work with your insurance company to help you get reimbursed for the care.

APPOINTMENTS

Here For You.

Let’s work together to see what a difference a well-balanced life can make! Make an appointment with us today, and we will see how we can help you reduce pain, increase life, and bring balance back.