Paediatric Chiropractic in
Ottawa, Downtown Ottawa, Orleans and Stittsville

Many families and kids visit our clinics regularly. It is critical for young, growing spines and nervous systems to be properly aligned. Our goal is to help them grow in the right direction.

Misalignments Occur Early in Life

The birth process has the potential to cause misalignment in many kids. Our team is passionate about seeing newborns and children grow to meet the full potential of their health. Many children come to our paediatric chiropractic clinic for maintenance and prevention. Though your child likely doesn’t yet feel any symptoms, their spines face many challenges.

These difficulties can start from the birth process and continue through learning to roll, crawl, and walk as infants, to tumbling out of trees, falling off bicycles, and other injuries. Sports are a major source of potential spinal misalignments, whether from more obvious contact sports like hockey, football, and soccer, or sports associated with repetitive strain, such as ballet or gymnastics.

Another serious concern many parents have is for their children’s posture. Without the right posture, activities and habits such as watching TV, reading, playing video games and using computers and smartphones create lots of long-term stress on the spine. If left uncorrected, these causes of spinal misalignment can lead to a spine that is growing in the wrong position, compromising the nervous system housed inside.

FAQ

Is paediatric chiropractic care safe?

Paediatric chiropractic care is tailored to the specific needs of children, and is both gentle and safe. Our chiropractors adjust their spines using a special low-force method. The chiropractic techniques used when adjusting infants are so gentle that infants sometimes sleep through their entire adjustment! We take a special interest in adjusting children and have taken advanced training in infant and paediatric care.

How much care will my child need?

Children respond very quickly to chiropractic care. Much faster, in fact, than adults do! Children tend to have many fewer years of damage and stress to their bodies. The amount of care needed will depend on your child’s unique situation. After your first appointment where we do a thorough history and examination, we will recommend a specific plan and walk through the outline of that plan with you.

Will my child require a chiropractor for the rest of their life?

The choice is always yours! Many parents choose to keep their children in regular paediatric chiropractic care to ensure their spine keeps developing properly. This is a proactive approach to healthcare. The reality is that whatever stresses and traumas have happened to their spine in the past may continue to happen in the future through sports, injuries, or poor posture—staying on top of it is a great way to prevent long-term problems.

Why would I bring my child to a chiropractor?

Our chiropractors use a combination of gentle spinal adjustments, craniosacral therapy, gentle limb mobilizations, and neurosensory integration to address joint dysfunction and restore brain-body communication for your child. All adjustments are modified depending on your child’s developmental stage and their specific needs. Baby chiropractors address your infant’s neuro-musculoskeletal system (nerves, muscles and bones).

Problems with this system sometimes seem disconnected from your child’s symptoms. But as we resolve the physical issues, we often see an improvement in the body’s ability to heal and self-regulate. These improvements are seen most dramatically in children and infants who may not be able to express their discomfort in any way other than crying, fussing, and outbursts. We will analyze, explain, and address any spinal dysfunctions in your child’s system.

The most common reasons that parents bring their children to the paediatric chiropractor include:

  • Asthma and allergies
  • Back and neck pain
  • Colic
  • Constipation
  • Ear infections
  • Frequent colds
  • Fussy babies
  • Growing pains
  • Head tilt/torticollis
  • Headaches
  • Hyperactivity
  • Nursing difficulties
  • Poor sleep
  • Sports injuries

Can paediatric chiropractic help my child sleep better?

If there is a vertebral subluxation (misalignment) in the upper neck, the tension can interfere with the sleep centre in the brain and brainstem. As a result, it may prevent proper sleep patterns. Headaches, joint pain and other discomforts can also affect the quality of your child’s sleep and make falling asleep more difficult. Restful sleep is an important part of healing and allows your body to recharge. Correcting subluxations may help your child settle into a more peaceful sleep.

My child is often sick—can chiropractic help them stay healthy?

The most common finding in a child’s spinal examination is vertebral subluxation (misalignment) in the upper neck. This creates tension on the brainstem and upper spinal cord, areas which are integral to proper immune function. If tension is present, it is common for children to have more colds, flus, ear infections and allergies.

Correcting these subluxations allows the brain to communicate properly with the body, so that the body can heal itself more efficiently. The most common observation we hear from parents whose children are under regular chiropractic care is that they get sick much less often than those around them—and if they do get sick, they recover much more quickly. It is amazing to see the power the body has to heal itself!

How soon after birth should I bring my newborn to a baby chiropractor?

It’s never too early. Your newborn can be brought in for their first checkup as soon as you are ready to leave the house. If an adjustment is needed, it will help ensure better function overall and can help with sleep, breastfeeding, digestion and more.

It’s even more important to get checked as soon as possible if there were any interventions or difficulties during labour. In fact, medical studies have shown that even in a natural delivery (no intervention or pulling of the neck), 80% of newborns have a misalignment in their upper neck. Newborns can be safely adjusted by a chiropractor for babies from the day they are born.

Some parents even arrange for their first appointment on the way home from the hospital. Dr. Emilie’s babies each got checked within hours of birth—though it helps, of course, that she could check them herself!

Why hasn’t my paediatrician or medical doctor recommended chiropractic care?

Medical doctors and paediatricians are not usually taught about chiropractic care in medical school. They aren’t generally familiar with how chiropractic care works. Ideally, your child would have both a paediatrician and a chiropractor for babies and children. Your paediatrician or medical doctor will be available for crisis care, and your chiropractor will focus on quality-of-life care and boosting the body’s natural ability to thrive.

Because chiropractic care is new to most medical practitioners, we are always available and happy to answer any of your practitioners’ questions and provide them with the latest research on paediatric chiropractic care.

Learn More Today

For more information on chiropractic care for babies and children, please see the ICPA’s chiropractic research page. Or call our team today to schedule a consultation for paediatric chiropractic Ottawa and Downtown Ottawa, Orleans and Stittsville!
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Paediatric Chiropractor Ottawa, Downtown Ottawa, Orleans and Stittsville ON |
Oaktree Chiropractic & Acupuncture