Ear Infections

For many parents, ear infections in their young child are a constant, recurring problem during the early years. In fact, United States statistics show that over one-third of all visits to the pediatrician are due to persistent ear infections in children. To see why this may be, as well as how chiropractic care factors into this as a viable solution, you need to understand what happens to the baby’s spine during the birthing process.

The Birth Canal and Ear Infections

Although the causes are still being understood, ear infections may result from the buildup of fluids in the infant’s ear during and after birth. This is because cervical vertebrae can experience slight trauma as the newborn baby exits into the world. This trauma is results in misalignment of the spine, which can be very disruptive to the proper functioning of local nerves. This disruption then adversely affects the Eustachian tube and causes the afore-mentioned buildup of fluid.

A common solution is a course of antibiotics; however, this is not always effective. Moreover, the antibiotics do not treat the underlying condition. There’s always a chance that the ear infection returns, since the cervical vertebrae are still misaligned.

Differences in Chiropractic Techniques

For adults, the re-aligning the spine requires varying levels of force to achieve the result necessary to allow the body to return to a normal, healthy state. For children, however, much gentler techniques are used on the vertebrae. Indeed; most visits to the chiropractor for children are precisely because of ear infections, where the underlying causes that are adversely affecting the nerves are rectified once the spinal misalignment is treated.