Earache is the most common reason for office visits to pediatricians. By the age of three years, more than 70 percent of children will have had at least one incident of earache, and about a third will have had more than three incidents. Although, what might be unforeseen is that earache is also the most widespread basis for children under the age of five years to be taken 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 usually prescribe antibiotics as a customary course of treatment. Current research, however, has concluded that this type of treatment is often imprudent. The cause of the child’s middle ear infection may not be due to bacteria, and since antibiotics are only effective against bacterial pathogens, quite often there will be no positive reaction. This is because numerous cases of middle ear infection can be produced by a virus, and viruses do not respond to antibiotics. This may be the reason why children develop chronic ear infections.
One of a variety of assessments that a Honolulu chiropractor can make is whether the earache or ear infection is created by inflamation of the small nerves in the spine, called free nerve endings.
An abnormal tension in the small muscles of the neck is created when these nerve endings are inflammed. This muscle tension can place pressure on the lymphatic drainage ducts resulting in inadequate drainage from inside the ear, thereby keeping the body from being able to naturally rectify the problem. Additionally, balance can also be affected.
Diagnosis by a chiropractor of such a situation is made by the detection of increased tension in the neck and paraspinal muscles. Generally more tension is felt on the side of earache. The chiropractor also looks for spinal vertebrae that are either moderately out of alignment or are not moving within their normal range. This affliction may have been the result of any one of the variety of bangs, jolts and falls that almost all children undergo in the early years of their life. Many times, a short regimen of spinal adjustments and manipulation of the neck muscles will assist in restoring normal lymph drainage. If your child is suffering from an earache or an ear infection, see 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 second only to 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 expressly recommended a period of “watchful waiting” since, in many cases, infections clear up on their own, without medication.
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) applauds the AAP on the guidelines and emphasizes that chiropractic treatment 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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