Earache is the most widespread purpose for office visits to pediatricians. By the age of three years, more than 70 percent of children will have had at least one experience of earache, and about a third will have had more than three incidents. Although, what might be surprising 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 Can Help Earache and Ear Infections
A pediatrician who suspects that a child with an earache has a middle ear infection will generally prescribe antibiotics as a typical course of treatment. Current analysis, however, has determined that this is often imprudent. The basis for the child’s middle ear infection may not be due to bacteria, and because antibiotics are only effective against bacterial pathogens, frequently there will be no positive result. 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 account for why children develop chronic ear infections.
One of the purposes of a Honolulu chiropractor is to determine if the body’s incapability of combatting the earache or ear infection is caused by irritation of the small nerves in the spine (called free nerve endings).
An undue tension in the small muscles of the neck is produced 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, thus keeping the body from being able to naturally fix the problem. Additionally, balance can also be affected.
Inadequate drainage of lymphatic ducts can be diagnosed by a chiropractor if there is elevated tension in the neck and paraspinal muscles on the side with the 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 a number of reasons for such acondition due to the many bangs, jolts, and falls most children undergo growing up. Restoration of normal lymph drainage is normally accomplished with a short series 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 prevalent childhood sickness second only to the common cold, accounts for nearly 30 million doctor visits every year. What’s more, at least 6 million courses of antibiotics are unnecessarily prescribed for the problem.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) commends the AAP on the guidelines and emphasizes that chiropractic management 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.”
