If you are looking at this page you are probably wondering if chiropractic for children would benefit someone you know.

We know that you know your child best and have an intuition when something isn’t quite right.

Even if others have told you they are fine.

You may have already seen other health professionals but there is something still nagging at you. Chiropractic for children is safe, gentle and effective and may just be what you are looking for.

Many people question why children receive chiropractic care. They may think that because they are little and young that they shouldn’t need Chiropractic.

However, whether you have a large spine or a small spine, if that spine is creating nerve distress than our bodies cannot operate smoothly.

Our nervous system is the master controller of our body.

It communicates to every single part of the body telling it what to do and when to do it whilst at the same time sending information back to its boss, the brain!

In children, it is the nervous system that drives development and if these communication channels become a bit fuzzy and distorted then our bodies experience all sorts of havoc.

Now this makes sense for an adult but how do children get nerve irritation?

Children are busy!! They are constantly searching their world for answers, trying to learn as much as they can.

They crawl, walk, run, jump, skip and more importantly play! We see they are growing at a very fast rate as their brain and body try and make sense of this world.

Sometimes accidents happen. A child may fall over, fall off the play equipment, bump their head, bend in the wrong direction doing a hand stand, just to name a few.

Children these days experience other stressors such as poor posture, impacts of technology and in some instances not enough play.

All of these things have the ability to cause irritation to the spine and your child’s nervous system and are reasons to use chiropractic for children.

Nerve irritation can cause much havoc in a child’s body and many parents in Australia and around the world bring their children to paediatric Chiropractors when they need help with:

• Poor posture or slouching

• Poor coordination

• Low back pain

• Neck pain

• Headaches

• Knee and hip pain

• Flat feet and knocked knees

• Flat head (Plagiocephaly)

• Poor sleep due to pain

• Abnormal ‘W’ seated position

• Slow to reach developmental milestones

• Sports injuries

• Sleeping in weird and wonderful positions

• Falls from strollers, down the stairs or off the swings

What can I expect from my child’s first session?

During your first visit we run through a detailed history of your child and then perform an in-depth assessment.

Don’t worry, our assessment is non-invasive and for the child feels like we are playing lots of games.

After this we determine whether Chiropractic may help your child and discuss their treatment options.

Chiropractic for children techniques used will vary depending on the age of your child. The techniques we use for an adult, a 14-year-old and a 14-month-old are all very different.

Some techniques we may use on your child include:

• Low force, non-cracking adjustments (using equipment such as an activator, blocks or a drop piece table)

• Manual adjustments

• Gentle holds

• Cranial therapy

• Stretches

• Home exercises or games to play at home

• Supplements and basic nutritional advice

• Lifestyle advice such as pillow and mattress recommendations, desk setup, sleep positions and backpack posture

Seeing your child in pain is hard which is why we do all we can to make sure you understand what is going on.

We make sure we explain in detail what we are doing and why we are doing it, as well as demonstrate what we will be doing before we even touch your child.

It is important for you to be comfortable with your child’s treatment which is why we will only treat what you give the thumbs up to!

Chiropractic for children always has the same goal in mind and that is to remove any irritation on the nervous system.

We want your child to have a fully functional, healthy nervous system so that they can grow and develop in a beautiful way.

Will treatment hurt my child?

Chiropractic for children is very different to the treatment and techniques we use for an adult.

Children’s spines are much softer than adults therefore don’t require the same pressure.

Although many techniques look similar to those used on adults they are done with very different pressure.

As children are still developing, we place a large emphasis on low force techniques that help their nervous system develop.

Children need to be treated gently which is why at Hawker Chiropractic our paediatric chiropractors use suitable techniques for your baby’s age group.

If you think that chiropractic would be beneficial to your children or if you have any questions about how chiropractic for children works then please don’t hesitate to call us.

We are open 6 days a week with appointments available early mornings and late evenings.

We are also registered with all health funds.

You can find more information on children and chiropractic on our blog page.