by Tina Ding
No denying it; parenting can be highly rewarding – one of life’s greatest gifts. But many parents can relate to sleepless nights as a result of their child’s bedwetting or crying out from ear infections.
Exhausted, parents turn to circles of friends for advice. Some turn to their medical practitioner. Others choose chiropractic care.
“One of the biggest things we treat for is ear infections,” Southridge Chiropractic’s Dr. Sheri TenBroek said. “By adjusting the neck, proper drainage happens.”
TenBroek said parents tend to be a bit hesitant. They aren’t certain how chiropractic care will work in their situation. Yet in her experience, kids do respond to treatment much quicker than adults.
“Often bedwetting issues flare up as a result of an injury,” TenBroek said. “Parents tell me the bedwetting came on suddenly and remained. It usually points to something that happened – and by checking the spine to see what we find, we can adjust those misalignments.”
Certified in the Webster Technique, Dr. TenBroek is a graduate of Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Bloomington, Minnesota in 1995 and is a member of the North Dakota Chiropractic Association and the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. Additionally, she was awarded a fellowship in the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.
“Moms have told me they don’t want to be here – then tell me that someone told them chiropractic care would help,” Schoepp Family Chiropractic’s Dr. Debra Schoepp-Erhardt said. “And directly afterward, they tell me, they wish they’d come here weeks before.”
She describes infant care as being very different from adult care. “You can feel where they need to be adjusted. Babies just wiggle until they find the spot and sort of fall into my hands,” Dr. Schoepp-Erhardt said. “Some fall asleep right away.”
She said the touch is as gentle as the slight pressure of touching your own eyeball. Babies are seen for colic, fussiness, sleeplessness or ear infections. And some newborns tend to turn their head in one direction or another and may be evaluated for torticollis. Additionally, babies born in positions other than normal should be seen after delivery along with mom. Birth is traumatic for the baby, and warrants either a cranial-sacral exam or an evaluation.
Both Dr. TenBroek and Dr. Schoepp-Erhardt adjust pregnant moms for a variety of pregnancy-related aches or discomforts as well as adjust to ease both dilation and delivery. Use of the Webster Technique allows chiropractors to adjust the pelvic area – taking away constraints of the uterus. Ninety percent of the time, a baby turns into a correct position on their own. And simply lining everything up helps promote a normal dilation.
“Pregnant women come to me for general pregnancy pain,” Dr. Schoepp-Erhardt said. “Normal pregnancy problems are related to the sciatica, hormones, their center of gravity changing due to weight gain and aches in backs, tailbones, necks, heads or feet.”
After mom begins to recover from labor and delivery – and baby begins feeding on a regular basis, whether breastfed or bottlefed, mom tends to hunch over to cuddle and support baby, straining both upper and middle back areas. Eventually, baby grows and manages a bit more head control, helping mom out – but baby also gains weight – adding to mom’s lower back crunch. Again, chiropractic care alleviates the discomforts of daily motherhood to a newborn and young baby, since there are multiple new issues that continue developing for moms and babies.
Before long, babies become toddlers – teetering along furniture, crawling up and out of cribs and taking spills that can bring about misalignments. Although a tumble doesn’t necessarily warrant an emergency room visit for a broken bone, a chiropractic evaluation may be in order.
“A medical doctor can utilize x-rays to diagnose breaks or fractures in bones,” Dr. TenBroek said. “It’s chiropractic care that can approach injuries from a joint immobility standpoint.”
Dr. TenBroek once cared for a toddler who’d begun walking with his feet wide apart. His parents hadn’t seen any reason for an injury; he hadn’t fallen or been hurt. He simply could not bring his feet together when standing. He complained a bit of discomfort, so they had him seen in a clinic setting. Multiple x-rays and an ongoing barrage of questions resulted in a large doctor bill and a lot of unanswered questions. It was on their way home from the clinic that they considered chiropractic care and turned back. Dr. TenBroek remembers glancing at his gait and adjusted his hips. He stood up from the quick adjustment and walked away with his feet together. “He didn’t even notice he’d been adjusted, but felt comfortable immediately,” Dr. TenBroek said.
Dr. Schoepp-Erhardt said she sees repeat families, whose child is doing well after an adjustment – but in normal play tumbles from a bed or couch and needs to be re-aligned. She also notices families who regularly bring children in will tend to automatically bring a newborn in.
“The smallest of babies can have digestive problems due to a mis-alignment,” Dr. Schoepp-Erhardt said. “Simple, gentle adjustments can help constipation issues.”
The consensus: when your child is sleeping poorly or having difficulties that could be related to a simple misalignment, have them seen by a chiropractor. Dr. Sheri TenBroek and Dr. Debra Schoepp-Erhardt both feel passionate toward working with pregnant moms, newborns and children.
Different women, different doctors with different practices – sharing a passionate interest in chiropractic care for babies, children and adults.