The heart of chiropractic medicine is skillfully adjusting the vertebrae in the spine so they’re properly aligned.
Many people are familiar with chiropractic care for back pain due to injury, but unaware of any benefits beyond this. Chiropractic care is often useful for back pain; however, its benefits can extend beyond that. This may seem improbable at first blush, but makes a good deal of sense when carefully considered.
When the vertebrae are misaligned, this interferes with the nerves that run between them. Each nerve bundle that feeds out from the spine controls some section of the body. Thus, logically, those impeded nerves may send “glitchy” signals to those related body parts, causing a variety of problems. In this way, it’s a little like good nutrition. You may not “cure” a particular problem with a chiropractic adjustment, but the body probably can’t effectively correct the problem as long as it doesn’t have a healthy foundation to work from.
A common problem often addressed by chiropractors that probably has yet another mechanism is middle ear infections. (This is the standard “ear infection” of childhood.) It seems that sometimes misaligned vertebrae in the neck can “pull” the ear canals into suboptimal positions. A chiropractic adjustment can restore the normal angle of the ear canals, which then allows them to drain effectively.
A chiropractor may also be able to help with other issues related to the structural alignment of the body, like hip pain (which may be caused by a misaligned spine) or breastfeeding latch issues (if they’re caused by misalignment of the jaw).
If you’re looking for a chiropractor for a child or for pregnancy, I highly recommend looking for one certified through ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association).